Customer Comments
This is for both customers and salespeople alike (let’s be honest here). We all encounter different races & ethnicities in our great melting pot but in all honesty, which race/ethnicity do you think tends to be the worst in customer service and unprofessional & which race/ethnicity do you think tends to make the rudest customers? We know rudeness comes in all types, but which racial/ethnic group do you think has a higher percentage of giving bad service or bad attitude as a customer? (Please comment respectfully and tell your side of the story without derogatory comments or racial/ethnic slurs). Life experience stories more than welcome. I’m trying to research different facets of racism and where different people are coming from; so please include what you are when you are commenting.
After years of customer service jobs, and years as a consumer, there is no one race or ethnic group that stands out. People are obnoxious. That’s all there is to it. Some resent having to work, and some think the whole world needs to share their bad mood.
Customer Comments Series 1
Duration : 0:9:19
As we are all aware, getting to know the customer and understanding their needs is not a quick and easy process. Customers possess a hierarchy of needs which have to be uncovered gradually. This is why we need a new type of salesperson for a new type of customer.
So what does this new breed of salesperson look like? For a start he or she has progressed from the more traditional, ‘lone ranger’ approach of selling to a more team-based consultative style. Our research shows that a consultative salesperson needs to fulfil three basic roles, that of Business Consultant, Long Term Ally and Strategic Orchestrator.
By combining all three roles salespeople are more able to develop and maintain long-term relationships with clients. At the same time, organisations need to ensure that they provide their salespeople with the vital support systems and training that enable them to make the most of their knowledge and skills
Business Consultant:
Gone are the days in which a salesperson could simply walk into an office, establish a good rapport with the client, show he/she had thorough knowledge of their products and services and clinch the sale. Nowadays, the emphasis is on establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and in order to achieve this, the salesperson needs to earn the right to continue discussions with his/her client. Before they can proceed to sell their products or services, the salesperson needs to reassure the client of their integrity, reliability and ability to understand and recommend the appropriate solution. They can do this by demonstrating;
Up-to-date knowledge of business news and current affairs
Best practices include – reading newspapers, magazines, journals, trade publications and other sources of business information; maintaining membership of appropriate professional organisations; acknowledging gaps in knowledge and taking steps to fill them; locating or developing databases with information on customers, their industries and their own customers.
An in-depth understanding of the customer’s industry, company and strategies as well as an appreciation of “the big picture”.
Best practices include – gaining an understanding of the issues at all levels of the customer’s organisation including strategic, departmental and individual needs; seeking to understand the customer’s perceptions of market trends, company direction, plus potential product and service needs.
A readiness to exchange information and ideas between the supplier and client organisation.
Best practices include – familiarising the customer with your own industry and companies; sharing useful business information even if it does not directly impact on the sales effort; demonstrating the cost-cutting or revenue producing benefits of your products and services.
The ability to listen and absorb information.
Best practices include – refining the way you identify customer’s needs by asking the right questions and listening actively to customer comments; speaking at the listener’s level of knowledge; using stories and analogies effectively; asking for feedback on the clarity of your message. By demonstrating comprehensive knowledge, outstanding communication skills and the proper attitude, the salesperson earns the right to move beyond the role of supplier to that of a valued business consultant
Strategic Orchestrator:
To fulfil this role, the salesperson needs to be seen as the key person responsible for engineering the appropriate solution. This involves co-ordinating all of the information, resources and activities needed to support customers before, during and after the sale. It means enlisting support from specialist colleagues and hence the move away from the “lone ranger” approach.
According to our research, effective Strategic Orchestrators have mastered the following competencies:
Knowledge of their own company’s structure
Expertise in developing and managing a team
Ability to manage priorities and performance
Ability to co-ordinate delivery and service to customers
Efficiency
Flexibility
Customers of Strategic Orchestrators express a high level of confidence in the salesperson and his or her organisation:
This increased confidence can lead to faster buying decisions, increased repeat business and strengthened links between customer and supplier organisations. Working as Strategic Orchestrators, salespeople are also able to develop their organisation’s capacity for team selling.
Long Term Ally:
Since the key to differentiation is in forging closer links with clients, the role of Long Term Ally is a crucial one. Once the salesperson has earned the right, it is important to develop and maintain the relationship.
As the term suggests, acting as a Long Term Ally, involves maintaining contact with the client even when there is no immediate prospect for a sale. It also suggests that the salesperson needs to be committed to the long-term development of the relationship. Our research shows that top salespeople demonstrate this commitment by continuously looking for ways to:
Build interpersonal trust
Create and maintain a positive image of the sales organisation
Inspire respect for their company
Show genuine concern for their customers’ short and long-term interest
Identify ways to strengthen the quality of their business relationship
Help the customer meet needs within his or her organisation
Deal with issues openly and honestly
Deliver on promises
It is also crucial for the salesperson to ensure that the relationship between the organisations is mutually beneficial. In other words, it is essential to build and honour the expectation that reaching agreements will mean good business for both parties.
