Securing and retaining customers in a slowing economy comes down to strong after-sales service

Movie buffs recall the motto of the arrogant but successful salesman in Glengarry Glen Ross – “Always be closing.” Simple as ABC. Right?

When it comes to keeping customers satisfied and on-board in a recessionary environment, a better adage for companies might be “Always be serving.” As in, serving your customers even if it’s a quick text message following an order.

Reason: Some salespeople do a great job of selling, right up to the point when the prospect buys or the existing customer re-ups. Then they become scarce and don’t keep in contact with the customer. Often a sales rep leaves a company and the sales manager or other reps don’t reach out to the customer in a timely manner.

Ineffective after-sales service can be disastrous. Roughly 80% of businesses switch to another vendor/supplier after two years because they don’t get the service they expect. In many ways it’s the “grass is always greener” ethos in effect.

What it takes to keep the customer

Effective after-sales service is essential for sales reps to develop so they can keep customer satisfaction and retention levels high. It can be expressed in any kind of communication, though increasingly customers don’t want phone calls or in-person visits so a text or email is often the best route.

While technology is changing the B2B landscape and limiting sales pros’ options to a degree, some things truly don’t change. Sales team members should remember:

• Right or wrong, most customers don’t think about or appreciate what kind of service they get when everything’s going well. They take it for granted. It’s when problems develop that they take a close look at the relationship with their supplier or service provider.
• The customer deserves sales’ best effort, regardless of the time of day or day of the week a complaint or question surfaces. Treat a problem like an opportunity every time and move quickly to get it solved.
• Follow through on promises made. This can’t be emphasized enough. If a problem will take time to handle, let the customer know up front. Apologize if a fast and easy solution doesn’t seem possible.