Customer Service ~ John J Arent

I was recently asked to define just ONE requirement that is critical to be successful in sales.  This was not an easy task due to the fact that I have been in the sales profession since I was a youngster.  Over the years, I have been blessed by the good fortune of working side by side with some of the best sales professionals on this planet.  I have had the opportunity to work with top performers and observe the many attributes that helped result in award-winning results.  Most sales people possess multiple talents that when taken together as a whole will result in extraordinary outcomes. I am a firm believer in the fact that we would never want or desire to have a “robotic” sales person represent our company.  Success comes in many flavors and I would submit to you that this blog would be much larger than my normal blogs if I were to list the various characteristics, traits or behaviors of some of the finest achievers that I have had the pleasure of working with.  Since the challenge was to define only 1, here it is….

CUSTOMER SERVICE ~ This is a “catch-all” but as I wrapped my mind around this challenge, I am committed to making this the most desirable behavior that exemplifies top performance.  This is the foundation or established starting point which every successful person that I know has solidified as their  base of operations.. The reasons for this are as follows:

• Great Salespeople are a resource to their customers ~ They are driven by results but they also are genuinely concerned about bringing value to their customers.  A special TLC and consideration for their customers is strength of these highly professional and ethical ambassadors of the company.  They are quite passionate about what they do and are able to extend their beliefs to their customers.
• These representatives are dependable and trustworthy ~ They take great pride in knowing how they can best assist their clients.  Beyond product knowledge, they are expert in the “lagniappe” that the company has provided.  [I am a fan of Louisiana and “lagniappe” is a Cajun term for a “little bit extra”]  These representatives through their listening skills take on the cares, wants and desires of their customers and make them their own. They exhibit an incredible understanding of the support or service items that will help overall customer satisfaction.
• These representatives show many of the traits that top executives illustrate including empathy and humility.  They would never jeopardize their customers with faulty information or service and go to great lengths in ethical promotion of their company and products.   
• I have often wondered if anyone would buy something from someone that they simply do not like…I’m sure it happens, but is has got to be the exception.  There are some people who are very successful by being relentless, high pressure type sales people.  To each his own, but I have found that the top sales professionals have an uncanny ability to “read’ their customers and adjust to their customer’s style.  They have a “WOW” factor and quickly make a great first impression.  From there, they continue to build on their reputation for quality service.

Those representatives who can deliver customer service with a smile are the foundation for success.  The nice thing about this trait is that it is a learnable one and with good mentoring and coaching is generally easy to master.  You have to truly care about someone and appreciate the fact that no one cares how much you know until they realize how much you care. 

This “customer service approach” may be a paradigm shift for a number of sales managers who are reading this blog.  My caveat to you is if you have salespeople on your team who are not willing or able to adopt a customer service profile to their business approach, either help them by taking the necessary steps in training them or reassign them out of the sales department.