Your Sales Structures and Systems Impact the Brand Your Customers are Delivered


We know what customers want in the sales experience. [10] For purposes of this discussion, let's label these qualities as part of excellent generic selling:

  • Trust

  • Never sensing they have been cheated

  • Feeling that the salesperson has a genuine concern for them

  • Feeling very important

  • Feeling at home

In addition, customers characterize high quality sales relationships as having the following:

  • Positive attitudes

  • Mutual flexibility

  • Common vision and dreams

  • Loyalty

  • Mutual satisfaction

When customers do not receive what they expect in the sales process, as much of an opportunity is lost to strengthen the brand as when they do not receive what they were promised in the product and service delivery process.

In its attempts to imbue the sales experience with a specific brand essence, an organization must first determine if its internal systems and policies interfere with staff's ability to sell common brand qualities such as trust and personal concern. It's very easy for this interference to happen, as the following example demonstrates.

An acquaintance, Julia, sold for Nieman Marcus during a busy Christmas season. During orientation and training, she was instructed to stay with customers with whom she had created rapport and accompany them to other departments to help with additional sales. This is definitely a good idea, especially for a high-end retailer whose customers have been promised more personalized attention. It also utilizes relationship selling.

When Julia created such a relationship with her first customer, she asked if the woman needed help with anything else. The shopper said she wanted to buy something for her husband. Julia, according to her instructions, walked with the customer to the men's department and helped her with those purchases, which by that time were considerable.

Upon returning to her own department, Julia's supervisor asked her where she had gone. After explaining, Julia was curtly told, "I don't care what they told you in orientation. I don't make any commissions on what you sell in other departments. Don't leave this department ever again."

[10]Kyzirdis et al., "Sales Management."




Branded Customer Service(c) The New Competitive Edge
Branded Customer Service: The New Competitive Edge
ISBN: 1576752984
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 134

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