How To Be A Better Customer By Showing Respect & Dignity

Many blogs and articles focus on how to improve your sales process but have you ever considered that if we were better customers then sales would be a much more straightforward process?

Dear Mr Client

Today, with a heavy heart, I'm writing to inform you that I am closing the doors to my business for the last time. In spite of extremely positive sales projections for the year, disappointingly many client proposals failed to turn into new business and as my bank manager reminded me, "an enthusiastic prospect, who doesn't buy, will not pay your mortgage."

I wish so many of my prospects had been more like you - from the moment you first enquired of my services, you kept in touch. You valued the time I'd taken to put together my bespoke proposal, designed to help you achieve your own business goals and when obstacles appeared that meant you had to put my proposal on hold for a while, you were quick to respond to my follow up messages, so I knew not to build up my hopes of an early contract completion and I could instead, focus my attention on other prospects who needed my help.

As a business owner, like me, I know you appreciate the highs and lows involved in managing sales and how one moment an enthusiastic enquiry can suddenly become a tiresome and frustrating process, often following up, only to receive zero response, no indication as to whether your price is wrong or whether things have changed and if your offer is still relevant.

Instead, you're left to wonder what you do next? Meanwhile, the energy, both mental and physical you've put into following up people, who are not responding, drains you of the very inspiration and motivation you require to service your other clients.

If only all my prospects would have treated me with the same level of dignity and respect that you have, perhaps I wouldn't have wasted so much time on those who did not.

I wish you all the very best and thank you for being such a great customer.

How To Be A Great Customer

The above script is fictitious but I've heard this story from many business owners and sales people and have often experienced these feelings myself. But that's sales isn't it? Surely you just man-up and move on to the next customer if things don't work out with the previous enquiry?

Have you ever had those days when you receive that enthusiastic enquiry and you know you have the solution to help your prospect achieve their goal and the relationship appears strong between you and your new prospect?

You attend a meeting or two, spend time creating your considered proposal and press send and then wait for them to give you the thumbs up. But they don't, in fact you hear nothing; no thank you for your proposal, not even an acknowledgement it has arrived.

Not wanting to appear too keen, you leave it a couple of days and then the doubt, as to whether your email quote has arrived with your prospect begins to play on your mind. If it hasn't arrived then they might think bad of you for failing to deliver the proposal when you'd promised and you really want this piece of business. So you send your 'just checking you received my proposal?' message and of course they have received it, they're just 'too busy' to let you know right now.

And so...

Now begin the days and weeks of uncertainty, should you follow up again today or leave it a while longer? You've implemented your 7 Step email and telephone follow process and nothing, not a ripple of a reply and then suddenly ...."sorry, I've not been in touch, it's been unbelievably busy here recently, I'll come back to you asap". What? You're confused? When you met, he told you he was keen to book you and ready to go ahead and now he's busy and is giving you zero indication as when he won't be busy. Now what? Where do you stand, what do you do next?

This is what we all really need

It was Maslow, who in 1943 told us what we already knew deep inside - that you and I have needs, a hierarchy of needs and these are:

1. Pyschological - food, water, warmth, rest.
2. Safety - security a safe home.
3. Belonging - relationships, friendship, love.
4. Esteem - prestige and feeling of accomplishment.
5. Self-actualisation - achieving your potential.

For you and I, Needs 1 & 2 are mostly taken care of, assuming we have plenty of food and water to drink, clothes on our back, a safe place to live and we're not too over-worked and lead a reasonably balanced life.

The 3rd need, 'Belonging' can be more challenging to achieve and you may find yourself flirting on occasions with this one.

However, as a business owner, salesperson, manager, employee, you will often look to your work to achieve Need No.4 - self-esteem.

The highs and lows of selling your services

When you receive interest in your products and services, especially when an order is placed and you go on to deliver a great outcome for your customer, then Need 4 is usually realised for you. Something else is happening too. During the buying process and almost certainly at the point a prospect enquires about your services, a neurotransmitter, known a dopamine, which controls the brain's pain and pleasure responses kicks-in.

Dopamine has its greatest effect, when you are in a heightened state of anticipation, such as the moment you receive a new business enquiry. Neurons (nerve cells) release a surge of dopamine, which sends signals to other nerve cells in your brain that in turn create the reward sensation. However, a dopamine deficiency can cause completely the opposite response - instead of euphoria, in extreme cases, a deficiency can lead to depression. And it's just this deficiency that is experienced when Need No.4 is not realised - when an initial strong sales enquiry suddenly appears to be slipping from your grasp.

How do you become a better a customer?

We're all busy and like you, few of your customers have enough time in a day to accomplish everything that is required or them or is that actually true? Could it be that many of us feel more busy when we don't actually need to? An interesting article from the BBC online Future website 'Why You Feel Busy All The Time (when you're actually not)' mentions research that suggests that in Europe and North America, the time people are working - paid or unpaid, has not increased in recent decades and yet more and more of us are complaining of being overburdened with work.

It seems that it's about priorities- whatever is important to you right now, today, tomorrow, next week, will be where you'll focus your attention and what was your No.1 priority today, may slip to No.2 or 3 tomorrow - as a customer this rule applies too.

It's about respect and dignity

Whether we are all busier than we've been or if it is simply a case of prioritising our time more efficiently, others will be impacted by our actions. To become a better customer is quite simple really, it's about treating others (the sellers) with the same level of respect and dignity that we would hope to receive from our customers.

On behalf of all salespeople in the world (and that includes you), why don't you make a commitment to respond to that email or phone call, from that supplier that you actually enquired of (by all means ignore the spammy sales companies and individuals who you've not previously shown an interest), even if it's simply to say "I'm sorry but I can't go ahead right now" and let them know when would be a better time. Ignoring the situation will often cause you as much stress as will fending off the regular follow up calls from the bewildered salesperson you first approached.

What's your view on this topic, do you agree with my suggestions or disagree? Either way, it would be great to hear your opinion, so please leave a comment below.

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