Make a Customer, not a sale!

Many years ago I did bookkeeping and payroll for a company in the booming metropolis of 100 Mile House, BC. One of the companies we did work for was Tip Top Radio & TV. It was there I met one of the finest salespeople I’ve ever known, John Krieger. It was in their staff washroom I used one day that I learned one of the most important rules of sales EVER. The slogan pasted on the door of the washroom was simply “Make a customer, not a sale.” John was never pushy but very knowledgeable; I once asked him if he knew of a good, cheap VCR player. He told me I would have to pick first between good and cheap! Beyond that, he found and sold me a very fine, secondhand player.

I see so much shortsightedness in sales and service. Perhaps there was another slogan pasted somewhere that read: “Make the sale! Forget about the customer.”

Musing about a recent offer I submitted outlines what I mean. On behalf of a fine client, first time buyer, I submitted a low offer (close to the top of what she could afford). We knew there was but a snowball's chance in Haiti that it would go anywhere. It was an estate sale so the bank was executor. The listing realtor, a well established professional, submitted the offer along with my cover letter. The bank flatly refused to counter the offer and suggested the client put forth her best offer and the bank would only then take time to “consider” it.

Guess who banked at that institution? Guess who was going to get their financing through the same institution? You guessed it! The buyer. Imagine how well they think of their bank now? Imagine who is ripe to change banks in a heartbeat now? Not because the offer didn’t go, but because of the brusque, careless way the offer was rejected.

Do you think it would have taken more time for the banker to first say “thank you for the efforts in bringing this offer?” (As an aside to my realtor colleagues, if the first words out of your mouth when receiving ANY offer aren’t “thank you” you’ve made a serious error.)

Do you think the banker might have added, “We regret the offer is not in the range for acceptance…however perhaps one of our mortgage specialists could assist you to see if you can up the offer reasonably?” Do you think the buyer might have been proud of her bank? Do you think that spirit of goodwill might have been spoken about to friends and given my client a much stronger sense of loyalty to the bank?

Some would argue that it’s a big bank, and the person rejecting my clients offer never met or dealt with her before. That’s true; but all of us are held accountable to whatever business name we associate with. End of story. If I treat someone miserably from Sutton in BC, rest assured the ripple effect could damage a Sutton Realtor in Ontario.

Thus ends my little tale! Thank you John Krieger. Thank you slogan in the washroom. I’ve tailored my career around that simple rule of service: “MAKE A CUSTOMER, NOT A SALE.”