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Standard Responses to Customer Inquiries: do you have them?


TallTayl

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When you all start a small business invariably issues arise that require effective communication. It is easy to feel emotional when this happens.


 Have you thought out standard, professional, and unemotional responses to handle the most common issues?

 

For instance if a customer reads their tracking that says their package has been delivered but there is no package, how  do you respond?

 

another common question is about discounting. Your posted prices are your prices, but how do you respond when someone asks to turn the situation around and be profitable for you and valuable to the customer? 
 

with holiday sales upon us, let’s put the hive mind together and come up with some winning strategies to save our sanity and delight our customers.

 

 

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One of the things that has helped me with repeat business is my knowledge of my product and the fact that I stand behind it. (No pun intended.) Since I do most of my sales face to face I try to help new customers and or doubtful ones by giving them information about the product and how it can help them. I also guarantee it by explaining to them if they really don't like it bring it back and I will exchange it. I mean that too. In the 15 yrs of selling I have had maybe 2 customers that did took me up on that. And they became steady repeat customers because they were so thankful how I treated them. One was a cancer patient and needed a milder soap and the other somewhat similar in that she needed one of my neem oil soaps for her problem skin type. I find being knowledgeable about your product is what sells it and that last bit of insurance I give my customers letting them know if they don't like it they may exchange it works for me. But as I mentioned I do sales in person which is quite different than handling issues on an internet sale.

 

I don't do a ton of website sales. Frankly, I hate website sales cause packaging and bookkeeping for them is way too time consuming as far as I am concerned. So my point is I don't really get any business much on my website cause I don't advertise. The majority of my sales are my craft fair and market customers and they already know me personally and my products so I can't recall any problems with a sale or its shipping that ever came up. But I do have a shipping and return policy on my website that lays out what I will or will not do. That was years in the making as the only time I can remember any internet sale problems occurred only when selling on ebay years ago when I was new to the business and didn't know any better.

 

Regarding discounting. Frankly, if a customer has the balls to ask me for a discount and it sounds reasonable to me I will often go ahead and do it. I have often seen these type customers come back and become repeat customers. On the other hand I turn some down and explain that how it is already a deal for them and they are saving money anyway. That is my go to for those customers that set off my hackles or my inner ripoff alarm. I can usually get them to buy the product anyway by pointing out their savings and toting it's quality and selling points to them. But if my hackels are up no way am I going to discount. Every now and again you just know you are dealing with a total jerk and no matter how hard they try to sucker me or make me feel guilty about my set price they are dealing with the wrong person. So I think if you use your good judgement, business acumen, and common sense you tend to know instinctively which ones to give a break to and which ones to stand firm with.

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