The other night I called to activate a credit card, hoping it would take a minute or two and I’d be on my way.
Instead, a representative took me hostage and immediately launched into a chat about balance transfers and maybe five other topics that had nothing to do with the purpose of my call.
If I hadn’t interrupted, I might not have found the time to write this article.
Sure, I was being cross-sold, but it was being done so blatantly, so crudely, and so insensitively that even I, an ardent advocate of cross-selling (and upselling, a related art), found the effort offensive.
What bothered me about it?
(1) There was no attempt to weave this announcement into the fabric of the call. It simply appeared as an impediment to prevent him from getting what he wanted.
(2) It was a monologue, written as a one-way speech. The best speeches are not easy to write because they are based on the expectations, needs and values of the audience. So even if one person talks all the time, everyone feels involved. But a bad speech can be written by anyone. Bad speeches sound selfish, like the jokes of a five-year-old. Clearly, this talk-a-thon was written by someone who has no idea about communication.
(3) It was a bitter blast from the past. In the old days of telemarketing, it was common for reps to go to great lengths to keep people on the phone, even against their will. Every objection in the book would be ignored or squashed with a canned response, and a high percentage of sales were consumed only after consumers were exhausted and felt they couldn’t resist any longer. Not wanting to appear rude, many shoppers listened obediently, not out of interest, but out of courtesy. These types of calls have been restricted by the National Do Not Call Registry and accompanying legislation, but since I initiated the card activation call and was technically a continuing customer, the CSR was empowered to offend me, the old-fashioned, outgoing form of telemarketing.
There ARE alternatives to the techniques that were used on me. Cross-selling and up-selling can really serve the interests of our customers by informing them of the products and services they would like to use.
There are several requirements for an effective sale through customer service calls:
(1) The customer must immediately feel that the purpose of the call will be served and that receiving excellent service does not depend on having to listen to a canned speech. Only then will he relax and be receptive to an offer.
(2) Cross-selling products or services must appear relevant to the customer and to the purpose of the call. For example, when I designed a cross-selling program for a popular camera company, we searched a list of 38 ancillary products for the ones that would be most appealing and appropriate to callers. We decided on 3 of them, and our campaign was a spectacular success.
(3) The client must ASK for the information and not let it be imposed on him. This is where communication expertise is essential to crafting a sales presentation that blends seamlessly into the conversation. A customer who asks to be sold will actually persuade himself to buy and does not need to be pressured. In addition, he will be happier with his purchase decision because he will feel that he made it voluntarily and he will be less likely to back out of the deal later.
In a word, a big sale feels like a purchase to the customer. And if you’ve helped them shop and made the process pleasant, quick, and easy, then you’ve also provided excellent customer service.
If there’s any trick to cross-selling and helping everyone make a profit, this is it!