L2L Group

The era when companies would strive to make customers buy their products and services is part of history now. In our current situation, the sale is just the beginning of a potentially long-term relationship with each customer. The transition from selling being viewed as an 'end' to a 'beginning' has been tough for the organizations; but overall; this has resulted in a much better experience for customers everywhere.

In the wake of finding new methods to keep their businesses expanding, companies have found follow-up and after sales service to be an influential way to maintain loyalty. Keeping track of customers and performing simple courtesies, like sending a 'thank you' or a 'birthday card' have become a common exercise. Such acts immediately strike a chord with customers and initiate a sense of belongingness. It's therefore no surprise that this tactic has become quite successful. So these days, the sale itself has become only the beginning. This is vitally important because the cost of retaining a customer is considerably less than the expense paid out to acquire a new one.

Companies who view selling as a beginning are the ones truly capable of dominating the market, and those which move along previously established paths - will be inevitably weeded out. Starting with the sale, companies shower benefits on both the customers and their organizations. Besides the obvious advantages for the customers, the organizations get feedback on the services they provide. This can be further applied by incorporating this information into future projects. The 'after sales service' is much appreciated by customers, as they tend to see this effort as an act of gratitude. Because of this, customers don't have to do much homework before buying an article, as they know that their grievances will be addressed properly if the product is faulty. Organizations also benefit from not having to spend money on vague advertising activities in order to attract customers, and now, these companies can be far more definitive with their advertising approach.

Technology and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) have crept into this aspect of advertising. With these systems there are various software applications that help with the maintenance of the huge databases which are updated in 'real time' with the developments occurring in the purchase patterns of every customer.

The crux of the matter is that selling has to be viewed as a 'beginning' and never an 'end', and if intelligently applied, this idea will take any company a very long way toward acquiring a larger piece of the market share.