The Winning Sales Formula: Combing Expertise, Recommendation and Customer Service Excellence
Is Being an Expert Enough?
I love being a customer, I do.
I enjoy observing how salespeople approach and ‘treat’ me.
Do they seek to explore my situation, understand and listen to my needs in order to guide me to a befitting solution, or do they just talk ‘at’ me, thinking they know best and presume what I need?
Recently, the question of ‘Is being an expert enough?’ arose in conversation.
My client Rob wondered, ‘I have a brilliant technical expert, which is what clients want, but they are not so sharp on the customer service or sales side – is that enough, or should I hire a salesperson and then train them to be more ‘technical’?’
See our blog on ‘Who should be selling? Product specialist or salesperson?
From a client’s perspective, how do they recognise and value expertise? Are they ‘sold’ on that expertise through the ‘technical talk’ or exceptional customer skills?
Being an Expert
Let’s unpack what ‘being an expert’ entails.
Typically experts have specific competence yet might lack a full understanding of the sales process. In fact, most experts avoid ‘sales’.
Being an expert involves:
- In-depth knowledge of the product, service, and solution based on extensive experience, research, or qualifications
- Thorough understanding of the industry
- Well-versed in the customers’ range of pain points and appropriate solutions
Expertise alone will not suffice during sales conversations. In order to become the Trusted Advisor, experts often struggle with:
- Asking probing questions.
This is key – getting clients to describe their situation and needs from their perspective.
Experts may falsely fall into the trap of assuming a client’s whole situation and limiting themselves to asking yes/no questions. - Being commercially minded.
Feeling comfortable and knowing how to ‘upsell’ or cross-sell to help clients who may be set on Option A to understand that Options B and C will also improve their situation without feeling pushy or ‘salesy’. - Reading verbal and non-verbal signals.
Interpreting the finer nuances of different personality types and their communication styles. - Educating how your solution will serve that client and their particular problem, talking benefits not features.
- Observing and Adapting.
Being aware of how to adapt your style to suit different situations and clients. - Managing Clients Expectations.
Guiding clients through the ‘next steps’ and processes. - Creating a Positive Interaction
Establishing a rapport and trust builds a relationship where the client seeks to partner with you.
Experts have traditionally relied on the notion of “Well, I am the expert, and that’s enough”, but research indicates that investing in sales and people communication skills will help them create and achieve better outcomes for themselves and the client.
Customer Service Excellence
Understanding Customer Service Excellence
Customer Service Excellence is a holistic approach to a company’s customer engagement, focusing on providing memorable experiences at every touchpoint. A study by McKinsey, said 70% of buying experiences are influenced by how customers feel they are being treated. A further study by PWC found that 73% of customers point to how customer experience significantly impacts their purchasing decisions.
Happy customers translates into more profit
Research conducted by the Harvard Business Review, and a parallel study by Bain & Company, reveal that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can lead to a profit increase of 25% to 95%. This highlights the economic value of loyal customers and underscores the importance of consistently delivering exceptional service.
And the big one – A recommendation by a trusted friend
According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over other forms of advertising.
Happy customers are more likely to share their positive experiences, leading to organic promotion of your products or services.
By excelling in customer service, businesses will stand out from the competition and create a loyal customer base that becomes an advocate for their brand.
What can you do immediately to improve customer service skills?
- Ensure a positive and thriving work culture: Smile, encourage laughter each day, and make things ‘light’ in the office.
- Instill pride and confidence in your team and your solutions. Have people love their jobs.
Conduct daily stand-up meetings to share great customer service moments, either as colleagues relating a good case study story or client feedback - Coaching everyone on what ‘Excellence’ looks like.
- Prioritising meaningful connections and engagement for those ‘task’ driven team members, reminding them that this leads to business growth.
Example of where Being an Expert together with Great Customer Service Excelled.
Recently, I needed professional photos for my socials.
I consider myself to be a positive and growth mindset person. Yet, conscious that I’m about ten kilos above my normal weight, the notion of a photoshoot caused slight panic and a sleepless night despite my sleep obsession with an Oura ring. Despite looking and feeling like a wreck, within 2 minutes the photo crew’s expertise and customer service switched my negative mood into excitement. They patiently handled my doubts and concerns with empathy and compassion. I felt cared for and trusted them implicitly.
They were the true experts AND what stood out was how they just nailed customer service.
I remember feeling, ‘Wow, everyone here loves their job’ – you could sense it in their body language and the tone of their voice in their interaction with each other and other clients.
Their phone rapport during the pre-engagement was spot on, exuding a warm manner while answering a myriad of questions. Their professionalism at every step of the process, also during the studio session through to later viewings, ensured efficiency and enjoyment.
Each person was focused on understanding me and managing all my expectations. The flow from one person to another was seamless.
Here are a few images!
Should you wish to know more about having professional images taken for your socials, check out the Experts radiating with Customer Service Excellence:
The Photo Studio https://thephotostudio.com.au
Read: Who should be selling? Product specialist or salesperson? >>>
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Read: Good ole fashioned service >>>
Read: Follow Up >>>
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