Customer Service Helper

Making Customers Your Friend

I got a call from a Sales Manager of a company who is advertising in one of magazines we promote. In a disappointing mood he has told me, “I ‘m going to discontinue the ad series we are running in your magazine”. As he is a loyal fan and a great supporter of the magazine, it was a major surprise to me. I asked him “why?” In reply he said “The sales guy who is handling the magazine is not visiting me enough. He comes here only to collect the ad and the cheque. But the guy who handled the magazine earlier used visit me regularly, talk to me so often and discuss issues. Even he comes just to say hi to me. But now it’s different.”

The insight this Sales Manager gave us is vital for any sales man or for a sales manager who is handling a sales force and it taught us a great marketing lesson.

It’s true that advertising in a magazine or taking a decision to buy a particular product or service is always based on rational reasons. But together with rational reasons, several emotional reasons are required to support a buying decision. That’s why a “relationship” is going to play a major role in converting potential customer into productive customers or keeping your valuable clients intact.

If you think your customer expects to have only a “rational relationship”, it’s a big mistake. If you visit him only for official purposes, he may consider you only as a “cost”. But you need to deliver him “value”. A sales guy must consider the client as a friend. True friends do not meet each other only when they have something to get from the other person. It’s a relationship that goes beyond a mere transaction. Visiting your client regularly, keeping in touch with him or her by phone, getting regular feedback on his or her satisfaction on products, obtaining insights for product improvements and being with him or her whenever they needs you, is important to build a long lasting bond with the customer.

I could recall a success story I heard from another salesman. This guy who promotes a newspaper which is relatively new in the market continuously visits one of his potential customers, which happens to be an Airline for more than a year; However he had never been able to get a single advertisement so far. But he never gave it up. He was there regularly with a copy of his newspaper, talking to them, sharing jokes and slowly building a relationship. After one year he received his fist campaign from the airline as a tribute to the unconditional relationship he developed with the client. Finally when this Airline took a Sri Lankan team for an overseas trip, this guy was among who were selected overlooking sales Executives of other major publications.

This is the power of building a strong customer relationship.

Treat your customer as a friend. Don’t be only a cost to him. Benefits will follow you all the way.

By Saranga Wijeyarathne

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Author is holding a MBA from University of Colombo and B.Sc Marketing Management from University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Visiting lecturer of University of Kelaniya and School of Media Arts and Management in Colombo. Currently a Board Member of International Advertising Association ( Sri Lanka Chapter ) and working as the Assistant General Manager of Wijeya Newspapers Limited the largest Newspaper Publisher in Sri Lanka.