NFIB

After the Sale
03/ 10/ 2004

by Jeffrey Moses

Marketing experts often say that you have to sell to a customer three times -- once before the actual purchase, once immediately afterward and again during the weeks and months that follow. The third phase of the sale is the one that builds a business for the long run. Following up long after a customer has made a purchase increases customer loyalty, which translates into repeat buyers. One-time customers are fine, but repeat buyers are the foundation for long-term success.

Here are some follow-up tips that can help you create loyal customers:

Within several days after the sale, contact the customer to make sure his or her expectations were met. If there are questions or complaints, this is the time to address them, not after they have time to simmer and eventually boil over. Also, take this opportunity to thank the customer for doing business with you and to encourage visiting or contacting you again.

Create a system among your sales staff to make sure customer complaints or follow-up questions are addressed quickly and thoroughly. Don't let even the slightest follow-up contact from the customer fall through the cracks. Customers hate to do business with a company that treats them impersonally or forgets about them after the sale has been concluded.

If a customer needs to make a return, an exchange or has any problem with a product or service, respond exactly as stated in your guarantee -- or even better than stated. Who knows, the customer might be testing you to see if you're worthy of repeat business.

During the sale, take notes about a customer's special interests. Send out a card or make a special phone call if you begin offering something that might be of interest. Also try to get information about the customer and immediate family so you can send out birthday cards, anniversary cards and holiday cards. Your special customers will appreciate the effort.

The 80-20 Rule, often called Pareto's Principle in honor of the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), states that 80 percent of your business will come from 20 percent of your customers. This holds true in almost every type of industry. Taking advantage of this, concentrate your follow-up marketing efforts on the 20 percent of your customers who spend the most money with you. This will maximize your efforts and costs.

Within three to six months of the purchase, invite the customer to some type of "customer-only" sale. Offer them something special to encourage repeat business (free gifts, unadvertised specials, etc.).

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