WEEK 13

UNDER-PROMISE, OVER-DELIVER

What’s the difference between Disney World and an ordinary amusement park? Expectations. The actual rides and attractions may not be very different, but Disney consistently exceeds its visitors’ expectations. Disney provides a total family entertainment, not just a ride here and a ride there. It’s Disney’s ability to go beyond what vacationers expect that has made Disney World one of the most famous vacation destinations.

We can learn from Disney World’s experience. Achieving a successful sale is largely a matter of exceeding customer expectations. Notice I don’t say that closing a transaction by itself is enough to qualify a deal as successful. It’s not. Remember, we’re trying to set up long-term relationships with customers, not tag them for one-time commissions. Your customers of today will be back tomorrow only if you exceed what they expected.

How to do that? Well, over time you’ll get a better feel for your marketplace and for what customers expect. But until you can go merely by instinct, here are a few rules I’ve found helpful for exceeding expectations.

ASK!

A salesperson should be asking questions all the time. You’ll want to know who’s going to be using the product and under what conditions. If you work in a camping supply store, for example, and a client is in the market for a sleeping bag, you’ll need to find out who’s going to be sleeping in that bag. Is the person buying the sleeping bag going to be using it or is it a gift for a child or teenager? Is the person who will be using the bag going to be sleeping in subzero temperatures? Will the person need to carry the bag long distances (in which case, the person will need something fairly light and compact)?

Remember, the word “ask” consist of three letters: A is for “ask”; S is for ask “simply” rather than in complicated or overly clever ways; and K is for “keep on asking.”

UNCOVER SOFT EXPECTATIONS

Customers usually have both obvious expectations about a product or service and hidden, or soft, expectations. A car buyer may tell the salesperson she expects to pay $20,000 and get a car with air conditioning and antilock brakes, but the unspoken demand may have more to do with expectations of long-term reliability. Many car buyers expect not to have any serious trouble with a new car for five years minimum. A salesperson who’s used to selling on points like style and engine power may be mystified when a customer leaves for another dealership. But product reliability is one of those soft expectations that become crucial to making a connection with your client.

Often a client isn’t even aware of these soft expectations. Suppose you sell photocopy machines that can collate and staple and copy in both color and black and white; but again there may be expectations that are even more important. Simplicity may be a concern; the client may want everyone in his office to be able to use the machine so he doesn’t have to dedicate a separate employee to copying duties. Or he may expect the seller to provide free training and on-site, same-day service in case of a breakdown. These are the soft expectations that often do not come out in typical sales calls. But these are the ones that will make or break the long-term relationship.

How do you find out about these soft expectations? By asking questions. Spend more time talking with a customer up front (actually listening more than talking), so you can uncover the soft expectations. This can help you decide a more effective way to present your products and services.

FOLLOW UP

You should always call your customers shortly after they’ve taken delivery. Even though product quality has improved over the years, some bad products still get shipped. It’s up to us to make sure our customers are happy with what we’ve sold them. Ask whether it’s working okay, whether the delivery staff was helpful, and whether there’s anything else you and your company can do. If there’s even a hint of trouble, you’ve got some more work to do trying to straighten things out.

THINK TOTAL SERVICE

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What they expect from a product is that it will work as advertised and that you as the salesperson will stand behind it. But you can exceed their expectations by giving them even more. For example, my all-time favorite products are my digital audio recorders.

I actually have two of them. I keep one recorder with me so I can dictate memos to my staff night and day. I then leave the recorder with one of my assistants to type the memos and distribute them to the appropriate team members via e-mail. I take the other one with me to record new memos and notes.

The thing I like most about my digital audio recorders is the company that sells them to me. I travel a lot, so these recorders really take a beating, but I need them to function properly 24/7. My supplier knows this and offers an extended warranty complete with technical support and service. If I roll over one of these recorders with my truck, I can get a replacement in a matter of hours rather than days.

That’s the sort of spirit you need to create for customers. And you do that by learning what customers expect and then giving them more.

Ralph’s Rule: Many salespeople try to “manage” expectations, but that’s a mistake. You can’t control customers’ thoughts. Simply find out what they want and need. Then give them something over and above that. Pay particular attention to the softer or service side of the transaction.