With many salespeople the sale is finished the moment the deal is closed. Nothing could be further from the truth. That’s when the sale really begins. A salesperson-customer relationship should be a long term marriage. Repeat business is what adds up to success. This is as true of selling furniture or insurance or real estate or appliances as it is of automobiles. It’s also true of selling ourselves.
When was the last time a salesperson told you how much he or she appreciated your business? Or for that matter, even bothered to say “Thank You”? It’s a sad commentary, but most salespeople don’t make any effort whatsoever to express their gratitude. I never sold a car that an identical or similar model wasn’t available from another dealership. But when somebody bought a car from me, he or she was also buying Joe Girard. I knew that, and believe me, I was thankful for the business—and I saw no reason to keep it a secret. I never made a sale in my life after which I failed to say, with total sincerity, “Thank you and I want you to know how much I appreciate your business. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to give you the best possible service to prove that you made the right choice in buying from me.”
You see, I continued to sell because I wanted the customer to know that he or she had made a good buying decision. I didn’t want anyone to feel that once the sale was made, I felt it was “in the bag”, and would drop him like a hot potato, and be off and running to sell somebody else. When customers feel your only motivation is to sell to them to make a quick commission, they feel used and abused. No wonder they cool off. Can you blame them?
A courteous thank-you should be automatic with every sale. I don’t think you can thank customers too much. No matter how repetitious you may think it sounds, every time you do it, you reaffirm that his buying decision was a good one. I always made it a point to write a personal letter each night to every customer I sold to that day. My typical letter went like this:
Dear Mary Jane:
Just a brief note to thank you for your business and to congratulate you on your fine new car. I am sure you will enjoy owning it. Again, please don’t hesitate to call me anytime, because when you buy a car from me, you’re also buying Joe Girard! I look forward to serving you for many years.
Sincerely,
Joe Girard
Always, I repeat, always tell your customer that he or she made a wonderful decision to buy and you appreciated their business. Many buyers are nervous and have second thoughts about whether they have bitten off more than they can chew. They need to be assured that they didn’t. So tell them. I don’t think I ever met a person who didn’t like praise. And that’s exactly what you give customers when you congratulate them on their smart buying decision. You just established a new customer, and possibly a new friend so reassure him and let him know that you care about him as a human being and appreciated their business!
