The end of the sales process, after the sale has been made, can often be overlooked. The goal is to make sure that your customers continue buying from your company. Clients return to a store because of the trusting relationship between the store and the customer. Refunds are a good measure on how your sales are progressing. Refunds are a sign that your sales tactics are not strong enough. This article will be explaining some ways to lessen refunds.
Clients will always appreciate a follow-up call, which won't take up much of your time. Try following up with the customer within a business day to thank them for their order and tell them when they should be expecting their product. It is also a good idea to prepare what you are going to say, whether it be with a live person or a voicemail. You or your assistant should do these calls. You will quickly see that your product and name will be remembered by customers.
Another tried and true system is the stick letter. The stick letter will be sent to the customer at one stage or another, for example, along with the product, in an e-mail, fax, or even just sending them to a website. You want to keep your company and product in the mind of the customer; not forgotten. Often times, customers purchase out of a whim or impulse which often result in refunds. The stick letter is the opportunity to convince the customer that they made the best investment and that the product will be everything that they expected. In addition, you need to take an extra step and make an exciting offer to your customer. This extra step will make the difference between the mediocre seller and a professional high income seller. Because your customers trust you and know that there is a live human being behind their transactions, they will even refer their friend to your business.
A special exciting offer can be anything creative, such as a gift certificate. Yes, it does take some of your time. It could be a gift certificate to another product you have. It could be a gift certificate to a consultation, a percentage, or smaller version of your service. My personal time is valued at $600/hour for a one-on-one consultation. If I turned one of my consultations into a gift certificate for a twenty minute one-on-one consultation, that would be a $300 dollar value! Make sure there is a process by which the customer can claim their gift certificate. The thing is, they've got this printed gift certificate in the box with the rest of their product, and they think, "Wow! This is a huge value. I didn't even know this was coming." A lot of times, they're not going to take the necessary action, but they still have that perceived value. These unexpected gifts will impress a customer, even though they may not take the offer. Even if they do take that action, you are investing 20 minutes to half an hour into your customer, who will hopefully be a lifelong customer and buy a lot of product from you down the road.
Issuing refunds can also hold great customer relations value. Refunds are a great opportunity to connect with the customer and offer them a different product at a discounted price. For example, you send a customer their refund check and also send them a sales letter telling them about a similar product or even an affiliate product. Furthermore, you can give some sort of incentive so that they will go on the internet to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire itself can be peppered with ads for your or affiliate products that they may become interested in. These are just some of the approaches I use to minimize refunds as well as taking advantage of refunds. Any situation can be turned into an opportunity!
