Meeting Your Client's Expectations Isn't Enough

One of the current buzz phrases in business is “exceeding the client’s expectations.” This is a laudable goal, but one that is seldom met. And then to top it off, it isn’t enough. If you manage to exceed your client’s expectations, you still have only succeeded in meeting half of your obligation to the client.

Clients have more than simply the expectations during the sales, they also have product or service priorities. In order to have consummated a quality sale, you must have met both the client’s expectations of the sale and their product or service priorities. Many salespeople think these are one and the same. They are not.

Let’s break these down into two distinct concepts.

Expectations: Every client has certain expectations about the sale. A client may expect a number of things to happen during the course of the sale: they expect to be kept fully informed; they may expect any problems or issues during the course of the sale to be eliminated quickly; they may expect certain things to happen at certain times, such as delivery or billing; they may expect certain members of their team to consulted about aspects of the sale or installation; they may expect notification and coordination prior to delivery; or any number of other expectations. All of these expectations are sale related. They deal specifically with the sales process. Different customers will have different expectations during the sale. For example, one customer may expect to be kept fully informed of any issues during the process, but other than that doesn’t want to be bothered with updates. On the other hand, another customer may expect to be updated on a regular basis, and a third customer may want what you consider to be overkill and want to be kept informed almost daily. Three different customers--three different expectations.
Moreover, of course, each customer will probably have several expectations, not just one.

Product or Service Priorities: In addition to their sale expectations, clients also have product or service priorities—those things they fully expect your product or service to deliver. As with expectations during the sale, each customer will have his or her own product and service priorities. An example would be a client purchasing new delivery vehicles. One client’s top priority may be fuel efficiency; another may be visual impression (image), while a third may be loading capacity. Depending upon the product or service, the customer may have only a few or many priorities.

Any sale that does not meet both the client’s expectations during the sale and their product/service priorities is a less than successful sale.

In order to be able to expect referrals, you must make it you top priority to meet, and hopefully exceed, both your client’s expectations and priorities. Part of your referral-based business model is your agreement with the client that if you meet certain goals, you will get referrals. This is an agreed upon commitment between you and your client. If you perform, you get the referrals you’ve worked for. Fail and you haven’t earned them.

How, then, do can you make sure that you are fully aware of the client’s expectations and priorities? You must sit down with each and every client and discuss in detail exactly what his or her expectations during the sale are and exactly what their product/service priorities are. There isn’t any other way of making sure that you are both on the same page.

Unfortunately, most salespeople and their companies assume they know what the client’s expectations are. Ask most salespeople what their client’s expect and they’ll quickly rattle off a list: friendly service, no problems during the sale, on-time delivery, no add-on charges, and others. This list, however, is nothing more than what they believe should be the expectations of there clients. Furthermore, nothing has been said about the product/service priorities of the client.

Salespeople and their companies tend to view the sale as two separate and distinct transactions—the product and/or service the customer has purchased or contracted for and the sales event itself. In reality, in the client’s mind, these are one and the same. If either the sale, which is the actual process of selling and delivering the product or service, or the product/service does not measure up to the client’s wants, needs and expectations, the salesperson and their company have failed.

Salespeople must redefine their sale to include both aspects of the client’s purchase. Although in many cases the salesperson has little or no control over how the product or service performs, the customer based on the product/service performance will judge them. In addition, the customer will also judge them based on how well or poorly the sales process goes. In other words, you client will hold you responsible for your performance, your company’s performance, and the product/service performance. Consequently, you must know exactly what your client expects during the sales process and what his or her priorities are of the product or service you sell. You must then make sure that you meet both their expectations of the sale and that the product or service you have sold them meets their particular priorities.

This puts a huge burden on the salesperson, though not a burden that was not already present. Most of us operate blissfully unaware that we are being judged based on both how we perform and how our product or service performs. We tend to think of ourselves as being responsible for how we deal with the client—this is, that we keep the promises we personally make to the client, not that we are personally responsible for how well or poorly our product or service meets the client’s needs. We tend to think of the product or service as something that is between the customer and our company, not between the customer and ourselves.

In order to be able to know exactly what your client’s expectations are during the sale and their priorities for the product or service, you must have a frank and open discussion with the client. This discussion is not one to be rushed through. The client needs to know that this is the defining discussion of the whole sales process. You must ask in no-uncertain terms exactly what their expectations of the sale are and exactly what their priorities for the product or service are. By all means take notes and then, after the client has had the opportunity to define for you what their expectations and priorities are, repeat them to your client in exactly the way you understand them. If, for instance, your client states that the delivery date is most important during the sale, with an expectation to be kept fully informed and that he be notified of any issues that arise immediately, and that his primary priority for the product is that the vehicles be capable of carrying X load, at X fuel economy, and at X price, you need to recite to him that your understanding is that his primary expectation is that the vehicles must be delivered on or before the agreed upon date, that you communicate with him either by phone or e-mail at least weekly, and that if any issues arise with the purchase you will communicate those to him with X number of hours after you discover the issue; furthermore, you understand that the vehicles upon delivery must be capable of hauling X, that they must get X miles per gallon, and that the agreed upon price should not change in any manner. Get his agreement on each and very statement. If you have misinterpreted anything or if the client rearranges his expectations or priorities, go over them again. Once you have his full agreement on each expectation and priority, ask again for his commitment to provide quality referrals upon completion of the sale. A simple statement such as, “(client’s name), we’re in agreement that if I meet these three sales expectations and the product/service meets your priorities, you will provide me with 5 quality referrals as we had defined them previously, correct?”

Even though at this point you have discussed with your client their expectations and priorities, and have a verbal agreement as to what they are and that you will have earned the referrals if you meet them, don’t stop there. Take one final step and once are back at your office, send the client a brief e-mail listing his sales expectations and his product/service priorities. Do not put them in a format that appears to be documentation. Simply send an email that reads something like “Don, thank you taking the time to go over your expectations and priorities with me this afternoon. Since every client is different and each has different wants and needs, it really helps me meet your wants and needs if I know exactly what your top priorities are. My understanding is that you (then list his sales expectations and then his product/service priorities again, just as you did when you were with him). If, upon further reflection, these aren’t quite right, please let me know.”

Once you have clearly defined what your client expects and what his priorities are, you can take dead aim at meeting his wants and needs precisely, without any doubt as to which activities and issues you must pay particular attention to in order to have fully met, and hopefully “exceeded your client’s expectations.”