The sale is never final!

The Salesheads website appeals to business leaders as well as consumers! Our objective is two-fold. Business leaders should get some inkling of what action to take and consumers things to be wary of when dealing with businesses of all types!

Several years ago, a successful women's apparel chain headlined their printed advertisements, banners, sales receipts with the slogan of “The sale is never final!” In the writer's opinion, the downfall of many sales organizations is the antithesis of that slogan! All the actions of the organization from “call to action” via advertising, in store sales efforts, and the Point of sale at the “check out” are wholly dedicated to making the sale!

After the transaction is complete, the ability to voice a complaint or even render a comment voicing dissatisfaction becomes difficult, or if a vehicle exists, hard to navigate. I have gone to many corporate websites to find a phone number or even an email address to facilitate reaching the right party and it is unwieldy at best, if the vehicle even exists. The discontented person that experiences this ordeal gives up and has the feeling and opinion that the business in question does not have good intentions or the desire to satisfy after the transaction, thus “THE SALES IS FINAL!”

The complete satisfaction “excellent” companies that posses the drive to make certain the customer continues to be satisfied create vehicles and media to make certain clientele can easily get to the right department or even the right person to “right the wrong.” IT MAY BE DUE TO A FAULTY PRODUCT, SHODDY SERVICE OR “A BROKEN PROMISE” OF PRODUCT OR SERVICE GUARANTEES ETC.

One of the most frequently used “contact" medium used on websites is a drop down menu (if you can find it) that asks for extensive information regarding the party with the problem and requires a selection of several items to isolate the problem or issue followed by a comment section to journalize the issue or problem. In the writers opinion, this procedure is highly impersonal and a ploy to discourage clientele with problems to “give up” and never assures access to a superior or the “right person.”

“Excellent companies” are serious about giving customers a voice and are totally dedicated to a mentality of making sure “THE SALE IS NEVER FINAL!”

Customer dissatisfaction more often than not occurs after the purchase is made. Mainly dissatisfaction takes place when reality falls short of customer expectations and/or business's empty unfilled promises. In store signing, sales receipts, websites all promote phone numbers, even addresses, both physical and email for corporate contact. When contact takes place, no convoluted phone voice messages and menus and websites are easy to navigate with preferred departments are persons easy to locate. “excellent companies” with an unambiguous explicitly understood satisfaction policy circulate complaint (or compliments) with urgency and both the calls and the action taken reports circulated to top executives in the company to review. Management and personnel specifically identified In a positive or negative situation are notified of the kudos or criticism. “Tokens” of appreciation are given to employees identified positively and training or even written reprimands issues in negative situations.

Inefficiency in “customer voice” medium can lead to heightened agitation on the part of the client and must be monitored for efficiency, ease of use and competency.

In closing “person to person” personal interaction is virtually non-existent in the current era of business to client post sale dialogue. In those rare instances where it is still utilized, if handled without a glitch, it is an an attribute and remembered and a reason to become a loyal customer of that business because the prevailing feeling is “THE SALE IS NEVER FINAL!”

Randy Snyder is a regular contributor to salesheads. Any reader that has a comment or question can reach Randy personally by phone at 828 625 4932 or e mail at rsnyder921@att.net. His experience includes 30 years of specialty retailing executive management and 15 years of consulting for major international companies