Receive regular sales team feedback. We have meetings every week, and we break up into groups of eight people because we want to make sure we have enough time to talk with everybody.
We’ll do an overview as to what are your three major complaints in our process: Is it shipping, is it returns, is it defective merchandise, is it the person is not getting their order on time? What are you hearing?
Then, of course we like to hear the positive stuff. What are the positive comments that you’re getting? Then, what ideas do you have?
If we have new products, we’ll bring the product in for people to understand how it’s made and what it does and the benefit of it.
Then, you want to also get a feel of what’s going on with everybody in the room, too. This person hasn’t been that talkative, what’s going on, are they upset with something? You need that to find out what’s going on with your team. You need to stay connected with them.
(It’s) feedback and also keeping your business on the right track and successful. You want to make sure your employees understand what you’re thinking and what’s important for you and the whole program of what your company is all about.
You want to make sure employees are on the same track as you. We have employees who have been with us for over 20 years. Things are a lot different now than they were 20 years ago.
Build trust through service. You always try to be … honest and fair. You put a good product out there. You deliver what you promise. And if there’s a problem, you take care of it.
If one person is upset with you, they’re going to tell several of their friends. If they’re happy with you, they’re going to tell their friends they’re happy with you.
I tell my employees the customer is always right. Whatever is the problem, fix it. Even if you know maybe what that customer is saying or doing is not correct or you know they’re at fault. Make them happy. Take care of that situation.
You get some customers that can be trying, for lack of a better word. And it affects your employees, it has to. You have to constantly have meetings with your employees; you have to explain to them how you just have to deal with this individual. ‘Let’s try and make this telephone conversation, an e-mail conversation, a positive one.’
You want that good vibe going out into the universe, but you have to show it, and you have to demonstrate it and it all comes down to your sales team. It’s just everything that goes on internally that brings that about.
That’s why you have to make sure that your people are on the same page as you are and that they are supportive of what you’re doing.
How to reach: Asian World of Martial Arts Inc., (800) 345-2962 or www.awma.com
