… or the delivery?
At a meeting with the business owner of one of our clients yesterday we were discussing the difference between our approach to business and that of another of their suppliers.
We concluded that the other supplier was primarily motivated by achieving the sale, winning the order. This seems to be the focus of their effort, the point at which they pay maximum attention to their customer and show real interest in what the customer needs from them.
Sadly, almost from the point at which they secure the order, their interest appears to wane. It falls to the customer to chase them for delivery on their promises and they appear uninterested in whether or not their solution has actually made a difference to the customer. Of course, this might not really be the case, but it’s how it feels to the customer.
By contrast, I’m pleased to say that our client feels our focus is on the delivery. They know (just as I do) that winning sales is critical to our business, but they also know we really care about whether what we do for them works. We always ask them for an update on their business performance, and as part of our account management process regularly check that what we are doing is working. For most our clients, part of the service we provide is to measure marketing effectiveness.
As far as I’m concerned, it not only is the reason we do what we do, but it also helps us turn our sales into long-term relationships.
Where does your motivation lie – and is that how it feels to your customers? If repeat business isn’t as good as you would like maybe your customers think you’re more interested in the sale than the result.
Chris.