Free articles

Now that you have the customer, what do you do?

by June Van Klaveren

 

I recently read this story and I believe there is an important business message hidden within it.

 There once were two old dogs on a farm that spent their days chasing every car that passed by. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, they chased cars all day long. Then one day they actually caught one. At that moment one of these old dogs turned to the other and said, “Hey, we finally caught one of these things!! But what the heck do we do now?”

As companies strive to make sales and keep their eyes on the prize, as they say, many are lacking a plan for what to do after they’ve finally “caught” customers. It’s not part of the formal business plan but it is vital to the growth and prosperity of the company. So here are some things to consider:

What do you do after a customer buys from you?

• Do you thank them? Do you ask for referrals? Do you ask them to evaluate your service or product?
• What do you do when a customer calls you with a complaint?
• What do you do when a customer calls to ask specific information about your product or service?
• Do you have a 1-2-3 process established for what to do AFTER you catch the customer? You should!

 Just remember the old dogs in the story. It took a lot of effort to catch the car just like it takes a lot of effort to get customers! Be ready!

June Van Klaveren, owner of Compelling Communications, helps her clients attract and keep customers. To contact her, call 800-779-0067 or email june@compelcom.com.