Customer Relations

Customer relations is the foundation of a successful selling effort, not simply because a courteous approach to selling is "nice," but because it can build sales and profit. In small businesses, it is particularly important because the customers of small retailers generally expect more personal service than they find in a major department or discount store. The personal service could be advice on the color, quality, or use of certain products. Or it might be just a friendly greeting and the confidence that comes with knowing that they are buying from people who are interested in them and their business.

A courteous greeting establishes rapport between the sales person and the customer. The traditional "May I help you?" is self-defeating. Nine times out of ten, the answer is "No, thanks, just looking." A better approach is to use a simple, common greeting such as "Good morning." Or a comment on the merchandise that the customer is examining: "Shetland sweaters are very popular this season." Or a question about the customer's purchase: "Do you want something for yourself or for a gift?" Such comments will usually prompt a positive response from the customer. In general, they are far more effective than questions that can only be answered "Yes" or "No." A greeting such as "Good morning.

What can I do for you?" is far more productive than "May I help you?" Greetings should be the beginning of conver­sations, not the end.

The salesperson should try to know as much about the customer's buying interest as possible. This is done by asking questions such as:

"Are you looking for a fall or a winter coat?"

"How long has your daughter been playing tennis?"

"How often do you need a power saw?"

The answers to these questions will help the salesperson direct the customer to the right product -- perhaps the winter coat, the expert model tennis racket, or the most durable saw. The salesperson will be performing a service for the customer by matching the customer's needs to the right product and will be increasing the chances of closing the sale.

As in the hiring interview, the most effective questions are those that cannot be answered "Yes" or "No." Instead, the salesperson should try to use open-ended questions that require a more complete answer. These are usually questions that begin with "Why," "What," "How," or offer a choice for the customer to make.

Even an apparently negative response can be useful. The customer who likes the style of a skirt but dislikes the color can be shown another skirt in a color she may prefer. The customer who objects to the price of an appliance can be shown a lower priced model, or can be shown how the particular appliance justifies the apparently high price.

Unless the salesperson is aware of the customer's objections, nothing can be done to overcome them.

Salespeople are responsible for selling products and services. Customers have no responsibility to buy them. It is up to the salesperson to find out what the customer wants and match a product or service to those wants.

Feature-Benefit Relationship

Whenever a salesperson describes the product or service to a customer, it should be described in terms of the "feature-benefit" relationship. Features and benefits defined as follows:

A feature is any tangible or intangible characteristic of a product or service.

A benefit is the customer's basic buying motive that is fulfilled by the feature.

For example, a salesperson says, "These all-leather hiking boots have waterproof seams. They are our highest priced line, but the leather will last a long time, look good, and keep you dry even on wet trails." The salesperson mentioned two features, "all leather" and "waterproof seams." The benefits that the owner can expect to derive from these features were also mentioned as follows:

"last a long time" - Although they are higher priced, they represent value because they won't have to be replaced frequently.

"look good" - People want things that they wear to look good.

"keep you dry" - People are naturally interested in comfort and in preserving their health.

People's buying motives vary widely. In fact, two people buying the same product might be looking for altogether different benefits. One man buys an expensive suit because of the status it confers upon him. Another man buys the same suit because its superior tailoring will make it more durable and long-lasting. A third buys it because he likes the styling.

The following are some typical benefits that people seek from the things they buy:

Safety. The desire to protect their lives and property.

Economy. Not just in the initial purchase price but in long-run savings through less frequent replacement or, in the case of certain products, lower maintenance and operating costs.

Status. People buy things to be recognized. The woman buying an evening dress may consider the designer's name all-important. A 12-year-old boy might consider the brand of blue jeans or the autograph on a baseball bat to be equally important.

Health. People buy exercise equipment, athletic equipment, and outerwear because they wish to preserve their health.

Pleasure. People attend theaters, go to athletic events, eat at restaurants, and buy books and objects of art because they expect to derive personal pleasure from these pursuits.

Convenience. People buy many things to make the routine chores of life easier. For example, the cook buys a cake mix because it is far more convenient than mixing the individual basic ingredients.

The list could go on indefinitely. The important question to consider is the customer benefits that are provided by the goods or services that you sell. Knowing these benefits, salespeople can describe your products to customers in terms of the benefits that your customers can derive from them. Relatively few customers are interested in the technical or design details of a product. The customer is primarily interested in what the product will do for him or her.

The principal reason for a salesperson to describe features of a product or service is to prove the benefits that the person can expect from it. For example, a salesperson might describe insulating material to a customer as follows:

"This insulating material creates a thermal barrier." Impressive words, perhaps, but the statement tells the customer little or nothing about the reasons for buying.

