Did you ever stop and think how important your non-sellers are to customers?

• Customer service reps have hundreds of email and phone touches with customers every day.
• Accounts receivable staffers spend most of their day talking to customers, often on ticklish issues.
• Shipping personnel schedule deliveries and expedite orders all day long.
• Credit department employees have some of the very first contact with new customers.

Amazingly, few people in these areas receive basic training in sales skills — such things as how to ask questions, how to listen, how to talk features and benefits, how to present information, how to negotiate, et cetera.

Having just concluded an extensive customer care training program I developed for a national packaging company, I was struck by how similar customer care and sales are when it comes to building customer relationships.

In the eyes of many customers, an inside support contact is the company. How customer care people talk to customers and resolve their problems may determine whether the customer grows — or fades away. Investing time and effort in developing their skills leads directly to more loyal customers who are eager to do more business with you. It’s key.

I believe so strongly in this I’ve made Selling for Non-Sellers a standard part of my training and coaching program.

Recessions are a good time to take action on this. Customers are under enormous pressure to reduce cost. Their patience with mistakes that cost money is stretched to the limit. Your support staff is under the gun. Are you giving them enough ammunition?