In part 1 we looked at who was responsible for selling and sales. In part 2 we ask: Are ALL your staff increasing opportunities or driving customers out the door? Almost every department has an opportunity to help sales or hinder sales. In part 2 we look at two further departments that have a responsibility and a role in sales generation.
Reception/the people that answer the phone Sometimes you are greeted with a smile, efficiency and service other times it is polite professionalism that gets you in the mood to do business. It is amazing however how many offices I’ve visited or called that do not seem to understand that this is your client’s first contact with, and first impression of your company. I have been put off by people eating when they talk to me, holding a second conversation, not listening to me, forgetting I am on hold, not passing on a message or simply not being polite and professional.
A good receptionist is an excellent asset, polite, professional, organised and thoughtful. Unfortunately, many smaller companies cannot afford such a luxury and often it is a case of whoever is at their desk picks up the phone. Certainly an effective, money-saving approach, but are you sure that ‘whoever picks up the phone’ is saying the right things and projecting the right image? Are you sure they are passing on the message, or even offering to take one? If a customer asks them a question, do they try to answer it or pass the call to someone more in the know? All these things can have an impact and set the tone for the rest of the customers experience with you.
Are you sure the right message is being portrayed to your potential clients?
TOP TIP
Why not introduce a “Customer Service Award”? Anyone giving exceptional customer service or who receives a big thank you from a customer ijn turn receives a thank you from the business. Monetry? Gift vouchers? Or simply half a day off? Great custoemr service desrves rewarding.
Operations & Admin These are the people that make it happen, that keep the company moving along and are often the first to be blamed when something goes amiss. They rarely however get the praise when it all goes well because by being so organised and efficient, they make themselves invisible.
These staff also have a responsibility and a role in company sales. If sending out paperwork to a client, does it look professional? Would a short personalised note make a big difference in making the customer feel special? If there is a problem, could a call from the ops department with an apology and explanation help to smooth things over?
I was working with a company where, due to poor internal processes the wrong (cheaper) price list was sent out to a client and all hell broke loose! Demands for rebates and price matching flew around but in the end it was the relationship between the company’s Administrator and the customer’s Admin Manager that smoothed the problem out.
Mistakes will happen, but do your processes minimise them? Do your staff go that little bit further to charm and delight the customer?
Have a listen to some client conversations around the office and imagine yourself on the other end of that call. What would you be thinking if you were the customer?
In the next blog we look at some of the other departments that can help increase sales or unwittingly damage sales opportunities. Ensure you sign up on the right for notification. In the meantime, give me a call if you want to ensure your entire organisation is sales friendly.
Ian Picken
 | Ensure you sign up for notification of our informative blog posts. In the meantime, give me a call if you want to ensure your entire organisation is sales friendly. Call now: 0844 8709597 (lo-call), 01420 474742
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