© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Maintaining Customer Relationships

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | You will learn: To demonstrate understanding of follow up techniques to establish and maintain long-term business relationships. To demonstrate examples of how to effectively use the five techniques for follow up outlined in this program. To understand and appreciate the benefits of relationship building on future business with customers.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Take the Before-and- After Skills Inventory

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | View Program

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Why do we need to maintain customer relationships?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | What should be the purpose of this program? What is the important factor missing in business today? What is the value of follow up? How do you keep in touch with a customer after a sale? How to make a proper and effective follow up call. To illustrate five common situations which can occur when making follow up calls. The follow up. Dealing with a customer after the relationship has been established. Customers are treated well when they are placing their order. Afterwards? Often nothing. Your organization has thousands of names on its database. Why not use them? Through follow up, you can discover how much more business is out there waiting to buy again. Stop customers from going to the competition because they feel they’re being neglected. By telephone and/or voice mail, , a short note or card Sending a newspaper or professional journal clipping with a note. Special occasion reminders and notes When possible and effective, an in-person visit

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Point #1: Expect and be prepared to reach customer’s voice mail.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Discuss How likely are you to reach your customer’s voice mail? To whom does Joe make follow up calls? What is “sandwiching” calls? What kind of message should be left? How do customers react to the “sandwiching” technique?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Telephone Doctor® Prescription Expect and be prepared to reach voice mail. Have your message planned out in advance so you’ll leave an effective message. Sandwich calls – use two channels of communication in order to make sure your message is heard. Keep messages short and sweet. Repeat contact information twice. Thank customers for past business. Get value out of every call. Find out new information.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Point #2: If your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who the new contact is.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Discuss What should you do if you find out your contact is no longer with the company? Is it a good idea to ask about your former contact? What is your goal in this situation? Before engaging any customer in a conversation, what is one of the first things you want to do?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Telephone Doctor® Prescription If you find out your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who your new contact is. Be prepared to introduce yourself and begin right away to build rapport. Always begin by asking if your contact has time before beginning any conversation. It’s best not to refer to the former contact. Take your cue from how it is addressed. To get value from this kind of call, find out who your new contact is and begin immediately to build rapport.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Point #3: Make “No Ulterior Motive” (NUM) Calls.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Discuss What does NUM stand for? What is the point of a NUM call? What other benefits are there from NUM calls?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Telephone Doctor® Prescription A NUM call is a “no ulterior motive” call. It is a good will call rather than a sales call. It is a way to thank your customer for past business. Rapport building may help with future sales calls. It’s a good way to make sure your product is working properly. The value of this call is that your customer knows you’re thinking of him/her.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Point #4: Handle any problems that arise immediately.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Discuss What should you do if you discover a customer is having a problem? What did Joe find out when he called Paige? What is likely to have happened if Joe hadn’t made the call? What is the value from this call?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Telephone Doctor® Prescription Don’t dread finding out about a problem your customer is having. Be prepared to help. If you find a problem, take immediate action to make things right. Ask specific probing questions to determine the true problem. By calling, Joe was able to put out a fire and probably save a client. The value of this call is solving a problem and saving a client.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Point #5: Gain Additional Business.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Discuss What is the value of the last scenario? What happens when you make yourself valuable to your customer? What is the specific value of this call?

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Telephone Doctor® Prescription Some NUM calls result in unexpected additional business. You gain satisfaction from knowing your customer appreciates your extra effort. When price and selection are similar, you give the customer reason to choose your product. Long-term loyalty by a customer often translates into increased revenue for you.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Take the Before-and-After Skills Inventory Again. ANSWERS 01. F 02. A 03. T 04. D 05. T 06. B 07. T 08. B 09. T 10. D 11. T 12. A 13. F 14. D 15. T

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | A CALL TO ACTION! Memorize the following key points. Practice!

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS Expect and be prepared to reach customer’s voice mail: Have your message planned out in advance. Sandwich calls. Keep messages short and sweet. If your contact is gone, be proactive. Find out who the new contact is: Always ask for time to talk. Introduce yourself and begin to build rapport. Make NUM (no ulterior motive) calls: The value of this call is that your customer knows you’re thinking of him/her. Handle any problems that arise immediately: If you find a problem, take immediate action to make things right. You may be able to put out a fire and save a client. Gain additional business: Some NUM calls result in unexpected additional business. You gain satisfaction from knowing your customer appreciates your extra effort.

© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | Maintaining Customer Relationships