Hello! I’m fresh off vacation and I am feeling motivated and resplendent. My family and I went to Cinnamon Shores in Port A in Texas and we had a great time; here’s what my wife had to say about the trip. *Cracks knuckles*, now let’s get back to business! A Sales Professional is not only the face of the company but often times the main point of interaction a client will have with the brand. Let’s talk about what should happen when one commits the ultimate breach of client-business relationship and says, “That’s not my problem”- let’s find out in today’s post.
Once Upon a Time in the Land of Reality
I recently overheard a story on YouTube about a top luxury brand’s Sales Associate (I hear they’re called SAs) dispute with a client over a purchase. Don’t ask how this landed on my lap, let’s just focus on the lesson to be learned.
While recounting the story, the client mentioned that they had made a very expensive purchase, but the item had a minor but notable defect. Given the cost of the purchase, they went to their local luxury store boutique (my wife just told me to call it a boutique) to see if they could assist with a fix. Simple enough right? Wrong. The client was rebuffed by the sales representative and left the store boutique feeling unheard, gaslighted, rebuffed, disrespected, and turned off from purchasing directly from the brand again.
Now, I truly don’t care what the issue was with the item. It was a new item; the brand often fixes defects, and no client ought to be shamed for speaking out about an issue with a purchase. I also understand this is a fairly normal scope of work that SAs are trained and expected to handle. What’s more, the client had a long history with the brand. They’d made several purchases from the local store (sorry again Shannon) boutique and other locations around the world. What I DO care about was the terrible behavior that embarrasses Sale Professionals as a whole. Honestly, it sounded like they need some sales workshops from a great Sales Coach *wink*.
Dear Sales Professional, it is Always Your Job
Let me be very clear, Sales Professionals across all fields are the company’s main representatives. In my book, Serve Up, Coach Down, I explain the concept of serving outward to your clients. I said,
The key to great customer service is to become great customer servants. This is more than a semantic change; it’s a change in mindset that requires discipline and execution.
Companies often brag about great customer service; I’ve met with my share of CEOs who start with this sentiment. But when we get down to the nitty-gritty of it all, it’s not being executed properly in reality. The story above is one such case. It had to be explained to me that this brand is pretty exclusive, so the SAs are known to be haughty, I DON’T CARE. No company can sustain itself on poor customer service. It’s the money poured into the business by clients that put the bread and butter on everyone’s table in the end. Please remember,
We serve to be rewarded with a paycheck, appreciation, and most importantly, a sense of significance regardless of how the customer responds.
Now I wasn’t there, so I can’t say if the client was wrong or right, again, I DON’T CARE. What I do know is that we can’t let the reactions of others determine our servant actions. Look, even if it is renowned that a few of the brand’s SAs can be difficult, I’m going to say that shouldn’t even be a “thing”. Who wants to be treated as subpar when spending their money? No one, including said fancy pants SAs.
A Great Sales Professional Mindset should be “ABS”.
In this case, the SA could have contained the issue and perhaps flip it, so they end up with another sale even. If they offer great service, the client will return and will likely bring in future commissions through their spending and referrals.
A Sales Professional mindset must be grounded in “ABS” – Always be Serving. This means when serving outward, their actions demonstrate:
- I want you to feel special.
- I want you to feel appreciated.
- I wanted you to feel important.
- I want you to feel cared for.
- I get to serve you.
- Doing this isn’t just my job, it’s my purpose.
Here’s what I want you to be reminded of from this story, challenge yourself and your team to execute serving out by finding ways to do servant activities. It is truly the BEST reminder that as Sales Professionals, we always must serve outward; when we do, we’ll reap the benefits.
See you next week!
