Acover story in Fortune Magazine way back in 1990 said that customers really only want three things: service, service, service.
I don’t think things have changed at all.
Harry Bullis, former chairman of General Mills, certainly understood this philosophy. He always told his sales force: “Forget about the sales you hope to make and concentrate on the service you want to render.”
The moment someone’s attention is centered on service to others, he said, they become more dynamic, more forceful and harder to resist. How can you resist someone who is trying to help you solve a problem?
Bullis said, “I tell our sales people that they should begin each morning with this thought: ‘I want to help as many people as possible today,’ instead of ‘I want to make as many sales as possible today.’” Bullis said sales people who do this will find a more easy and open approach to their buyers, and they will make more sales.
He added, “The person who goes out to help people to a happier and easier way of life is exercising the highest type of salesmanship.”
Going Farther
Greatness lies in helping somebody, not in trying to be somebody.
For years I have tried to live by this slogan: “The sale begins when the customer says yes.” Anyone can sell a customer the first time. It’s how that experience plays out that determines whether your customer comes back again and again. Unless you are selling a truly one-of-a-kind item, you have competition. And that competition is willing to go the extra mile if you are not.
Without a doubt, one of the qualities that make a good salesperson is a service mentality. Good salespeople have second sight: They can see things from the customers’ point of view. They willingly go beyond their traditional job descriptions to be sure the job gets done on time—and done right.
These are the salespeople who come out with the delivery truck to see that an installation is handled properly. They personally take care of a customer’s complaint or hound the factory until the order is filled to their exact specifications.
For good salespeople, it’s a long-term proposition, not a one-night stand. They insist that things be done to the customer’s satisfaction.
My philosophy has always been this: Do what you are expected to do, and you will survive. Do more than you are expected to do, and you will thrive.
Exceed Expectations
The late Napoleon Hill, one of this country’s most respected motivational authors, wrote the classic, “Think and Grow Rich.” He’s known for his emphasis on service, and wrote: “By rendering more service and better service than that for which you are paid, you thereby take advantage of the Law of Increasing Returns through the operation of which you will eventually be paid, in one way or another, for far more service than you actually perform.”
Nothing is more important than customer service. No customer service, and pretty soon … no business. If your product is worth what you are charging, your service is worth its weight in gold.
One of the best sales meetings I ever attended started out with this statement: “I’m the sales manager. We are here to discuss ways to improve our sales. If you’ll notice, the door to the room is open. That is for two reasons. One, because I have left instructions to let anyone know immediately that if they get a call from a customer, I don’t want the customer to wait a second longer than necessary. Two, the door is open so that if any of you are in the midst of a sale or can use the time we’re spending here to be in contact with a customer, you are to get up and go. Now. In fact, I expect the people who are the better salespeople to walk out of here right this minute.”
Half the room emptied.
Rule #1: The customer comes first.
Rule #2: Never forget rule #1.
Mackay’s Moral: Smart people spell service, “serve us.”
Harvey Mackay is president of Mackay Envelope Corp. and a nationally syndicated columnist.
