The document provides guidance on building strong customer relationships through value-added selling. It discusses defining value-added selling and identifying ways to add value for customers. Specific techniques are outlined, such as linking customers to support, showing interest in customers' goals, and initiating discussions on potential improvements. The importance of understanding customers, complaints handling, communication skills, and building long-term relationships is also covered.

1. “The successful salesperson cares first for the
customer, second for the products.”

2. Our Focus in today’s Lecture
1. Value Added Selling
Its Meaning, Importance,
Implications
2. Competitive advantage
3. Customer Relations
Guidelines to build, maintain
Customer Relations.

3. From Selling to Value-
added-Selling
? Define value-added selling and identify ways
you can add value to the sales situation.
? Identify specific value-added selling practices
that you would like to use in customer
relationships.
? Use a three-step process for handling customer
objections.
? Analyze your products/services to determine
what benefits they provide and how they meet
customer needs.
? Identify any obstacles to closing the sale and
select strategies for over- coming them.
? Follow guidelines for closing sales successfully.

4. From Selling to Value-
added-selling
s When it does occur, why do you lose
existing accounts to competitors?
s What can you do to strengthen
relationships with your existing
accounts?
s What factors or events might get in the
way of achieving these goals?

5. Value-Added Selling
Techniques
 Refer to your experience with other
organizations to show customers that
you understand their business and
industry and are qualified to meet their
needs.

6. Value-Added Selling
Techniques (2 of 6)
 Tell customers about a variety of
products and services –those of
competitors as well as of your own
company – that may meet their needs.
 E.g… Innogen is among the good
efficacy insulin.

7. Value-Added Selling
Techniques (3 of 6)
 Link the customer to any support
people in your organization who can
help, advise or add value to the
customer's use of products and services.

8. Value-Added Selling
Techniques (4 of 6) to
 Respond promptly
customer inquiries and stay
in touch with a number of
people in the customer’s
organization, not just the
top decision makers.

9. Value-Added Selling
Techniques (5 of about innovative ways customers
 Initiate discussions 6)
can solve problems or improve operations, and work
with them to act on these potential improvements.

10. Value-Added Selling
Techniques (6 of 6)customers’
 Show interest in
future goals and operations in
addition to helping them solve
existing problems and meet
current needs.

11. The Competitive Advantage (1 of 4)
 The Physical Product Itself.
(Competitive features and benefits).
 The Deal.
(Terms, availability, delivery,
installation, ongoing support and
application ideas).

12. 1. Who is a customer?
User of your products/services; any person
influencing your market; any person taking your
help in delivering ultimate service to the external
customers.
2. What are the types of customers?
Internal & External

