The sales playbook: How to go that extra mile for your customers

The business landscape may have changed dramatically over the years, but one thing remains constant – the need to grow your customer base through effective selling, writes Jason Toshack, GM & VP ANZ, Oracle NetSuite.

Any salesperson can attest to the fact that keeping up with the evolving ways of reaching, and retaining customers, is no mean feat. Over the last few years, digital interactions – including those on social media – have become more important, a trend that was accelerated over the past 18 months. With customer loyalty key to success, a top priority for businesses leaders is to ensure they have effective processes in place to help drive repeat purchases and attract new customers.

Here are three ways you can go above and beyond for your customers

Understand your customers

Developing strong relationships with customers often translates into increased loyalty, and ultimately more sales. On the other hand, customers taken for granted become disengaged and will seek out alternative products and services. After all, the average business loses between 20-80% of its customers annually simply because of poor customer relationships.

Take the time to learn about your customers, find out what challenges they are facing, and where you can add value. For example, regular check-ins to see how they’re tracking or sharing additional resources on your service or product goes a long way. Or it could be as simple as bonding through non-work-related conversations or shared interests. Tailor your customer’s experience to their preference where possible as 29 per cent of customers are more likely to purchase from a retailer when they offer a personalised experience, according to one survey.

Motivating your sales team

Ensuring your sales team remains empowered to achieve great results is the key to success. Effective sales involve a collaborative approach, where team members work together to win business.

For leaders, the power of positive praise should not be underestimated. Celebrate both individual and team wins. Employees who don’t regular receive recognition for a job well done may start to feel unappreciated and lose motivation.

Work shouldn’t always be about work and to keep your organisation’s culture alive, it is important to motivate your sales teams. Explore ways to spend time together and have some fun.

Technology is your best ally

A robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution can help streamline the sales process by allowing teams to capture important data about their customers. With a 360-degree view of your customer, you can provide the right level of support and communication at the appropriate time while avoiding doubling up on redundant requests or actions. Offering a more efficient experience can boost sales by up to 29%.

While customer behaviour is unpredictable, sales teams can dive into sales analytics data to decode preferences to create more relevant and personalised customer experiences. For example, Australian based retail drinks and hospitality business, Endeavour Group, built an AI-powered personalised marketing engine to drive revenue growth through improved and relevant ranges and services across multiple brands. This personalised approach resulted in 4.5 million customers being exposed to new options and experiences.

Customers have the luxury of choice more than ever before, so you should differentiate your products and services from your competitors and look at how to add value to the customer experience. By finding ways to go the extra mile like adding a personal touch, enabled by digital technology, you’ll find your customer relationships will stand the test of time with sales following suit.

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