Whether you sell products or services you can steal a page from OpenTable.com‘s approach on how to follow up with your customers.
OpenTable is the leader in providing online restaurant reservations. They do an excellent job on the front end whether you know where you want to dine or are looking for suggestions.
We had an opportunity to use them to book reservations for Fathers’ Day brunch. After the event they did something that all of us who use the web to promote and sell our stuff should do … they followed-up!
A day after our reservation I received an email asking about our experience with the restaurant we dined at (Duo in the Highlands area of Denver – I highly recommend it!). Such a simple idea but too often overlooked. When you sell a customer a product or provide a service how about inviting their comments and feedback after they’ve had an opportunity to use the product or once the service has been delivered. Why? Well for one, your customers appreciate it. It sets you apart as too few vendors ever take the time to do this. Second, it allows you to be a hero instead of a zero. (My friend and client, Mark Sanborn, talks about the hero/zero choice in a November 2007 post at his blog.) You’re a hero when you find out that your customer’s experience with your product or service was less than stellar and you take the necessary steps to positively resolve their issues.
Third, and the final piece in the OpenTable follow up experience, is that you have an opportunity to ask for more business. In OpenTable’s case once you’ve provided your feedback they send you to a thank you page that has a list of restaurants that other Duo patrons dine at with the call to action to make your next reservation now. Hmmm. Great idea, don’t you think? After all if your customer liked the gadget they bought from you don’t you think they’d be receptive to more of the same?
So here’s the methodology 1. Sell something 2. Follow up 3. Sell something else. 4. Repeat. Simple, isn’t it?
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