Customer Service | Direct Sales Talk

Person to Person Sales Means More Money in Your Pocket

Posted by Chris | Posted on 19-11-2010

Category : Direct Sales Articles, Direct Sales Work at Home Business Tips

Tags: customer service, direct sales, increasing sales, sales tips, selling tips

Person to Person Sales Means More Money in Your Pocket

In the direct sales business, it is so easy to just have a customer call you with an order, especially if she is a regular client of yours. But sometimes we forget that this is a person to person business that we are running and actually seeing your customer face to face can mean more money in your pocket.

In past articles, I have talked about the difference between an order taker and an order maker. Just taking a customer’s order; thank you very much; and hanging up the phone is really cutting into your potential profits.

Become that order maker. Make an appointment with your customer to stop by and get her order. That is a very personal touch and while you are there, you can recommend different products to try. Show her your traveling basket filled with new items that have arrived recently. Have her sample something new; maybe recommend an add on item that ties in with her original order. Tell her about upcoming specials and new products that may interest her. Talk to her about your business.

You know that it is so much easier to tell someone “No” on the phone than it is in person. When you are recommending a product in person, you have become an advisor. You have gone out of your way to offer a special service and that will stand out to your customer. You have increased your professionalism a few notches. Cementing your relationship with your customer will not only add money and profit into your pocket right now, but in the long run, the results will be clear. That customer will be yours for life.

Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. You can sign up for tips on managing and increasing your business at her site DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat If you would like to use this article for your newsletters or website, all links must be live and clickable.

Guest Blogging with Deb and Customer Service

Posted by Chris | Posted on 26-04-2010

Category : Direct Sales Articles, Direct Sales Work at Home Business Tips

Tags: customer service, direct sales article

I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger/ article writer with my friend Deb Bixler. Customer Service and Direct Sales was the topic of the day.

I hope that you take a moment to stop by a read it. Improve Direct Selling Customer Service Its full of some great tips and info for you and your business.

Hope you enjoy it!

Got a Difficult Customer? Here’s some tips on how to survive.

Posted by Chris | Posted on 19-10-2009

Category : Direct Sales Articles, Direct Sales Work at Home Business Tips

Tags: customer service, direct sales articles

Dealing with a Difficult Customer

Have you ever had a difficult customer or someone who made excessive returns on used product or even had a customer bounce a check on you? Did you stress out trying to deal with the issue or did you just let the customer walk over you as it was easier to deal with it all that way?

Well you are not alone! Many of us have had challenging customers
at one time or another. It is a fact of life with our type of business. But the difference is in how you deal with it.

Remember this first and foremost when dealing with a customer service issue. You are the business owner. You are. You need to deal with that customer in a professional, business type manner. You can get your message across that your customer is doing something that is over and above what you will accept in your
business without being negative, frightened, or walked on. It’s all in the delivery of the message.

**Be upfront with them from the beginning that this is your business.

**Be firm. Do not hesitate or be wishy washy. They can sense that and will not respond in the way you need them to.

**Offer a solution along with the issue. IE.. I’m sorry you are having problems with my product. I am in this business to assist you, so should we schedule an appointment so we can get together to find the product that matches your needs so you won’t have to be frustrated with returns?

**Think like a professional and let the professional take over in sticky situations. Change hats when you have to be the bad guy. Professionalism will always win! Meaning… be polite even if you cannot come to terms.

**Know that it’s is ok to “fire” a customer! If all you have is issues, tell them you can refer them to someone who can better serve their needs. Sometimes, it is not worth the stress to constantly deal with someone you can not get a long with… It’s OK! Really!

**Take a deep breath and move on. Don’t dwell on an issue. It is not worth it. Write it off to lesson learned and move on.

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Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. You can sign up for tips on managing and increasing your business at her site DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat If you would like to use this article for your newsletters or website, all links must be live and clickable.

Customer Service and Growing Your Direct Sales Business

Posted by Chris | Posted on 19-07-2009

Category : Direct Sales Articles, Direct Sales Work at Home Business Tips

Tags: business growth, customer service, direct sales articles

Customer Service and Growing Your Direct Sales Business

As you start to build your business one of the things that you will realize is that Customer Service will play a Large Key in the satisfaction and return rate of your customers. Repeat Customers are the back bone to many types of business and they are something that you need to nurture and satisfy. It is a very simple process and something that you will probably say, “Hey, I knew that!” Here are some tried and true methods and tips for providing excellent customer service.

Establish a return policy if the company you choose does not already have one in place. Make sure that it is in plain view, whether on your receipt or on your website, if that is where they are shopping from. Think about factors like: Who is paying shipping? Is there a time limit? Do you have a cash refund policy or exchange policy only? Whatever you decide, make sure it is easily recognizable and assessable. Just having a policy like this in force will cut down on any potentially unhappy customers.