At the end of the day, taking a long-term approach proves more profitable since the customer will recognise that the salesperson is taking a committed interest and in so doing is giving honest and open advice. This inevitably encourages the customer to trust the salesperson and to view him or her as a colleague rather than an opponent
In Summary: Long Term Allies and Mutually Beneficial Agreements.
Supplier Organisations Must Be Willing To……
Elicit feedback from customers regarding overall satisfaction with the products / services delivered.
Maintain regular contact with current and prospective customers
Alert customers to new developments in own organisation
Review the business relationship underlying each account on a regular basis
Buyer Organisation Must Be Willing To……
Keep suppliers “in the loop” regarding the company’s strategic direction and needs
Value the record of service provided by supplier organisations above lower cost competitors
Grant access and information about their customers to the supplier organisations
Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved
Jonathan Farrington
http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/consultative-sales-professionals-fulfil-three-basic-roles-65114.html
I used to have an account with them years ago it was a nightmare. Everyones account was always screwed up. The Marine Corps used to use them for all Parris Island recruits accounts.
Hey everyone..this is a quick demo of my m500 wristphone i recieved from SMS Tech..In My opinion Deffinately worth the money.
Duration : 0:3:0
i can read the comments, and see the images and it has approve/deny and when i select "approve" an error message appears "Warning Message **NOT** Approved". iphone customer care can’t help with apps so somebody please please and thank you!
well over here in london one of my mates has one on 02 and he also has the same problems. everytime he wants to approve a image that has a comment it says **Not approved*** he doesn’t know what to do he contacted the store and they said theres nothing they can do. the only thing they told him to was to not use the myspace app. and to use the safari browser and go to myspace mobile because on that one it does work. u should also try the myspace mobile on the safari browser because on that one u could approve image comments. and if nothing else works contact your service provider.
My Runescape has been loading very slowly. I have a very nice computer which has never had a problem with Runescape, but all of the sudden it just loads very slow. I’ve tried their customer support comments, buth those dont work very well either. HELP!
This started about a month ago and happened like right after my member’s subscription ended. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with it, but now, about a month later, it’s still lagging.
download this client it works good and it has alot of features that could help u out
http://runescapecommunity.com/index.php?s=b16bbffed95c0f35ec66c2aa2b09a6ae&showforum=276
Phone available here:
http://www.merimobiles.com/Sunno_Q880_K3_460MHZ_3_2MP_p/meri0093.htm
Come visit:
http://www.chinamobiles.org
You probably know me as the ciPhone / sciPhone / Hiphone / PinPhone / cect guy, this time I got a Sunno Q880 WM smart phone (not the Sunno HDI ) and I just love it 
P.S.: A Meizu M8 is also very tempting 
Duration : 0:9:13
We recently bought the GE front-loading washer and dryer, model number GCVH6600. I am trying to find customer comments and reviews, but I cannot find anything. Does anyone have any reviews for this particular washer and dryer? Or even know of a website that has customer reviews? I’ve been looking, but I can’t seem to find anything. Thanks!
I found couple of reviews on G.E. WCVH6260FWW, but this is not the same you are looking for. Hope it helps…
Building a popular web site is one of the best ways that you can market your internet home business. Your web site should be filled with informative content, graphics and pictures, and testimonials from some of your satisfied customers. Testimonials are stories from customers that can be used to promote your excellent customer service skills, products that you sell, or offer praise for your web site. For many people who shop on the internet, it is helpful to find out more about the experiences of others before making a purchase.
When you want to add testimonials to your web site, you should email customers that have signed-up for email updates or your newsletter and ask them for feedback. You can do this in a variety of ways:
- Ask customers to write a paragraph or two about their experiences or about their satisfaction with the products they purchased.
- Create a questionnaire that customers can answer.
- Ask a specific question and have them answer it.
These are all great ways to prompt people into giving you the information you will need for a testimonial. When choosing which testimonials to use on your web site, you should find a variety that showcase customer service, product satisfaction, and compliments on web design and content. In order to get a variety of responses, you should send a different question to each of your customers.
You should also ask customers to give their consent to use their name and testimonial on your web site. They can do this by writing a sentence or two at the bottom of the email.
Once you have received enough testimonials to fill a page or two, you should post them on your web site. You can create a testimonials section or you can place them near products you are promoting. There are no rules as to where you want to place the testimonials as long as they do not distract from what you are selling online.
As with all web content, you will have to update testimonials with new ones every few weeks. Archive testimonials so that they can be read by customers. Testimonials can help customers feel better about buying from your web site and is an excellent way to highlight your commitment to customer service.
You can use testimonials in other ways as well. If you have a newsletter, you can add a few testimonials to help boost sales. You can also include testimonials in your email campaigns and in other marketing. Using customer comments is one way to create a sense of community and friendship between you and your customers. Customer loyalty is built on trust. By telling others how much your customers value your business, you will increase sales.
When building your internet home business, you will have to demonstrate your customer service skills by building a web site that is clean, professional, and contains content that customers will find valuable. Once you have demonstrated this, you will make money online and your business will continue to grow.
Brian Wynn
http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/the-power-of-testimonials-118822.html