You are the face, you take the heat

But what about those times when you, or someone in your company, does make a mistake? What do you then?

After almost 20 years in the field, I can tell you that 75% of the time, there is a phone call or an email to the offended that starts something like, “I am really sorry about this, someone in our finance department...blah, blah, blah.”

And that is exactly what your customer will hear. Blah, blah, blah. Why? Because he is already thinking about how he can take action to make sure his interests are protected and that he gets what he deserves, while you are busy covering your own butt. Will they ask to elevate? Probably. Will they go outside, perhaps even call Consumer Protection? Good chance of that, too. Legal intervention? This is not as frequent (at least not here, heaven help you if you are in the U.S.), but if the dollar and personal value is high enough, people will go that route if they have to.

Welcome to the world of sales. If you go your whole career without someone threatening to do any one of these things, I am betting you are an immediate relative of a living saint. Otherwise, this is what you signed up for, so you better learn how to deal with it.

And what is the best way to deal with it?

In 4 words, Own Up To It. No matter who is at fault, be it finance, transportation, a sales colleague or the customer, the moment you take responsibility for the situation, you are on your way to making it right.

Now, this does not mean taking the hit for something someone else did. The scene should go something like this*

You: I understand that there was a mistake in your billing, Mrs. Wells.

Customer: Yes, there is a charge for the packaging I asked for but I am a preferred member, so it should be free.

This is normally where the accounting department gets thrown under the bus, but a better answer would be:

You: I see. I hope this was not too much of an inconvenience, but rest assured, I will look into the matter personally, and I will get back to you by 4pm this afternoon. In the meantime, you can reach me here at extension 906. Would that be alright, Mrs. Wells?

If she says anything other than “Yes, that would be fine. Thank you”, your problems run deeper than this billing issue and you may have to investigate further. Otherwise, you kindly hang up the phone so that you can start on this right away.

Now, the key is to follow up on this in the manner you have promised. Go to the department where the problem originated. Find out what happened, ensure that the situation is exactly as the customer stated, and start working on the solution with the people who can provide one. Do not start with the middle-man if it is only his boss that can get this done. Get a conference call with her and her boss, or CC the middle-man on any email, clearly stating why you need to get the manager involved right away: your promise to your customer.

Most importantly, whether you have the final solution or not, you absolutely, positively must call the customer back at 4pm or before if you feel you can not at the promised time. This confirms that you have put the customer as a priority, gives you credibility as someone who can be trusted to do the job, states clearly that this situation is just as important to you as it is to them, and that you either have found the solution or are on the way to one. If there is no solution yet, explain in detail where you are in the process, and what you are waiting for in order to get it done. But it should always be centered about meeting the customer’s expectations for an honest resolution (they may not like the final outcome, but at least it will not have been sugar-coated), and not about passing the blame on to someone who is not even there to defend themselves.

Your “Cold Call” for this week is a tough one: stand up for someone and take one on the chin for the team, even if it is not your fault, even if it is not your customer, and even if it affects you in no immediate way whatsoever. I promise you this: someone where you work is not reading this, and they will not have the advantages you do. They will not know what you know. Show them. Step in and guide them through a situation that they may be losing, and bring everyone out on top. At the end of it all, you will not have one extra nickel in your pocket, but your confidence to handle your own situations and your position as a trusted colleague (the first step to moving up the career ladder) will be established. Now that is taking care of business!

Have a great sales week!

(If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions for topics you would like discussed, send me an email to salesxchange@gmail.com)