Have you ever had the customer who disappeared, never to be heard from again. The "one and done" is not unusual, but wouldn't you prefer to have your clients come back and keep coming back?
At first glance, this client may have found a better deal elsewhere. For instance, they may have bought a car from you a few years back, but since then they have found a better dealership. Or a better deal may be the issue. Or maybe you fell victim to one of the biggest challenges of selling, which is to keep changing where you work.
I have made a lot of money in the hair/cosmetology space over the years. Part of this is because I began building a relationship with a hair salon years ago. In doing so, I learned a lot about how that industry works.
Generally speaking, a salon owner will rent out booths to other cosmetologists who may or may not have their own clientele. Many are right out school while others just don't have the capital to open a location of their own. Or they may just not want to deal with the aggravation of running a business.
But for some, the goal is to build a clientele and open their own salon, taking their customers with them. This is how I have gotten to know so many in this industry. By keeping in touch with the ones who have left the original "ground zero" salon, I have watched as others* have opened with their own booth renters. It really is an interesting way to do business.
But all of this has a downside. There are those who, for various reasons, move from one salon to another and do not settle down at one location. They tell their clients that they are moving and hope they will follow. Some will if they are happy with the kind of service they are receiving, but after a while, the client will either stay behind or go elsewhere.
One hairstylist I know changed locations about five times in the span of six years. Her clientele was loyal to a fault, until she moved about fifteen miles away. That apparently was the last straw for many of them.
I see this happen in all types of sales. Car dealerships are constantly losing sales people to other dealerships, but I'm not real sure how "sticky" those customers are. And in my industry, insurance and financial services, agents move about like children playing soccer for the first time. And with each move they lose customers.
I was guilty of this myself. I would go to work for one insurance company because of the great benefits or incentives they offered, only to find that the recruiting manager was not the most truthful person in the world. After moving around a few times, I decided to open my own agency where I could work the way I wanted and it wouldn't make me go insane.
If you are just starting out in sales, you may find that you enjoy the industry but not necessarily the company you work for. My advice is to make a plan of where you ultimately want to land. Include in that plan a time frame so you aren't just hanging around making money for someone else. Take advantage of the situation you are in and learn as much as possible, good and bad. That information will be valuable down the road if you decide to start your own business.
As I moved from one company to another, I learned how each company got clients, trained their employees, communicated with clients and other valuable tools. I also watched bad managers fail and made mental notes.
It's okay to bounce around, but only if you have a final goal in mind. You can't expect your clientele to faithfully follow you from one company to the next like a puppy, so make sure you are as professional as possible when dealing with your customers. Ultimately, when you get to the place you want to be you will have a good core book of business to work from plenty of referrals as well.
*Owning your own salon has it's perks. You can collect rents from other booth renters as well as have exclusive rights to sell hair care products. One salon owner told me he made around 60% of his income on products alone.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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