How many times have you seen a football team win by a last-second field goal? The kicker has paced the sideline for most of the game practicing his kicks and keeping that leg ready to go. Although he might not have as much playing time as the quarterback, his participation on the team is of utmost importance.<\/p>\n
The same can be said for your customers. You might not see them every day or even communicate with them on a regular basis. Their \u201con-field\u201d time might seem minimal in comparison with your employees and vendors, but without customers on your team, you\u2019re not even in the game.<\/p>\n
Oftentimes you only hear from a customer if he or she needs product or if the customer is disgruntled with a product or service \u2013 and that isn\u2019t what you want to hear. It is important to follow up with every customer and ask for feedback, and let the customer know that positive or negative, the feedback they provide is important to your team.<\/p>\n
The book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/i> states that \u201cwhen people don\u2019t unload their opinions and feel like they have been listened to, they won\u2019t really get on board.\u201d The first step is to begin the conversation, which you or your sales team can do in a follow-up conversation after the sale. Here are three things that companies can do to bring customers into the conversation and engage them as part of the team:<\/p>\n
Always be receptive and responsive to feedback. Regardless of the timing or channel, organizations who are prepared to receive and acknowledge customer feedback will have more loyal and engaged customers. This includes phone calls, letters, emails and even social media.<\/p>\n
Create an environment built on trust. This means when asking for feedback, clearly state why you want the feedback and what you intend to do with it. In the agricultural world, trust is the foundation of all we do. If your customers don\u2019t trust you, they likely won\u2019t be a part of your team for too long.<\/p>\n
Empower customer service teams to solve problems and seek feedback simultaneously. Since most dealers are smaller and not staffed by a sales team and a customer service team, training all employees about the products and how to work with people is more important than ever. A great way to do this is through the new Master Dealer program. For more information about this program, visit www.biozymedealer.com<\/b> and click \u201cMaster Dealer\u201d in the menu.<\/p>\n
Once you receive customer feedback and review it, follow up. Customers offer a fresh perspective, and perhaps their idea will help increase sales or bring in a new customer. At the very least, knowing that you acknowledged their feedback will help encourage a positive business relationship and should help your team keep a winning record.<\/p>\n
Source: http:\/\/blog.macquarium.com\/are-your-customers-on-your-team\/<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"