A One Question Survey Follows This Blog

Consumers are no strangers to the post-service survey. An email arrives after the fact requesting a few minutes of your time to answer a few “scale of 1-5”-type questions about how things went. While a good idea, I always have the feeling that no one is paying attention to the answers.

You should.

Salespeople, one of the best things you can do after a sale is to make a phone call, inquiring not so much how the order went — quality, delivery, etc. — but rather how the event went. There’s a difference.

Let’s say you are printing a job the client will use at a trade show. Set a reminder for a few days after the event ends and check in with your key contact. How was the show? Was the travel smooth? Were the business goals accomplished? Sure, you can get around to questions regarding the print work you did, but by making it more about them and less about you, an impression is made.

Ask the right questions and a future sale could be yours. That’s a bonus. For now, though, just show your professionalism by taking one extra step: Follow up.

Oh, and um, one more thing: How’d you like my blog? Please rate on a scale of 1-5 ...

Bill Farquharson can drive your new business efforts. Find more free sales tips, archived blogs, columns, and information on his training programs at BillFarquharson.com or call Bill at 781-934-7036. His email address is bill@aspirefor.com