Master your craft – pay the price and you will prosper!

This sounds so simple- Master your craft, pay the price and you will prosper. Yet, most failures to succeed result form exactly this. All too often we are tempted to look for the short cut on how to get to the top faster. The following is a list of ten things you need to do to master your craft.

1. Remember to keep your promises to every customer that you work with now, in the future and even your past clients. You may forget what you promised, but I can assure you they will not. Failure to keep you promises will be the quickest way to lose your integrity. The customer will always assume that you have integrity until you do something to prove to them that you do not. Never prove that you do not have integrity, don't even chance it.

2. Know your product or service-cold. The customer expects you to know everything about the product or service they are about to purchase. Failure to know your product or service will quickly erode your credibility. The customer will start to question whether this is the product or service they should purchase. You must pay the price and learn everything you can about the product and service, that is the only way that you can demonstrate to the customer all the benefits of the service or product to satisfy their needs.

3. Listen to the Customer – I mean really listen to what they are saying, what they are interested in and what they really want. This is not as easy as it sounds. All too often you are so busy structuring your reply that you fail to hear what the customer is really saying. Take your time, build that foundation create the trust that will solidify the relationship. People do business with people that they like but even more so, who they trust. Listening is one way to demonstrate that you can be trusted.

4. Make sure you follow up with every customer that you come in contact with. Failure to follow up is the quickest way of exposing yourself as insincere that there is. Every person deserves the World Class Care you will deliver. The best way to insure that you are following up is to ask them how they would like to be kept informed, and then do it. In this case more follow up is better than less. If, they are calling you -you have a problem.

5. Taking Care of the Customer: This is such a basic requirement and often
We forget to ask the customer how they want to be taken care of. Some customers require little care and others much. How do you know what is right for the customer? A lot of what they want is based on how experienced they are in the process of purchasing the product or service. If, they are new you must take extra time to make sure they are taken care of at every step and verify that they are comfortable with what is happening. The more experience that the customer has with the process the less attention you may have to pay to them. I did not say ignore, but monitor the process to make sure they are comfortable with the care they are getting and verify that it is at the appropriate level. The customer wants to be taken care of; if they are calling you frequently you have a problem. They are not being taken care of in the way that they wish. You must anticipate their needs and meet those needs before they ask for the update or information. Think of your favorite dining establishment – they anticipate what you need before you even ask for it. That is taking care of the customer the way you would like to be taken care of.

6. Be Creative: If, the customer has a problem they expect you to solve it. Being Creative means being able to handle the situations that arrive in a new or different manner if the old establish methods do not work. The customer expects you to come up with the solution to the problem and provide solution that will work for them. If, you are able to create a solution they will love you for it and will certainly mention this to others who are looking for the same product or service.

7. Do not put down the competition: Your negative comments about other companies will not enhance your reputation. Your pointing fingers at other companies will not ingratiate you to the customer. It will do just the opposite. It will have them wonder about you and the reason that you are talking about the other company in such a derogatory manner and will open a whole new line of questions about your own integrity. Most companies are good, some just do business better. Your job is to demonstrate that you do the job better through actions not comments about someone else.

8. Your Business Knowledge: The customer not only expects you to know the product or service that you are representing, but also what is necessary to deliver that product or service. All the forms, contracts and related material that is necessary for your product or service to get into the hands of the customer, needs to be ready ahead of schedule. Your newness is no excuse for not providing everything that is necessary for the delivery or completion of the transaction to the complete satisfaction of the customer. I mean complete satisfaction of the customer, then and only then will you get your letter of recommendation or endorsement for a job well done and the referrals that say yes, you can count on it being done right the first time.

9. Give the customer your undivided attention: It is the little things that count here. The customer expects you to be fully prepared and engaged when they meet you and, they expect to meet a professional. They do not expect you to take phone calls, meet with others and have less then your complete attention while they are there with you. They expect you to be genuinely interested in their needs and be ready to handle all of their requests- now.

10. Ability to complete the transaction: The customer expects you to be able to complete the transaction in a timely manner. In other words the consumer expects you to be able to close the deal. Your sales ability is a direct reflection on your ability to ask the customer for the order and complete your commitment to your client. You do not need to revert to the typical urgency close, reverse angle close, sharp angle close or any of the slick tricks you think you may need. If you have done what you said you would do and if the customer likes and trusts you, they will want to do business with you. Closing the transaction is simply completing the process. If, your client has some questions or extra concerns when the deal gets close, no worries, your job is to address the concerns and answer the question honestly, and then move on. Closing is natural process if the customer is satisfied that the product or service will fulfill their needs; they have to buy it in order to get the benefits they are looking for from your product or service. If, you have done your job well and to the complete satisfaction of the customer you will get the order. As I mentioned before people buy you before they buy your product or service. If, I like you and I trust you and you do what you say you will do, I will give you business now, my future business and as well I will be glad to recommend you to others. The goal is to keep your Golden Circle of Business growing and growing with every completely satisfied customer. Enjoy the benefits of being a true professional.

Dale and Ben Midgley
Co-Founders
The Golden Circle of Business©