Do you know the worst and the best ways to develop business?
The worst practice in business is endless bureaucracy. This generally occurs when it comes to customer service policies. Generally speaking, the bigger the company, the worse the bureaucracy unless they have unusually adept management.
Upon testing out software for an intended project, I recognized how cumbersome it was. The ease of working with the technology wasn’t as clear-cut as described. Making matters worse, the software did not perform as was suggested. The sales rep disappeared after the sale. Online videos were available but did not answer all of the questions. After two months of trying hard to work with the system and the company, I decided to end the relationship.
Let me describe what happened upon trying to end the service:
I was transferred to a new salesperson’s manager. To my horror, he told me they needed 60 days notice – therefore I would be charged for the next two months. “There are no exceptions”, he said.
Losing patience, I asked for his manager. I was put on hold for 5 minutes. Luckily I know how to multi-task!
The lower-level manager came back on the line to say, “My manager is tied up at the moment.” With rope, I wondered? He went on to say, “However, I explained the situation, and he agreed to terminate your contract now.”
This conversation caused me to wonder if the earlier statement of “There are no exceptions” is a lie?
Important questions for you to consider come to mind:
Does the public at large know to ask for the Manager’s Manager? Is this game really worthwhile? What if I were to blab to the whole world which company this was such as putting it out on Twitter? This is a Silicon Valley Fortune 500 company. Wouldn’t you think they know how this lack of truthfulness and service poorly affects future business?
As an entrepreneur or the CEO of a large corporation – you have to know your rules upfront. Before you set them in stone, you must think ahead of how they will affect future business. Poor policies beget bad word of mouth and the loss of future business.
Sound customer service and integrity = sales and a thriving business.
One of the most important principles of selling is to make it easy for the other person to say Yes! Combining this philosophy with sound rules and integrity, your business development, marketing effort and sales will take off exponentially leading to many a Smooth Sale!
