In the Mood, Part 3....

Sorry it's been a while since my last marketing tip. I've been busy on client projects and some surprises I plan to unveil in a couple of weeks.

Let's head back to my bank where my branch manager closed one of my Money Market accounts (rather than waive the bank fees). During this interaction, her staff has been trying to cross sell me while I'm obviously steaming over the fees. Look here for the backstory.

Often customer service people are encouraged (more like forced) to cross-sell customers on every contact -- even if it's during a complaint. The theory: if a complaint is resolved well, a customer may upgrade or buy an add-on from your. But not every problem resolution turns out well. And it's not the best time to sell a customer when they're angry with your company or staff.

My recommended approach requires an added step but will get better results.

Don't try to sell a client anything when resolving a problem. Your job is to be apologetic and responsive. Period.

A day or two after your problem resolution, contact your client to see how they felt about the resolution of the problem.  Focus on the resolution, not the problem. Ask them to rank your responsiveness on a scale of one to six.

If they rate you 3 or lower, ask them what your company could have done better (be sure to separate the company as a whole from the employee). Note their answer and thank them for their input.

If they rate you 4 or over, thank them for their patience with your company while you resolved the issue. Ask is they had any advice to improve the resolution experience. Again note their answer and thank them for their input.

Then comes the opportunity to build your relationship with the customer. Explain that your company is very sorry for the mistake and would like to offer them a discount on a future purchase as your apology. Ask permission to mail or email them a special offer as your thank you for their continued business (like a certificate good for X% off their next purchase).  Then send them a thank you note with the special certificate. (Be sure the offer is not something you offer anyone else.) 

In general , you'll increase your overall customer satisfaction and add to your overall sales.

Meanwhile, Beth and I are going to the bank soon to close out more accounts. I'll let you know how turns out in my next tip.