Google AdWords
My wife and I purchased a new car in December of last year.
Prior to our purchase, we did a lot of research into what car would best fit our needs and provide us the most value. Once we decided on a specific make & model, we then began visiting different car dealers in order to find the best price and customer service.
After visiting a number of dealers, we found several that offered basically the same price for the car we wanted. So, the decision of where to buy came down to which dealership, and the individual salesperson we felt most comfortable.
While we were in the decision-making process, my wife and I received numerous emails and phone calls from the salespeople we had met with, all trying to win our confidence and car purchase.
My wife and I talked it over and we both felt there was one salesperson who seemed to be the most genuinely (admittedly, genuine is very relative in this case) interested in helping us get the car that we wanted at a price we could afford.
We went in to the dealership, met with the salesperson we liked, and made a deal for the car we wanted.
That was more than seven months ago and we have not heard from the salesperson, or anyone from the dealership, since.
I wasn’t expecting lots of post-purchase follow-up, but I do think it was a major missed opportunity on the dealership’s part to create further customer good feelings and loyalty.
I recently read a statistic that existing customers are seven times more likely to buy from you.
A short call or email from the salesperson asking how we liked the car and if we had experienced any problems would have gone a long way towards cementing our loyalty.
Had the salesperson or someone from the dealer just spent 5 minutes on post purchase follow-up with us, they would have greatly increased the the possibility of turning a one-time purchase into a repeat customer.
So, the moral of this car-buying story is that customer service after the purchase must not be neglected as it can lead to future sales. If you’re not providing your customers with post-purchase follow-up, you are likely throwing money out the window.
This is a little Utopian unfortunately. The problem is that for you, it’s a 5 minute call. All things are good. But for me, I may have multiple questions, problems, frustrations. And though it would be great if someone would address them in a follow-up call, it just takes away from time that salesman could be spending selling more cars.
After my wife and I purchased our Hondas years ago, we actually received multiple mailers from the dealership and our salesman. It came across as junk. Had they started calling too, we would have been upset.
I also think that everything changes when it comes to a “service” oriented business, or software, where email can be used exclusively. It’s much easier to follow-up via email because you stay in control of the time spent on the follow-up.
Good post, very thought provoking!
Or take a note from Nordstrom’s and send a personal thank you note in the mail.
I think in response to this article and the first comment, what our friend Michael has hit the nail on the head, especially when it relates to business models that involve a high volume of sales. It should be the rule that we as business owners/salesmen, go the extra mile to say thank you in a way our clients/customers will accept.
However, some people (like myself and Ben) may want the company to try, but don’t want to be bothered at the same time
If there is a personal sales process, there probably should be a personal follow up, and I think from the same individual, not something that looks like junk mail.
Thanks for the post, it was a good reminder that our existing reationships with those we serve are more valuable than the next sale to a new person.
- Will
Interesting post. I do agree with Ben that there are fine lines on both sides of the equation. The sales staff needs to stay productive and focused on selling, and the consumer more and more wants less interaction with ‘anything sales’. Everything is on demand now…
I follow up all purchases a week later asking for feedback. The feedback has been invaluable and I think it has also done a lot for overall levels of satisfaction and word-of-mouth.