13. 3. Do you have a customer data base? Can
you draw a customer pyramid?
4. Knowledge of customers:
Can you identify the top 25/50/100/>100 customers?
Can you define the yardstick to be used for
identification? Do you involve yourselves in
customer segmentation?
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14. 5. The new market place for customers:
Access,
Control (customer’s choice of doing business),
Speed,
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15. 6. What do you mean by
Benchmarking?
Benchmarking means comparison with the best in
the industry.
Measurable indicators are:
a) Premises-related factors.
b) Attitude: Behaviour with customers, co-
ordination.
c) Time Norms: Promised and Delivered time
d) Service: Promptness, Courtesy, Etiquette,
Uninterrupted service,
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16. 6. What do you mean by Benchmarking?
e) Guidance to customers: Display, oral
guidance, Rules of business,
Accessibility of officials, Customer meet
etc
f) Customer Survey
g) Rating (overall)
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17. 7. Customer Service concepts:
Customer Satisfaction: Satisfaction with the product and
the service delivered
Customer Delight: Value addition or above customer
expectation
Customer Loyalty: Loyalty can happen when the customer
experience either tangible (product quality, ease of use,
prompt and effective service) or intangible (respectful
communication, trustworthy company image). It is a
behaviour built on positive experiences and value.The
trend today is loyalty not to the organisation but to the
excellence.
For Example, fast and easy entertainment of the RB
loyalty programme.
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18. Customer Preference: Why customer prefer your
products/services over others?
Customer Enrichment: The buyer to be influenced to
place repeat orders. He is enriched by your relationship.
Customer Intimacy: Building strong customer relations,
really getting to know your customers, understand their
situation which should yield the best total solution for
the customer. OR How open is your customer to you in
discussing with you the subjects other than your
products/services? The more intimate the customer
intimacy, the more the business
Customer Advocacy: How customers act as brand
ambassadors
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19. 8. Quality of Customer Service:
Hard Quality:
Tangible or Functional characteristics:
Product features, quality etc
For Example, Gaviscon is the high demanded
product, it carries significance for Premier as a
quality brand.
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20. 8. Quality of Customer Service
Soft Quality:
Intangible or Non-measurable attributes like Taste,
Flavour, Customer appeal, Service and Sales
rapport…Courtesy, Promptness, Etiquettes,
Overall behaviour, Concern for customers
( beyond the call of duty, sensitivity to the
larger needs of customers, user friendly
approach and boundaryless approach;
How much control of hard quality and soft quality do you
have?
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21. What are the objectives of Quality Service?
-- Customer Development
-- Customer Maintenance
-- Customer Retention and
-- New Customer Development
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22. 9. Organisational structure for delivering
customer service:
Front Office (Front Line Soldiers):
Customers try to find answers to the following questions:
Are they competent? Are they respectful? Do they keep
me informed? Do they play fair? Are they flexible?
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23. 9. Organisational structure for delivering
customer service:
Back Office:
Supervisory or Managerial Services, Management
Information Systems, Liaison or rapport systems with
channel partners, divisions/departments or HQ.
Support Systems:
Inventory (Warehouse), Information Technology,
Accounts/ finance. etc.
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24. 10. Role of employees/officers in Customer
Relations
How can you process the customer’s request?
How can you deliver quality?
How can you improve your performance to
support the customer?
How can you enhance the product/service
quality?
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25. 11. Technology in customer service
Technology is a means to an end and not an end.
12. Communication skills for improving customer
relations:
Listening skills, Eagerness to get Customer feedback;
Written Communication;
Telephone, Email and internet etiquette.
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26. 13. Customer/Consumer Behaviour:
Customer Behaviour is influenced by the
likes/dislikes, income levels, purchasing power,
brand image, packaging, timing of purchases,
the language and culture, buying motives,
attention attracted by the product/service and
the satisfaction levels
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27. 14. Building relationships:
a) Match our operational processes to know customer
expectations to meet the specific needs at the best
overall cost.
b) Booking and Supply as per our knowledge of customer
needs and wants
c) Build and customise our product and service offerings to
meet specific customer expectations.
d) Understand the total customer experience – from the
interactions he has had with the company. Match
experience with expectations.
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28. 15. Answer the touch points:
Broadcast; E-mail; Systematic; Internet; Mail;
Events; Phone/Fax; Personal.
Note: The last one is crucial
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29. 16. Complaints:
 Customers complain because they still have confidence
in your organisation
 They give you a chance to correct and restore the
confidence
 The customer has a right to complain
 Every complaint is an opportunity to resell
 Customer who silently walks away without complaint is
detrimental to your relationship building exercises.
 Customer has a right to redress his complaints through
Consumer Forums, Ombudsmen and Civil Courts
 Customer Awareness is increasing—Consumer
Movement—Citizen’s charter
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30. 16. Complaints:
How to process complaints?
--Say “Thank you”
--Explain why you appreciate the complaint
--Apologise for the mistake
--Promise to do something immediately and if time is needed give an
assurance and state the time by which you promise to set right
--Ask for necessary information all at once
--Check customer’s versions
--Answer politely even if the customer is wrong. State only the facts.
--Give an assurance on behalf of the organisation.
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31. Any questions please?
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