To Keep Buyers From Cheating on You, Always Be Loyal to Them Stop thinking 'close the deal' and start thinking 'begin the relationship.'
By Jason Forrest Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As soon as I drove off the lot in my brand new silver Audi TT with black interior, I saw one with a convertible top and tan interior. I loved my new Audi, and yet I wondered, Should I have gotten the other one instead? Did I make the right choice?
Because I'm human, I was suddenly drawn away from what I'd been in love with only minutes before. Humans are switchers by nature. It behooves salespeople to know this reality and take steps to prevent cancellations.
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One of my most basic approaches in business is to copy successful people. And for me, there's nobody with a better reputation for creating loyal relationships with buyers than Joe Girard, deemed the "Greatest Car Salesman" by The Guinness Book of World Records.
Girard sold 1,425 cars in 1973 and 13,001 individual retail units over his 15-year career. According to Girard, though, he never sold a car, he sold himself. The most valuable products his customers walked away with were Joe Girard and his "service, service, service." Girard's principles worked out pretty well for him, gaining him endless return customers and referrals.
If you want to keep your buyers from straying with your competitors, take a lesson from Girard. Never stop selling.
Girard says, "The sale begins after the sale." This means he never saw his buyers as someone else's responsibility. If they had a problem with the car, Girard was involved. He took care of the mechanics so they would take care of his buyers. He never wiped his hands of the deal. As far as he was concerned, things were just getting started the moment the customer purchased.
Related: How to Dominate Your Competition With 'Reciprocal' Customer Loyalty
Let's be honest here. Do you step up your game after customers sign on the dotted line? Or is that when you sit back and relax?
Can you honestly say that you are as excited to see customers and clients already under contract as you were when they were still a hot prospect? What about the ones who return with a concern? Do you see their concern as your personal concern? From this point on, whatever you're selling…keep selling it. Girard never stopped selling.
One thing we need to recognize is that the very moment a prospect signs is when the product reaches its all-time peak in the buyer's perceived value. If we're not careful, the same will be true on the flip side, too. That is, the moment a prospect signs is the moment their value reaches its peak in our minds.
We don't do it intentionally, but we just don't look at them with the same sparkle as we did when they first walked through our door. When they are still prospective buyers, we are motivated and greet them with energy and enthusiasm. We do the "be-back" dance (the They like me! They really, really like me! dance) every time they show up. And it's a far cry from the Oh crap, what do they need this time? shuffle. These are the ones who have committed to us and put money on the line for what we're selling, but we appreciate them the least. Yikes.
After a sale, Girard would say, "Today you bought two things. [The car and] Joe Girard. I'll tell you something else. If you happen to have gotten a lemon, as God is my judge, I am going to turn it into a peach. I am going to show you that I am different from any other salesman in the world. I will give you service like you never saw."
That kind of confidence and skin-in-the-game make it hard to cheat on Joe Girard with some guy down the street. As long as your customer feels like they are more important to you than the paycheck you'll get from them, they'll stick with you.
Whether you realize it or not, customers can sense that you just aren't as interested in them once they've signed. So stop it! Be excited. Remember that these are the folks paying next month's bills and referring future business. Treat them that way. As long as they feel just as wanted after they've contracted, you'll fend off the buyer's remorse and build loyalty.
To decrease cancellations, increase customer satisfaction, and obtain referrals—never stop selling. As Tony Robbins says, "Do what you did in the beginning of the relationship and there won't be an end."
Related: The 80/20 Rule of Sales: How to Find Your Best Customers
