How to Create Future Customers from a “No-Sale”

Last week I was looking to replace my chair mat in my office with a high quality one that wouldn’t crack and break up every one to two years after purchasing it. I looked on the internet and discovered a business by the name of Northland Office Parts in Cleveland , Ohio. I called them on the telephone and spoke with Jim, the owner. We had a friendly conversation and he took the time to tell me about a product called the “Forever ChairMat”, which comes with a lifetime guarantee. It didn’t take me long to add up the number of chair mats that I had to replace over the last several years to see that in the long run I could save money and eliminate the aggravation of replacing the mats and disposing of the worn out ones.

Price is Too High
After explaining to him that I needed a longer mat than he sold, he told me that he would see what he could do, since they would have to special order a custom designed one for me. He explained to me after I sent him the exact dimensions, that it would take a few days to work up a price. I sent him the dimensions and a few days later he called me back. It turned out to be more than I expected, because he would have to special order the size of the mat I needed, and add on much higher shipping costs due to the size of the mat.

Convey Sincerity
During the two telephone conversations, I could tell this was the kind of company I would like to do business with in the future. Why? Because Jim conveyed a sincere feeling of caring about me, the customer, and he wanted to be sure he could provide exactly what I wanted at a price my budget would allow. He promised to keep in touch with me, as the demand for larger sizes like I was asking for increased. He explained that when that happened, they would be able to purchase the equipment to customize these chair mats in house, and it would bring down the cost of the product.

Here is my point. When a company puts the potential customer’s best interests first, it will absolutely build good will. Even though the immediate sale doesn’t take place, it increases the chances of a future business relationship that will create a lifetime of sales and referrals from that client.

If you are interested in a better career in customer service visit www.customerservicejobs.com


Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more successful and profitable by helping them attract and retain their customers and clients.