Chapter 18 - How Do I Know You'll Be there For Us?

The greatest concern of clients in buying services is the uncertainty that the vendor will actually show up and do the job. In particular, clients expect to have a point of contact, who will be there after the deal is signed to ensure that the service is being delivered as promised, and who can solve problems if it is not. The author is definitely in favor of the salesman who is there for the client after the contract is signed, and who keeps touch to ensure that everything is going well - a salesman who disappears on signing and doesn't appear again until it's time to renew generally can't count on getting much repeat business if there were any service issues in between.

Another fake dialogue, in which a customer who's hired a tax accounting service is calling the salesman in a panic, the day before taxes must be postmarked, to report a problem and finding the salesman is of no help, trying to dump the call on someone else. Again, it's exaggerated, but not entirely unrealistic. Consider that:

• Clients work with the people assigned to service their account, and will only call the salesman if there has been some sort of failure
• Generally, they are patient and tolerant with vendors, and expect that deadlines will be met, such that when they call they are in a very bad situation
• Many salesmen do think that their job is over when the contract is sold, and may have little contact with other employees who actually provide the service they have sold
• From the vendor's side, a service failure occurs when something goes wrong with the normal process, and someone must step in to get it back on track

The author insists that salesmen should strike the phrase "I don't know what I can do to help you," from their vocabulary. They must show concern, take ownership of the issue, ensure the client receives the service, and follow up with them afterward to ensure the issue is resolved.