Prospecting, meeting with potential clients and closing sales are a top priority for most salespeople. However, once you've won the sale, what can you do to keep your customer—to maintain a long and lucrative relationship?

To be truly successful, you need to see your business through your customer's eyes. This week Promotional Consultant Today will look at the seven qualities of customer care that will keep customers coming back for more.

Availability

Are you there when your customers need you? Make sure that your business hours are compatible with your clients/customers needs.

If your business takes appointments or reservations, allow your customers to make them for the same day that they call you.

On days when your business is closed, have a place or person that your customers can go to get information. This could be a website, a person on call, or a helpful message on your phone system.

Nowadays, people seek information 24/7. Make sure that they can get what they need when they need it.

Affability

Everyone wants to do business with nice, pleasant people. Seems simple, right? But sometimes the simplest of things are the hardest to accomplish.

Having to deal with the realities of life, like traffic, arguments or just not feeling well, can make being pleasant seem impossible.

However, making a point of warmly greeting your customers on the phone or in person can have an amazing impact on the success of your business. Everyone (from the janitor to the CEO) should greet customers warmly.

Affability is everyone's responsibility. This will help ensure your customers get the treatment they deserve.


--Source: Laurie Brown is an international trainer and consultant who works to help people improve their sales, service and presentation skills. She is the author of The Teleprompter Manual, for Executives, Politicians, Broadcasters and Speakers.