By David Turgeon, EVP Client Services
The truth is what the truth is - 80% of companies’ revenue comes from 20% of customers.
Contrary to what many of our sales associates believe—or at least how they behave—the last step in the selling process isn’t “the close”. If you want your sales associates to achieve their maximum potential as a fine jewelry sales professional, there is one often forgotten step you must insist they master. The final step in a truly professional clienteling effort is following up after the sale.
With customers who make purchases, there are two specific follow-up outreach efforts every sales associate should do — a thank you note and a satisfaction call.
The Thank You Note
A personalized, handwritten thank you note to the purchaser must be sent within a week after their visit to your store. Generally speaking, the note should go to a business address if the customer provided one at the time of the purchase (remember that you never want to spoil a surprise.) In the text of the note, thank the customer for trusting you with their important decision, and confirm that they made a great choice. End with a brief comment that reminds them of your in-store conversation.
This initial follow-up contact helps to eliminate any buyer’s remorse that may accompany a sizable purchase. It also lets the customer know you really were listening during your conversation, and you truly are interested in them. A handwritten thank you note strengthens the relationship you’ve worked so hard to establish.
The Satisfaction Call
This outreach should occur about a month after the date of the purchase. On this occasion, you want to talk directly to the customer. Call them at a place of business or, if possible, on their cell phone (these options help guard your customer’s privacy.)
The primary goal of this second follow-up contact is to ensure that the customer is completely satisfied with what they bought, and there are several questions you may need to ask. Was the gift a success? Are any adjustments required? How about questions on care and cleaning? If you uncover problems, do your best to correct them. While you’re at it, thank the customer once more for their business, and invite them to visit you again.
Integrating Daily Follow-Up to Become Part of a Daily Routine
After the sale follow-up should be a daily activity, and sales associates need to be just as conscientious about performing this step as they are about greeting customers when one walks into your store. Five or ten minutes here and there is all it takes—as long as you have a plan and stick to it.
To make this last step in the selling process easy, keep CRM records and client reports at your associate’s fingertips or have them use a calling calendar to jog their memory. Make sure these tools are reviewed each morning to identify the customers that need to be contacted that day. Then prioritize to make sure time is allocated for this crucial step.
Wrapping It All Up
Thank you notes, satisfaction calls, and other follow-up activities—including service calls and buying reminders by text, email, voice or CRM platforms are all essential elements of a systematic client development effort. Actively clienteling can mean the difference between life-long customers who will return to you for all their future jewelry needs, and those who are eventually lost to your competition.
“Getting service right is more than just a nice thing to do; it’s a must do. American consumers are willing to spend more with companies that provide outstanding service — ultimately, great service can drive sales and customer loyalty.”
– Jim Bush, American Express
For Sales Associates: Practical Tips, Practice, and Follow-Up on Clienteling
- Share experiences: In your daily staff meeting, discuss with your fellow associates experiences you have had where effective follow-up by a retailer—or lack thereof—made a significant difference in your future buying decisions or how you felt about that retailer.
- Evaluate and improve: If you aren’t actively following up after sales, start doing so. If you are, review your current efforts and procedures to identify areas for improvement. For example, are you consistently capturing the necessary contact information to follow up with all customers? Are you using store POS CRM tools, Client Reports or calling calendars effectively?
- Address privacy concerns: Talk with your fellow associates about legitimate reasons for asking customers who didn’t make a purchase for their contact information, and role-play with them to become more comfortable with how to do this.
- Practice makes perfect: This week, practice writing thank you notes and role-play making satisfaction calls. Ask coworkers to critique your efforts, and do the same for them. Have a discussion next week to present your work… and START DOING IT NOW!
