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Keep Clients Engaged To Create Repeat Business

March 31, 2014

Keep Clients Engaged To Create Repeat Business

In general, the overall marketplace for goods and services favors the customer more now that it has in the past.

The power and reach of the Internet, in terms of providing purchasers the ability to find a supplier that best meets their needs, compare products and prices and more easily find another vendor when they feel the need to make a change. Because of the current consumer-oriented nature of sales, businesses need to make sure they are building and maintaining solid, mutually beneficial relationships with their clients.

Customer satisfaction should be part of an organization’s overall sales strategy, working in concert with the tracking of KPIs and other indicators to paint a whole picture of sales effectiveness. By creating a positive environment during the sales process and after the initial transaction has been completed, businesses can keep clients coming back, creating a long-term benefit.

Build knowledge and increase participation
For all salespeople, and especially those in the IT and software fields, product knowledge is essential. Being able to articulate the fine points of certain service and software packages can mean the difference in between a completed deal and the potential client walking away from the sale. There are two parts to the knowledge puzzle, as salespeople need to understand the salient facts about products and clients.

CMSWire points out that effective customer engagement needs to involve the demonstration of this knowledge to the benefit of the client. When sales workers prove that they understand the unique conditions at a potential purchaser’s organization, it provides evidence of both competency and interest instead of a general drive to close deals. This strategy helps develop long-term relationships and can ease the way for future sales – once research on a purchaser is completed, sales staff can recommend additional products and services that meet specific needs.

Have teams of employees from different departments
New School Marketing Blog suggests that companies combine staff members from all areas that involve customer touch points, like sales, marketing and customer service. Staff working with the same customer can share knowledge of potential clients, reducing the individual burden to perform research. Additionally, any changes or developments at the clients organization will be easier to track and understand. This increased knowledge base can help salespeople steer potential deals toward effective items that will provide the most benefit to a customer.