KSU AGEC 535 Ag Sales Exam 2

4 Parts of Customer Service: Commitment

pledge to service, teamwork, and keeping promises

4 Parts of Customer Service: Team Thinking

everyone is involved in customer service and each individual's actions affect everyone else

4 Parts of Customer Service: Communication

active listening, positive responses and empathy, making customers feel important and understood

4 Parts of Customer Service: Service

personal commitment to service and becoming an expert at what you do

4 Traits of Great Customer Service: Empathy

show that you care about your customers

4 Traits of Great Customer Service: Responsiveness

give your customers the attention they deserve

4 Traits of Great Customer Service: Motivation

you need a strong desire and commitment to succeed in providing the best customer service at all times

4 Traits of Great Customer Service: Assurance

make customers feel that their needs will be met and promises will be kept

Complaint Handling

ensuring customers satisfied with products and services

1st step in handling complaints

1. respond quickly

preferably within 24 hours

the longer you wait to talk to unhappy customer, the more upset they will be

2nd step in handling complaints

2. Thank customers for bringing the matter to your attention

its better to know about the complaint

3rd step in handling complaints

3. Let the customer know that you appreciate their concerns

treat customer with respect, look at it from their perspective

4th step in handling complaints

4. Make the customer's complaint personal

show empathy towards customer

"own the problem" and let customer know you will do your best to figure it out

5th step in handling complaints

5. Don't make excuses

Stay positive and don't get defensive

6th step in handling complaints

6. Never admit fault until you've seen and investigated the problem

Be patient, wait to explain until a completed investigation

7th step in handling complaints

7. Review before investigating

Do your homework before meeting with customer in person

8th step in handling complaints

8. Remain calm throughout your investigation

Maintain composure and try to diffuse tension

9th step in handling complaints

9. Don't make promises you can't keep

Know your limits and your authority

Don't over promise

10th step in handling complaints

10. Avoid speculation

Don't come to a premature conclusion

Wait until after investigation to tell them the probable cause

11th step in handling complaints

11. After a thorough investigation, explain what happened

Be thorough and maybe bring in experts

12th step in handling complaints

12. Propose a resolution to the problem and follow through

Propose fair resolution

Follow through on promises

Make sure customer satisfied and happy

Target marketing

the process of evaluating each market segment's attractiveness (potential profitability) and selecting one or more segments to enter

Target marketing - segment's attractiveness based on:

segment size and growth

segment structural attractiveness

company objectives and resources

4 target marketing strategies

Undifferentiated - mass marketing

Differentiated - segmented marketing

Concentrated - niche marketing

Micromarketing - local or individual marketing

Prospecting

process of identifying potential customers who may need or want the product or service you are selling

Hunters

focused on getting new customers or expanding business

Business development

Farmers

focused on maintaining an established territory with a solid, long-term customer base

Territory manager

Qualifying criteria

1. does they need or want your product?

2. can they derive value from your product?

3. is the prospect a decision maker?

4. do they have the financial ability to purchase your product?

Why is prospecting important?

Companies lose 20% of customers, so they need to make that up with new ones

Sources of prospects

Referrals

Networking

Trade shows and conferences

Directories

Internet

Email

Telemarketing

Cold calls

5 steps in prospecting plan

1. set goals for prospecting

2. use various methods of prospecting

3. keep good records

4. follow-up promptly

5. Use a Customer Relationship Management system to track progress

4 steps in sales call planning

1. Do pre-approach homework before scheduling meeting

2. set goals for the first sales call

3. prepare sales proposal

4. document every contact and sale call in your CRM

CRM

Customer relationship management

technology for managing relationships with customers and potential customers

Benefits of CRM

stores customer contact info

identifies sales opportunities

records service issues

manages marketing campaigns

makes info about every interaction available to people in company

Salesforce

scores highest on grid thingy

23% win rate

28% lead conversion

33% sales productivity

32% sales pipeline

Artificial intelligence drives performance

21% faster sales cycle

25% more time spent selling

38% increase in CRM adoption

15% increase in deals closed every month