How To Be Your Customer’s Hero with Adam Toporek

In this episode we meet Adam Toporek, an internationally recognized customer service expert, keynote speaker, and workshop leader. He is the author of Be Your Customer’s Hero: Real-World Tips & Techniques for the Service Front Lines (2015), as well as the founder of the popular Customers That Stick® blog. When he’s not speaking or delivering high energy customer service workshops, he can be found co-hosting the Crack the Customer Code podcast (of which I will soon be a featured guest!) and writing extensively on customer experience.

Today Adam and I discuss how to be your customer hero by providing a terrific sales experience and then a terrific support experience.

Sales and Support Matter

Sales support are two sides of the same coin. With great support comes references and referrals. Both organizations must work together to on-board clients and keep them happy. It’s all about building relationships. For the selling professional this is how how you can be your customers’s hero. The easiest customer to sell is one whose bought from you before.

How To Close a Deal

Concession Close

Here you are offering the customer a con- cession and asking if that will satisfy her. You can generally use some version of the following: “If I could _, would that _?” “If I could apply a credit for the difference to your account, would that work for you?”

Trial Close

Trial closes are small closes you use along the way that lead to the final close. In larger sales processes, the sales-
person is looking to get a certain number of “yes” answers to get him to the final “yes.” In customer service, you’re testing the waters to see if you’re heading in the right direction. “If I could ship the dress to you on your trip, is that something you would be interested in?” Or you can ask more general questions. “Are we heading in the right direction?” “How is April 17, 2015 this sounding so far?”

Ultimatum Close

This technique is an absolute last resort for when you’re simply stuck, have tried multiple options, and the customer will simply not be satisfied. You’ve decided that it’s time to move on, one way or another, so you give the customer an ultimatum. “Sir, I’m really at the limits of what I can offer. Is the option I presented acceptable to you?” If the customer says no, my favorite line to follow up with is, “I wish I could do more, but that’s as far as I can go. How would you like to proceed from here?”

How to Find Adam Toporak

You can find Adam easily online:

https://twitter.com/adamtoporek
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtoporek
https://www.youtube.com/user/customersthatstick
https://www.facebook.com/customersthatstick

Contest

To win a copy of How To Be Your Customers Hero with Adam Toporek enter the contest here.

How To Be Your Customers Hero with Adam Toporek #104