How strong are your relationships with your customers, particularly your top customers?

When I work with my clients, I always like to ask how strong their customer relationships are. I usually hear “Our customers love us” or words to that effect. After commending them, I ask the most crucial question: “What percentage of your customer base would allow you one big mistake in your service and continue doing business with you?” Usually, the room becomes noticeably quiet at this point.

The room gets quiet because people begin imagining that scenario when I ask that question. That’s what I’d like you to do right now. Think about any of your top 10 customers. You’ve been doing a great job for them, maybe for years. It’s been a while since you’ve made a major mistake. Now, imagine that you’ve made a big mistake that makes it all the way to the decision-maker level. Can your relationship withstand that mistake?

Too many in sales don’t quite understand the nature of customer relationships. Just because someone buys from you doesn’t mean you have a genuine, bankable relationship with that customer. Let’s review three levels of customer relationships:

Three types of customers

The Occasional Buyer does spend money with you, but they don’t really identify with you. Every purchase is a new buying process. Your offer is weighed against competitive offers, and whoever makes the best offer at that given time gets the business. Make a mistake, and you might get eliminated from the list—or at least get demoted.

The Habitual Buyer is a deceptive relationship. As the name suggests, they buy from you (all the time or nearly all the time) out of habit, not necessarily out of any identification or affinity with you. They buy from you because they buy with no loyalty involved. Make a mistake, and they will break the habit.

The Loyal Customer is what we all want. Not only do loyal customers buy from you, but they also know why. They can articulate what you do for them and they will evangelize for you to other potential customers, helping you grow your company. One mistake doesn’t kill the relationship.

Fear is the obstacle

Here’s the truth: If you’re only one mistake away from losing the business at any given time, your relationship with your customer isn’t solid. Strong relationships will withstand a service issue—even a big one. The strongest will withstand multiple issues. If any of your customers are one away, don’t feel bad. Your competitor is probably in the same situation. In past articles, w have discussed how to build stronger relationships. Let’s talk about how to win back lost business.

First, you must understand that the biggest obstacle to regaining a lost customer is fear—yours and theirs. You fear returning to the customer because you don’t want to be rejected again. Your customer fears doing business with you because they don’t want to get into another unpleasant situation.

You must lose your own fear. If your customers are open to persuasion, you can help them lose theirs. You do so by taking a few simple steps.

Eat crow

To recover from a mistake, you must first admit that you made one. You do so by acknowledging and asking forgiveness. What’s important here is that you do not pass the buck when apologizing. The customer doesn’t care if the shipping department messed up their order while you, the honest salesman, did your best to take care of the customer. The customer looks at the entire company as one person. Either say, “We screwed up, and we’re sorry,” or “I screwed up, and I’m sorry.”

If your customers want to vent, let them and empathize with them. They’re angry, and without venting that anger, they won’t be able to move beyond the current issue.

Make good

In advertising, a “make good” concept kicks in when promises are unfulfilled. For instance, if an advertiser buys an ad for a particular TV show with a specific rating expectation and the show delivers well below that expectation, the advertiser may well receive a “make good”—a free ad that completes the exposure expectation.

Whatever business you’re in, you can figure out a “make good” gesture. What’s important is that the gesture be proportional to the screw-up. A company downtime costing them US$30,000 and a $15 candy basket may not be good enough. “Make goods” are designed to assign some of the burden to you, so if you want the business back, you should be prepared to make it worthwhile.

Resell

Now, it’s time to rediscover why your customer did business with you in the first place. Ask good questions and present some powerful benefits that remind the customer why they enjoyed your company as a supplier.

Represent and reclose. If it’s appropriate, gently remind your customer about the positive relationship you’ve had.

Don’t be pushy

Sometimes, the customer is so upset or disillusioned that they aren’t willing to change their minds. When this happens, it’s important not to make a contest of the dialogue.

When you argue with your customer, you always lose. If the customer is dead set on not accepting an apology or resell overtures, it’s best to let the problem rest for a while.

Depending on how severe your service issue was, winning your customer back can range from an easy project to an impossible one. If you are fortunate enough to regain their business, don’t allow yourself to get back into the same position—work to strengthen the relationship until it can withstand some service issues.

Troy Harrison is the sales navigator and the author of “Sell Like You Mean It” and “The Pocket Sales Manager.” He helps companies navigate the elements of sales on their journey to success. Harrison can be reached at 913-645-3603 or [email protected].

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