- Call customers by their name;
- Ensure staff always give their name when dealing with a customer;
- Wear name badges;
- Serve coffee/tea/water in reception;
- Assign someone in the front-line to be a ‘queue buster’;
- Obtain names and addresses of regular customers and send them Christmas cards;
- Send regular customers the occasional present;
- Phone up customers after a large purchase and enquire how they’re getting along with it (a car, a computer, a central heating system etc.);
- Just get around and talk to your customers;
- Ring your customers regularly, see how they’re getting along;
- Take an interest in your customers when completing a transaction (talk about holidays, children, the weather, the purchase and what it’s going to be used for);
- Smile;
- Welcome them properly to the showroom, store, office-building;
- Listen to your customers;
- Write to them occasionally – using personal letters;
- Keep a clean customer area;
- Supply drinks for queuing customers;
- Deposit bowls of sweets (or fruit) here and there;
- Put vases of flowers here and there;
- Make comment cards easily available;
- Arrange for play equipment for children in waiting areas;
- Improve signage;
- Send personalised greetings cards to existing customers;
- Invite customers to special events;
- Create ‘special’ offers for local customers;
- Get the boss to spend one day a month on the front line;
- Implement no smoking / smoking areas;
- Check the toilets more frequently;
- Get more up-to-date magazines in reception;
- Improve access for people in wheelchairs;
- Improve facilities for the blind (‘braille’ signs on railings, in lifts etc.);
- Pick up litter when you see it;
- Be the first to get a customer problem fixed;
- Undertake regular customer service reviews with your team;
- Check out your own customer service anonymously;
- Encourage your people to chat to customers;
- Make company customer documentation more friendly and easier to use;
- Test customer facilities more frequently;
- Produce more creative giveaways;
- Develop a system of identifying regular customers;
- Don’t let the customer do it, do it for them (find it for them on the shelves);
- Open the door for customers;
- Always say ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning’ etc.;
- Chat to their kids;
- Just be friendlier;
- Open the doors before time (don’t have your security guards jangling keys and staring at the queuing customers one minute before opening);
- Send customers a small free sample of one of your products;
- Provide doodling pads and pencils;
- Reply to completed customer questionnaires;
- Fix a customer’s problem, even if not directly connected with your business (for example, if a customer’s car breaks down on your premises – help them out);
- Champion the customer’s cause with your boss;
- End all telephone shunts;
- Acknowledge all customer emails within 2 hours;
- Ring up when you’re going to be late;
- Leave the place cleaner than before you started the work for the customer;
- Gift wrap purchases;
- Free toys for adults;
- Free toys for children;
- Unsolicited gifts after the purchase (as a thank-you);
- Free car parking spaces (when non-customers have to pay);
- Offer herbal teas;
- Have mineral water always available;
- Carry the customer’s bags to the car;
- All tips to be refused;
- Offer your customer a seat;
- Have a sign in reception welcoming visitors by name;
- Have your Chief Executive write to thank customers for their co-operation;
- Take your manager to meet your customers;
- Drop by when unexpected to find how the customers are getting along with your product/service;
- Organise a family summer event for your regular customers;
- Have a ‘customers’ comments’ book on the front reception;
- Show the customers behind the scenes;
- Introduce customers to the team working behind the scenes;
- Send customers pens, pencils or notebooks with their name on them, as well as yours;
- Get some positive publicity for your customers;
- Provide courtesy transport;
- Automatically confirm meetings in writing with a map of how to get to your office on the back of the letter or in the email;
- Send thank-you letters / emails after every meeting;
- Sit in your bath and think about your customers;
- Set yourself a simple customer test every week;
- Send your regular customers a discount voucher;
- On receiving complaints immediately ring customers or go and see them;
- Always tell the truth;
- Get your customers to nominate employees of the month;
- Invite customers to service awards ceremonies for employees;
- Improve facilities for parents with screaming kids;
- Put a dvd in reception;
- Set up cubicles for confidential conversations (rather than conduct them across the counter);
- Always keep a note of what customers say and take action as promised;
- Help out your colleagues in dealing with customers;
- Provide live music for customers (e.g. a harpist in reception);
- Serve a customer yourself;
- Get your customers involved in improving the service;
- Take your customers out one evening;
- Always turn up a little early;
- Develop sensitive antennae towards your customers;
- Take one new customer initiative every day;
- Send regular newsletters to customers;
- Display on the walls photographs of happy customers;
- Send your customers a copy of this list and ask them to score you out of 100!
Upselling VS Cross Selling
Both up selling and cross selling are a huge part of the essentials of selling. What is Cross Selling? Cross- selling is selling further products or services to meet identified needs. It is thinking about what other products and services we have that our...
