Very few frontline sales professionals—and very few companies—conduct regular review meetings with their customers. Those who do typically arrange them at the start of a new year or trading period, so this is a wonderful opportunity to get a jump on the competition, and in all probability, gain some business that is not currently sitting in the pipeline.
Obtaining continual feedback against a set of established criteria is vital if an organization is to retain its top clients and seek to improve its standing and the quality of its service.
Here are seven benefits of regular feedback:
- Feedback reveals your customer's current and future plans.
- Seeing your business from your customer's point of view allows you to ask the question "Would you do business with you?" If not, why not?
- Feedback allows you to tailor your service levels so that you enjoy maximum customer satisfaction at minimal cost.
- If you don't ask, you'll never know how you are doing until it's too late.
- Feedback is subject to the "iceberg factor"—a small criticism may hide a much larger problem—making it more critical than it may first appear.
- Feedback can reveal what your competition is doing, helping you to be a consistently strong contender.
- Gaining a reputation for wanting to hear feedback can encourage referrals and bring you more business.
How often should you solicit feedback? This will depend entirely on the importance of the account and revenue levels being achieved or anticipated. However, it is advisable to conduct a review at least annually. I conduct a quarterly review meeting with all of my most important clients.
