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Are you prepared to
jump through hoops
for your customers?
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I'm not asking if you
sell products or services. Whether we are in the private, public or non-profit sectors, we are all selling something. I'm talking about the way we sell it.
Retailers might be selling products, government departments might be selling their programs or services and non-profits might be selling their ideas on creating a better world, but we are all selling something.
How do you approach the sale? In a "product" culture, this might be your approach:
Here is this great new (laptop, program, idea). Here is what it does. Would you like to buy it?
A "service" culture, however, is about solving problems for your clients. In a service culture, everything is guided not by "how can I sell this thing?" but by "how can I--and my product or service--make this person's life easier, happier, more comfortable, less stressful?"
Sure I want to sell you a TV. But, can I help you get it out to the car? And when you need service, I will pick it up and deliver it. And there will be no hassles over warranties. If it doesn't work at some point during the warranty period, I will fix it. No small print. And I want you to know I appreciate your business so at Christmas time, I will send you not a sales pitch disguised as a Christmas card, but an honest-to-goodness Christmas greeting.
And yes, I want you to support my government program. But I will make it easy to sign up and fun to participate in. I will also go out of my way to make sure you get to know others in the program so you can share ideas and benefit from that, too.
And please support my charity. Not only will you help the disadvantaged, but you'll also get a tour of the facility, ongoing updates and an introduction to the people you are helping so you really feel the love.
Having this kind of service culture is a great start, but if you and your staff are the only ones who know about it, you could be missing a golden opportunity. Tell potential clients about it through your marketing. Let them know that you understand just how special they are and that your way of doing business will reflect that.
A product culture sells stuff. A service culture helps people. Which one do you have? Which one do you want to have?
