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There was a post directed at me not too long ago. I am wondering what do people believe are the requirements for the seller in a transaction?

In the other post it was noted that I did not care about the customer. Am I supposed to like and care for all customers? Or am I allowed to pick and choose? I think I get 2-4 customers per year that I wish I did not have. I have at least 30 per year that are wonderful.....One of my best friends was a customer about 10 yrs ago.

Om,
Yan

Wanderer

1. The customer is always right.

2. If wrong, refer to #1 .

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Might other rules apply for non traditional business models???

Om,
Yan

Wanderer

I don't see how any "sales" could be non-traditional????

1 Give the customer what they want.

2 Give it to them when they want it.

3 Price it reasonably.

4 Remain pleasant at all times.

5 Make enuf money to stay in business.

rebel1916

Nonsense. Some customers are not worth having.

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Ok the sales are traditional, however we wholesale direct to the customer ( we do not sell low end junk ). Hence our model is non traditional.....it seems that has no bearing on the question. Sales are sales.

Understood.

Thanks,
Yan

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I think Wanderer means you should always assume the best. Not assume anyone is a bad customer. In short weeding out "bad customers" is not part of the goal hence it can not exist.

Stick with the goal.....I like this.

Om,
Yan

Wanderer

Correct, Yan!

But there is no such thing as a "bad customer" -- I'm sure there are some you would rather not deal with. But, it's just part of business.

All customers are customers.

billnuke1 

Some of my so called PITAs have been my best referrers!

rebel1916

Again nonsense. Some customers are not worth the aggravation.

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PITA??? What is that?

Om,
Yan

billnuke1 

Pain in the Arse!

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Wanderer,

After the sale do I have to like all of them? Care for all of them?

I believe this is a different issue ( post sale vs pre sale ).

Please teach.

Om,
Yan

chaadster

Agreed. 2x.

Wanderer

Nobody ever said you had to like them.......

Care for them ---- YES, since they are putting bread on your table.

Wanderer

Refer to rule number 1.

All customers are worth whatever aggravation. That is ---- if you care to stay in business.

rebel1916

Ridiculous. How about a customer who is disrespectful to your staff?

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I had this attitude for years. I am not so certain it is accurate, does anyone know what will happen if you choose a different path in your life? I think tolerance is something I need to work on. Might make the world a better place.

Ok bring on the PITA customers and we'll see what happens

Thanks,
Yan

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I think he is referring to tolerance.....I like this idea. I will try a new attitude. We'll see what happens.......

Om,
Yan

rebel1916

Was that English? Namaste, lil buddy.

rhenning

I at first wasn't going to comment as I haven't run a bike business as an owner. With the web today one badly treated (even if it is only in his or her mind) customer can lose you the business even though you have 9,999 good sales and happy customers. People spend lots of money in advertising and that one person can make it all wasted money. As said in one of the first posts the customer is always right. In reality they may not be but you do not say it and do everything you can to make them happy and then pray they will never come back. Roger

billnuke1 

Obstacles to be overcome!

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I studied yoga at https://www.sivanandabahamas.org/ . Om is said to be the sound of creation ( and much more ), however it was also used as a greeting at the Ashram. I think it is a great way to end messages.

Om,
Yan

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Two things that should be kept in mind for sales and business in general:

1. It is much, much cheaper to retain existing customers than it is to find new ones.

2. It's not very often that a satisfied customer tells everyone about their experience but dissatisfied people make it a point to tell everyone who will listen. It doesn't take many unhappy customers to ruin a good business's reputation. Finding a way to make things right with people will go a long way to helping your business flourish and you should try to do so in all but the most extreme cases.

Remember that the point of being in business is to make money so always keep that in mind. You don't have to care about the person or customer per se, but care about the money they represent to your company and the potential they have to damage your image.

keyven

It is easy to give great service to nice, reasonable people. Literally anyone can do it. A 7 year old kid could do it.

The major difference is to be able to offer great service DESPITE their demeanour. Maybe they just had a terrible day or is going through a terrible time (divorce, job worries, etc). I suspect some of these people are the ones who will be most impressed by your composure and professionalism at the end of the day.

Ultimately, the good will outweigh the bad, and if you provide consistently great service, your name will get out there. Don't be another "I base my service quality off your attitude" person - they are a dime-a-dozen.