How Training Your Team in Sales and Customer Service can be Your Best USP

When you think of sales, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  For most people, their first thought is about a bad sales experience they have had in the past, so their view on salespeople can be quite tainted. 

Other people may relate to a great sales experience they have had and so their view on sales is very positive, at the same time their expectation for the next time they purchase is to look forward to having a great experience again. 

What is it costing your Business by not providing Sales & Customer Service Training? 

It is interesting how different people perceive what Sales is.  Some of us view sales in the traditional sense of going to a store to make a purchase for something that we may want or need.  The purchase may or may not involve speaking directly with a salesperson.  For example, it is more difficult to purchase a vehicle without speaking with a salesperson, although this is becoming more common with the internet and online services. 

The role of the car salesperson today, especially new car sales, is to ask the right questions that enable you as the purchaser to make the right decisions on the right model, right accessories and the right service options that are going to ensure that your purchase will give you all the benefits that you are seeking. 

There is a common misconception that Sales is only represented by people who have “Sales …” attached to their position title.  The reality is that everyone in your organisation has some sales-related activities in what they do, no matter what their position title is. 

Let’s look at a business that manufactures widgets and determine where ‘Sales & Customer Service’ interactions may take place. 

• A customer may call/speak with a salesperson and place a Sales order and a Customer Service interaction takes place 
• The salesperson then creates a customer order – so a Sales transaction is created for the purchasing department to order the materials, Customer Service  
• The Purchasing department then creates a Manufacturing order – so a Sales transaction has been made to manufacture the widget 
• The Manufacturing team then begins to manufacture the widget.  This widget has a number of processing stages before the finished product is finalised – there is a Sales & Customer Service  interaction taking place each time the widget manufacturer moves from one process to the next processing stage 
• Once the product is manufactured, it then moves on to the warehouse where the item is placed into stock and becomes available for despatch – Sales & Customer Service takes the form of receiving the widget from manufacturing, booking transport and delivering the product to the customer 
• The Sales  team will then provide Customer Service  by following up with the customer that they are satisfied with their new widget and that it is providing everything that they expected from the widget 

In this example, you can see that a Sales & Customer Service interaction is taking place at every point in the supply chain.  Take a moment to consider all the points where Sales & Customer Service is taking place in your own business. 

Let’s consider how Sales & Customer Service might take place in a Trades business.  The customer books an onsite service activity where a tradesman will come onsite to complete a task.  The opportunity for Sales & Customer Service by the tradesperson starts from the moment they arrive onsite.  Remember, in this example the tradesperson does not have Sales & Customer Service in their job title. 

Where does the Tradesperson have the opportunity to supply Sales & Customer Service with the Customer now they are onsite: 

• In general discussion with the Customer, the Tradesperson should be trained to Listen for things the Customer may be talking about where the conversation may lead to “did you know that that is something we can do” 
• The Customer may volunteer that a friend or neighbour may be experiencing a similar problem, the Tradesperson should be trained in how to ask for the referral 
• Whilst completing the work, the Tradesperson may notice other things around the Customers property that may need doing – Training in what to look for and how to raise it with the Customer becomes very important here 
• Customer Service may take the form of: 
• Being on time 
• Being courteous  
• Clean vehicle and uniform 
• Asking if there is anything else they would like done  
• Cleaning up when the job is completed 
• Asking for a review and referral 

It is a fact that most people have never had any Sales or Customer Service Training and how they can impact the success of the business, no matter what their job title is.  Businesses that conduct Sales & Customer Service training for all of their employees go on to build an Amazing Businesses. 

Think about all the times you may have had a bad experience with Customer Service, whether was it poor service in a restaurant, not being acknowledged when you arrive at reception, being ‘Sold To’ for something that you did not want or need, just to name a few examples.   

Without any training, team members in businesses are doing the best they can based on their own experience and may have no inkling that there may be a better way to provide a better Sales & Customer Service experience when they are interacting with your customers. 

Sales & Customer Service training is one of the Keys to Building a Winning Team in any organisation.  When everyone understands the role that they can individually play in promoting Sales & Customer Service in their organisation, this really becomes a USP (unique selling proposition), that sets that business apart from its competition. 

When you train your team in how to provide a great Sales & Customer Service Experience, they will enable the customer to leave with a positive experience that they will be only too happy to not only come back again but also refer your business on to their family and friends. 

What would be the impact on your business if every team member could make just one extra Sale or provide one more great Customer Service experience every week when they know the How to from the training you have provided?  Sales & Customer Service training is a vital component of any business for all team members.