The Best Sales Ability for Creating Repeat Business
We live in a city that is prone to power outages. It’s just east of Seattle, Washington on top of a hill with a southwestern exposure. The houses on the edge of town, referred to as “the ridge”, have no protection against the wind. Even light winds can cause power outages.
It was a Saturday in late October and the first big storm of the fall/winter season was upon us. Gusts exceeded 50 mph and, after a few flickers, the power went out. It was about 8:00pm, and when we woke on Sunday morning, we were still without power. Yet another fall day in this Seattle suburb without power DURING A SEAHAWKS GAME! Of course.
We left for church at 10:00am hoping that power would be restored when we returned. On the drive home we took in the storm’s impact – debris was everywhere with downed trees about every 50 feet. Slippery autumn leaves were everywhere, so much so that my tires skidded a bit when turning. It was dangerous to drive, let alone walk.
After the brief tour of our neighborhood we drove to our street and there, in front of the house, was a familiar blue pick-up truck. Rose Dalsin, the owner of that truck, has shaped and cared for our yard for almost 15 years, so it was no surprise that she was there. Yes it was Sunday, but Rose knew her customers would need help clearing the debris from pathways now blocked by wet leaves and/or fallen branches. RELIABILITY is something we get from Rose even when we’re not expecting it.
RELIABILITY – Being there “when” the unexpected happens.
Along with her incredible knowledge of horticulture, Rose’s RELIABILITY is the natural sales skill that attracts extreme loyalty from her customers. It’s the reason she still owns our garden and why we’ve confidently recommended her to others for almost 15 years.
In the world of B2B sales, it’s guaranteed that the unexpected will happen. It’s also a certainty that unexpected occurrences will challenge the customer’s faith in your ability to deliver on commitments. Fixing the problem is always the best next action, but that isn’t always immediately possible. When this happens, the best sales ability is to practice consistent RELIABILITY – being there “when” the unexpected happens.
When the sales person is there to help coordinate a response or to inform the customer on process and progress, it offers comfort in place of the uncertainty that would be there otherwise. Uncertainty leads to doubt, and doubt leads to lost repeat business.
RELIABILITY also builds a very valuable savings account of trust. When salespeople show up, when they know the customer is unhappy, that’s an action of RELIABILITY. Those actions are etched into the memory of decision-makers in the form of trust. With trust, little things are just little things. Without trust little things can become big concerns. Trust grows when you’re there when the unexpected happens.
In Rose’s case, she’s sometimes late or just decides the yard doesn’t need work. But when work is needed, or when the unexpected happens, she’s always there. She’s proven her RELIABILITY to us and all her customers by being there when the unexpected happens. Thanks Rose!
©2014 Rick Wong – The Five Abilities® LLC