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“The successful salesperson cares first for the customer,

second for the products.”

Our Focus in today’s Lecture 1. Value Added Selling

Its Meaning, Importance, Implications

2. Competitive advantage3. Customer Relations

Guidelines to build, maintain Customer Relations.

From Selling to Value-added-Selling

? Define value-added selling and identify ways you can add value to the sales situation.

? Identify specific value-added selling practices that you would like to use in customer relationships.

? Use a three-step process for handling customer objections.

? Analyze your products/services to determine what benefits they provide and how they meet customer needs.

? Identify any obstacles to closing the sale and select strategies for over- coming them.

? Follow guidelines for closing sales successfully.

From Selling to Value-added-selling

s When it does occur, why do you lose existing accounts to competitors?

s What can you do to strengthen relationships with your existing accounts?

s What factors or events might get in the way of achieving these goals?

Value-Added Selling Techniques Refer to your experience with other

organizations to show customers that you understand their business and industry and are qualified to meet their needs.

Value-Added Selling Techniques (2 of 6) Tell customers about a variety of

products and services –those of competitors as well as of your own company – that may meet their needs.

E.g… Innogen is among the good efficacy insulin.

Value-Added Selling Techniques (3 of 6) Link the customer to any support

people in your organization who can help, advise or add value to the customer's use of products and services.

Value-Added Selling Techniques (4 of 6) Respond promptly to

customer inquiries and stay in touch with a number of people in the customer’s organization, not just the top decision makers.

Value-Added Selling Techniques (5 of 6) Initiate discussions about innovative ways

customers can solve problems or improve operations, and work with them to act on these potential improvements.

Value-Added Selling Techniques (6 of 6) Show interest in

customers’ future goals and operations in addition to helping them solve existing problems and meet current needs.

The Competitive Advantage (1 of 4) The Physical Product Itself.

(Competitive features and benefits).

The Deal.

(Terms, availability, delivery, installation, ongoing support and application ideas).

1. Who is a customer?

User of your products/services; any person influencing your market; any person taking your help in delivering ultimate service to the external customers.

2. What are the types of customers? 

Internal & External

3. Do you have a customer data base? Can you draw a customer pyramid?

4. Knowledge of customers:

Can you identify the top 25/50/100/>100 customers? Can you define the yardstick to be used for identification? Do you involve yourselves in customer segmentation?

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5. The new market place for customers:

Access,

Control (customer’s choice of doing business), Speed,

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6. What do you mean by Benchmarking?

 Benchmarking means comparison with the best in

the industry. Measurable indicators are: a) Premises-related factors.b) Attitude: Behaviour with customers, co-

ordination.c) Time Norms: Promised and Delivered timed) Service: Promptness, Courtesy, Etiquette,

Uninterrupted service,

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6. What do you mean by Benchmarking?

 

e) Guidance to customers: Display, oral guidance, Rules of business, Accessibility of officials, Customer meet etc

f) Customer Survey

 g) Rating (overall)

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7. Customer Service concepts:

Customer Satisfaction: Satisfaction with the product and the service delivered

Customer Delight: Value addition or above customer expectation

Customer Loyalty: Loyalty can happen when the customer experience either tangible (product quality, ease of use, prompt and effective service) or intangible (respectful communication, trustworthy company image). It is a behaviour built on positive experiences and value.The trend today is loyalty not to the organisation but to the excellence. For Example, fast and easy entertainment of the RB loyalty programme.

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Customer Preference: Why customer prefer your products/services over others?

Customer Enrichment: The buyer to be influenced to place repeat orders. He is enriched by your relationship.

Customer Intimacy: Building strong customer relations, really getting to know your customers, understand their situation which should yield the best total solution for the customer. OR How open is your customer to you in discussing with you the subjects other than your products/services? The more intimate the customer intimacy, the more the business

Customer Advocacy: How customers act as brand ambassadors

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8. Quality of Customer Service: 

Hard Quality:

Tangible or Functional characteristics:

Product features, quality etc

For Example, Gaviscon is the high demanded product, it carries significance for Premier as a quality brand.

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8. Quality of Customer Service

Soft Quality: Intangible or Non-measurable attributes like Taste,

Flavour, Customer appeal, Service and Sales rapport…Courtesy, Promptness, Etiquettes, Overall behaviour, Concern for customers ( beyond the call of duty, sensitivity to the larger needs of customers, user friendly approach and boundaryless approach;

 

How much control of hard quality and soft quality do you have? 

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What are the objectives of Quality Service?

-- Customer Development

-- Customer Maintenance

-- Customer Retention and

-- New Customer Development

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9. Organisational structure for delivering customer service:

 

Front Office (Front Line Soldiers):

Customers try to find answers to the following questions:

Are they competent? Are they respectful? Do they keep me informed? Do they play fair? Are they flexible?

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9. Organisational structure for delivering customer service:

Back Office: Supervisory or Managerial Services, Management

Information Systems, Liaison or rapport systems with channel partners, divisions/departments or HQ.

 

Support Systems: Inventory (Warehouse), Information Technology, Accounts/ finance. etc.

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10. Role of employees/officers in Customer Relations

How can you process the customer’s request?

How can you deliver quality?

How can you improve your performance to support the customer?

How can you enhance the product/service quality?

 

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11. Technology in customer service Technology is a means to an end and not an end.

 

12. Communication skills for improving customer relations:

 Listening skills, Eagerness to get Customer feedback; Written Communication;

Telephone, Email and internet etiquette.  

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13. Customer/Consumer Behaviour:

Customer Behaviour is influenced by the likes/dislikes, income levels, purchasing power, brand image, packaging, timing of purchases, the language and culture, buying motives, attention attracted by the product/service and the satisfaction levels

 

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14. Building relationships: a) Match our operational processes to know customer

expectations to meet the specific needs at the best overall cost.

b) Booking and Supply as per our knowledge of customer needs and wants

c) Build and customise our product and service offerings to meet specific customer expectations.

d) Understand the total customer experience – from the interactions he has had with the company. Match experience with expectations.

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15. Answer the touch points:

 

Broadcast; E-mail; Systematic; Internet; Mail; Events; Phone/Fax; Personal.

Note: The last one is crucial

 

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16. Complaints:

Customers complain because they still have confidence in your organisation

They give you a chance to correct and restore the confidence

The customer has a right to complain Every complaint is an opportunity to resell Customer who silently walks away without complaint is

detrimental to your relationship building exercises. Customer has a right to redress his complaints through

Consumer Forums, Ombudsmen and Civil Courts Customer Awareness is increasing—Consumer

Movement—Citizen’s charter 

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16. Complaints:

How to process complaints?

--Say “Thank you”

--Explain why you appreciate the complaint

--Apologise for the mistake

--Promise to do something immediately and if time is needed give an

assurance and state the time by which you promise to set right

--Ask for necessary information all at once

--Check customer’s versions

--Answer politely even if the customer is wrong. State only the facts.

--Give an assurance on behalf of the organisation.

 

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Any questions please?

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