This article Provides managing your Company tips and manage business advice. But you aren't ready to begin your own company till
you have given any thought to handling it. A company is an ongoing activity that does not run itself. As the supervisor you'll
need to set goals, determine how to achieve those goals and make all the necessary decisions. You will need to purchase or make
your product, price it, advertise it and sell it.

You'll have to keep documents, and determine costs. You'll Have to Control stock, make the right buying decisions and keep costs
down. You will need to hire, train and motivate employees now or as you develop.

Setting Business Management Goals. Good small business management Is the secret to success and great management starts with
establishing goals. Set goals for yourself for the achievement of the many activities necessary in establishing and managing your
business successfully. Be specific. Write down the goals in measurable terms of functionality. Break major targets down to
sub-goals, demonstrating exactly what you expect to attain in the next two to three weeks, the next six months, the next calendar
year, and the next five decades. Beside each goal and sub-goal set a particular date showing when it is to be attained.

Plan the action you must take to achieve the goals. While the attempt Needed to reach each sub-goal should be great enough to
challenge one, it should not be so good or foolish as to discourage you. Do not plan to reach too many goals all too. Establish
priorities.

Plan in advance how to quantify results so you can know exactly the way Well you're doing. This is what is meant by"measurable"
goals. If you can't keep score as you move along you're likely to lose motivation. Re-work your plan of action to permit for
obstacles which may stand in your way. Attempt to foresee obstacles and plan strategies to avert or minimize them.

Buying. Skillful purchasing is an important essential of Managing a business. This is true if you are a wholesaler or retailer of
product, a manufacturer or a service business proprietor. Some retailers say it's the most significant single factor. Merchandise
that's carefully purchased is not difficult to sell.

Determining what to purchase means finding out the Kind, kind, quality, Brand, size, colour, fashion -whatever applies to a
particular inventory - which will sell the best. This requires close attention to salespeople, trade journals, catalogs, and
especially the likes and dislikes of your regular clients. Analyze your earnings documents. The producer should view the issue
through the eyes of clients before determining what materials, parts, and materials to buy.

Know your regular customers, and also make a good evaluation of this People you expect will become your clients. In what
socioeconomic category are they? Are they homeowners or tenants? Are they searching for price, style or quality? What's the
predominant age category?

The age of your clients can be a prime consideration in Establishing a buying pattern. Young people purchase more often than many
elderly people. They want greater, have fewer duties, and invest more on themselves. They're more conscious of fashion trends
whether in sporting apparel, automobiles or electronics. If you decide to cater to the young trade because they seem dominate in
your area, your buying pattern will probably be wholly different than when the more conservative middle-aged customers seem to be
in most.

Study trade journals, newspaper advertisements, catalogs, window Displays of businesses similar to yours. Ask advice of
salespeople offering you merchandise, but purchase sparingly from several suppliers instead of one, analyzing the water, so to
speak, until you understand exactly what your best lines will be.

Locating suitable merchandise sources is not easy. You will buy Directly from producers or producers, from wholesalers,
distributors or jobbers. Pick the suppliers who sell what you want and can provide it when you need it. (Distributors and jobbers
are used by the majority of business people for fast fill-ins involving mill shipments.)

You may spread purchases one of many providers to gain more Favorable rates and promotional material. Or you might focus your
purchases one of a few providers to simplify your credit issues. This will also help you become famous as the seller of a certain
brand or line of product, and to keep a fixed benchmark in your products, if you're buying materials for manufacturing functions.

When to buy is important if your business will have seasonal Variations in sales volume. More inventory will be needed ahead of
the seasonal upturn in sales volume. As earnings decline, less product is needed. This means purchases of goods for resale and
materials for processing must change accordingly.

At the outset, how much to buy is speculative. The best coverage is To be frugal until you have had sufficient expertise to judge
your wants. On the flip side, you can't sell product in case you do not have it.

To help solve buying problems, you should Start to maintain stock Control records simultaneously. This can allow you to maintain
the stock in equilibrium - neither too large nor too small - with a proper proportion and decent assortment of merchandise, sizes,
colors, styles and attributes.

Fundamentally, there are two types of stock control - control in Dollars and control in physical components. Dollar controllers
reveal the sum of money spent in each merchandise category. Unit controllers indicate the amount of individual items when and from
whom purchased by class. A fantastic stock control system can help you determine what, from whom, when, and how much to purchase.

Pricing. A lot of your success in manage a business will depend on How you price your services. If your Rates are too low, then
You Won't cover Costs; too high and you will lose sales volume. In both cases, you will not Make a profit.

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