Business Articles - Trade Tips - From David Lupberger

When a past customer sings our praises, we can get no better recommendation. Referrals are likely the strongest leads we can get. These kinds of recommendations lead to additional sales, so the focus of this article is how to turn past customers into your best salespeople.

The Best Advice
Manage a homeowner's expectations. Do this by making sure that your customers know what will be happening in every step of their home improvement project, even if you are only visiting their home once. Set clear expectations, and then do what you said you were going to do. This sounds simple, but I can�t tell you how many service professionals do not do this well. If you make great customer service the foundation of your sales efforts, you will never want for work. Good customer service sells, and it can be sorely missing in today�s business climate.

My American Furniture Warehouse Story
Years ago, I was given a lesson in customer service from a local furniture company. At the time, I was looking for some office furniture, and I was delighted to find office furniture for a price I could afford with American Furniture Warehouse.

I was given a business card with a phone number, and I was told that if I had any questions about the delivery to call that number. Two days later, I called the number to confirm the delivery. The person answering the phone was very professional, and she confirmed both the date and time of the delivery. What happened next caught me by surprise. On the morning of the delivery, I received a reminder call, letting me know when the truck would be at my house. They did not give me a "sometime before noon" or "between 1pm and 6pm", they actually gave me an approximate hour that the truck was expected at my house, and they told me the driver would be calling when he was on his way to my home. As promised, I got a call from the truck driver who told me he would be arriving in 25 minutes.

When the truck arrived, the driver introduced himself, and showed me the paperwork. They put cloth booties over their shoes and began carrying the furniture upstairs so that they would not stain any carpeting. After, he asked if he had met my expectations. He wanted to make sure that I didn�t have any questions or concerns.

Continuing to do Their Job
The next day, I got a call from a customer service person, who asked me if the delivery had gone well, asked if the driver was courteous and on-time, and then asked if they, as a company, had met my expectations. I had never been treated so well by any vendor or serviceperson. Not only did they promise good customer service, all the employees demonstrated a commitment to it, and they followed up on it. This oozed credibility.

American Furniture Warehouse has become one of the most successful furniture companies in the country because of their excellent customer service. Good customer service sells, and that this experience will keep customers coming back.

Turning Their Method into Your Success
In the example above, American Furniture Warehouse did not discount prices, there were no special offers, and no free gifts. They simply exceeded my expectations with outstanding customer service. So how can you go above and beyond the usual customer experience so that your customers can�t say enough about you?

• Make sure your customers understand exactly what is happening and when

• Provide a simple paper trail to manage expectations

• Make follow-up phone calls to confirm delivery or arrival

• Make sure all interaction is professional and courteous

• Follow up with a simple homeowner survey to see how you did

By doing the above, American Furniture Warehouse turned me into their salesperson. I would use them again in a heartbeat!