Return phone calls with in 24 hours at the most. Try and make it sooner. If you are selling a product, the customer will want to know if that product is available, whether you can order it, and when it will be in.

Return emails with in a 24 hour period as well. Simple courtesy is at hand here. If there is a question that you cannot answer either by phone or email, then a call or email stating that you are researching it and will get back to them by such and such date is acceptable. This makes your customer know that you are a professional and that you did actually receive the message.

Make sure your customer gets a receipt with each purchase. Some companies even require 2 receipt’s be given so that in case there is a return, your customer will still have a original receipt. Make a nice logo or copy and paste a logo if possible and use that. There are several different types of software that can help you create an invoice. Making a professional impression will go a long way with people.

Always write and speak professionally. Do not use slang or business jargon. Your customers will not understand that. You want to show them that you indeed are a professional and your language skills reflect that.

Listening to your customer is very important. Hear what she is looking for. If you are not listening properly, you may suggest an item that she is not happy with or is wrong for her. You may also miss an opportunity to increase your sale. For instance, Mary says to me, “Gosh, I have such oily skin. My pores are getting larger and it makes my makeup look bad.” Now, me being a good listener heard…oily, pores and makeup. This is 3 different products that I could sell her, if not more. If I wasn’t listening properly, I may have only heard oily. I could have gone off in any direction and missed what she REALLY needed from me: Proper Cleansers, Moisturizers, and Foundation. Listening will gain you respect and will let the customer know that you are dedicated to great customer service.

Always, Always send a thank you note when appropriate. If you are in direct sales and you did a party, make sure you send the hostess a thank you note. Send little notes inside of your package if delivering or shipping to someone. Even a business card on a magnet with a thank you attached is good. You want them to remember that you are thoughtful and you appreciate their business. It will come back to you when that person is looking for your type of business again.

In the rare instance that you cannot satisfy someone, do what you can to make them happy or at least make the outcome acceptable to them. That could be making sure they get a refund, even if you don’t normally give them out. Exchanging the item for something they like better, even if you have to take a loss. And make sure you stay professional even if they make you angry or insult you, which can happen. A lot of times the person will just want to vent his frustration and anger and it may be you getting it. But that does not mean that you can respond to it. Ignore the anger and respond ONLY to the problem at hand.

Doing these simple things will insure that your customers will be satisfied with their experience with your company. And we all know that lots of happy customers in the bread and butter of our business. They will bring in referrals and continued business to you for a long time.

Using Customer Appreciation Days in Your Direct Sales Business

Posted by Chris | Posted on 23-06-2009

Category : Direct Sales Articles, Direct Sales Work at Home Business Tips

Tags: customer service, direct sales articles, increasing sales

Using Customer Appreciation Days in Your Direct Sales Business

We talk a lot about customer service and how to make sure that your focus is on retaining customers and growing your business.. Using a one day function is an added benefit to your mission to Spoil the Customer!

There are so many ways you can easily and effectively spoil your customer. I am going to share a few ways with you.

• Have a Progressive Sale. Start your sales at 8am and offer a discount of say 30% from 8:00-9:00am. From 9:01-10:00 the discount goes to 25%. From 10:01–11:00 it drops to 20% and so on. You can run your sales anytime of the day; early, late, whatever works for you. I would caution you to only do this once per year as it can take a big chunk out of your profits. So make it a super special event and pick an obscure day to hold it each year so they can look forward to it, like St Pat’s day or the First Day of Spring.

• Do an Open House. Another special 1 day event that can really allow your customers to get to know you and spend one on one time with you. Offer specials deals, free gifts, basket drawings; whatever you like. Set up beautiful displays and let them browse new product lines and get to know your business. Offer cookies and coffee and sit and chat with them. By really getting to know your customer, you can offer them products to fit their needs in the future.

• Free Gift with Purchase. This can be a special Customer Service Week offer. “For all orders received the week of…. A free gift will be included with your order in appreciation for your loyalty. Thank you for being My Customer and friend” or something like that. This is a great tool to use as you will not be losing profits as much as you would with a progressive sale. Gifts to customers in the US up to a certain amount are allowed to be written off on your taxes. (check with your tax advisor as I am not one!)

• Big, Fat Clearance Sale. I love doing this one and usually do 2 a year. It allows me to lower my inventory and bring cash into my pocket. I usually do one over the holidays to lower my inventory for year end and one when I am feeling cash poor. It is amazing how much inventory we can accumulate over the year. I make a flyer with all of the inventory on it with the price and make it “first come first serve”. “Existing inventory only!” I mail it out first to my customers and then 1 day later put it out on the email addresses so they all get it about the same time. Make it a good deal and you can move some of this product out.

There are many, many more ideas that I am sure you can come up with but these are the ones I have effectively used in my business. By using one, two or all of these ideas and doing them each year, you will continue to cement your relationship with your customers. Keeping their support is key to your success. Enjoy!