We’re jumping back in to our series on customer retention. Next up is to keep it simple. Creating an easy process not only builds client satisfaction, but it saves salespeople time and effort as well. In order to create an easy process, salespeople should focus on a few things. First, make sure your process is clear and easy to follow. Second, make sure things clients need are easy to access. Finally, try to eliminate bottlenecks in the sales process that take too much time. Paying attention to these types of things will help create a process that’s enjoyable for the customer and efficient for the salesperson.
Why Create an Easy Process
Consumers do not want to work hard to understand the value of your product or services. By bombarding them with loads of papers, documents, or files, you create a wedge between your client and the potential of them recommending you to others.
Say you’re an insurance agent, and your client’s friend is a small business owner who has been complaining about how difficult it is to wade through all the different insurance policies — and is on the brink of looking to make a switch. Have you equipped your happy client to easily refer you? If the small business owners decides to make the switch, will it be easy?
Customers want an easy process. Indeed, research on the topic of the “decision-simplicity score” yields powerful insights. A decision-simplicity score is how easy it is to:
- research the brand
- understand the offerings
- compare various options
Making these parts of the process easy, makes the decision to buy a snap. In fact, the higher the decision-simplicity score, the better the results. Indeed, clients who interact with a simple process are 9% more likely to make repeat purchases and over 100% more likely to refer someone else.
Strategies to Keep it Simple
If your “customer switch kit” is a ream of papers or nonexistent, it’s time for a better solution. A pile of forms with a standard 2″ x 3.5″ business card stapled to it is daunting at best. This type of strategy just complicates the process. It leaves your potential referral — and more importantly, your would-be referral source — more stressed out.
Just making sure your clients and referral partners have all your current information on their phones is a good step in the right direction. Better yet, providing a Vcard, digital business card, or your own personally branded app makes it significantly easier for them to refer you business, no matter when or where the opportunity arises.
An app (whether native or a more cost-effective option like a mobile responsive page or a progressive web app) also allows you to create a content hub. Set up links to all your best resources, helpful tools, current contact information, and FAQs. Not only is this type of digital process easy, it stands out. Further, it gives you the ability to make a digital switch kit. Replace that stack of papers and stapled business card with a streamlined sales process. This kind of easy process saves you time while also improving customer service by equipping your prospects, clients, and referral sources with everything they need in a convenient place.
Don’t make your clients work for you. Give them a simple system that is modern, accessible, and an easy way of doing business with you.