From the Editors

Don’t forget the importance of personal follow-ups

In the era of email, text messaging, Facebook and Instagram, it’s easy to get lost in our own impersonal worlds.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people I’d rather email than call, or Facebook rather than meet up with in person. But all this technology has made me appreciate personal touches even more.

A few weeks ago, I took my friends and sisters shopping for bridesmaid dresses. (If you’re wondering how much longer I’m going to equate wedding retail experiences to the powersports market, it’s probably going to be another six months or so.) I had never heard of one of the places we chose to stop at, but the store seemed to have a good selection from its website, and it was close to home.

When we first walked in, we were impressed with the selection, but disappointed with being shoved into a little corner while the girls tried their dresses on. However, the amazing customer service we received made up for the cramped space. Our consultant Michelle offered us chairs and carefully brought out dresses that fit what we were looking for. In fact, she ended up selecting the option we finally chose. She also was helpful in recommending what types of tuxes would match well with the dresses and clearly explained everything we needed to know about ordering.

About a week later, I received a hand-written letter in the mail. Michelle not only thanked me for shopping at the store, but she took time to think about our experience and mention specific details about our visit, rather than drafting a generic thank you letter. She even apologized for the lack of space and ended with a reminder that they rent out tuxes.

That personal touch meant so much to me as a customer, and it made me even more aware of just how great a salesperson Michelle is.

Think about your sales process. What type of follow-up does it entail? I’m not saying all salespeople have to hand-write letters (although they’re great), but your salespeople should be finding a way to thank each customer for their purchase. Michelle drafted her follow-up perfectly, helping me recall my great experience at the store, apologizing for any issues that came up and inviting me to the store to spend more money, but in a subtle and helpful way. Your follow-ups with your customers should do the same because those touches can go a long way in securing future purchases.

After all, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out who’s going to get our tux rental business.

Liz Hochstedler is the managing editor of Powersports Business, a trade magazine for the powersports industry. She reports on the powersports industry through Powersports Business’ varied media, including in the magazine and online. She assembles the brand’s twice-a-week e-news and handles a variety of assignments for the magazine. Powersports Business is known for its exclusive national dealer surveys, in-depth industry analysis and dealership conference, Profit Xcelerator.

Contact: ehochstedler@powersportsbusiness.com
Website: www.powersportsbusiness.com

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