You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on following up with a customer after a sale.
In sales, your work doesn't end when the customer agrees to buy what you're selling.
Good salespeople understand the importance of following up, of making sure the customer is satisfied and of helping them understand their new product or service.
After all, happy customers continue to be customers.
And selling more to existing customers is easier than finding new ones.
How exactly do you make sure customers are satisfied?
For one thing, you might need to reassure them that what you've sold them is the right solution.
They might worry about quality or reliability, and it's your job to tell them clearly that they have nothing to worry about.
But sometimes a customer has a problem with their product, a problem that you need to resolve.
In this case, it's important to state confidently that they'll have a quick solution.
Besides these kinds of worries, it's very helpful if you can show the customer how their product works using clear language.
You might also provide extra tips that improve their experience with the product.
And finally, we often discuss things the customer shouldn't do when using the product.
In today's dialogue, we'll hear a post-sales follow-up conversation between Aaron, Eva and Dave.
Eva is the manager of a hotel with a new cafe, bar and restaurant.
Aaron has just sold them refrigerated coolers for the cafe and bar, and Dave is a contractor working on the hotel's renovations.
Aaron is talking with Eva and Dave to make sure everything went well with the installation of the coolers.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Aaron promise when Dave points out there is a kick plate missing?
2.
What special tip does Aaron share on cleaning the display cases?
3.
What expression does Aaron use to caution Eva against forcing the glass door open too far?
So, things are looking pretty good.
But you mentioned a few questions you had.
Yes, your installer was great.
But just a couple of things.
Dave, maybe you can show him.
Okay.
If you just come around the other side here.
I'm just curious about these handles.
When you slide one door open, it hits the other door.
Yeah, but there's a rubber strip on the handle to absorb the shock.
And believe me, these handles are designed to take a lot of abuse.
In 15 years, I've honestly never had someone call about one breaking.
Alright, fair enough.
But another thing here.
Isn't there supposed to be a kick plate on this end here?
There's one at the other end, but here the trim panel stops about 8 inches above the floor.
Ah, yeah.
I see what you mean.
That'll be real simple.
I can get Mike back here with a kick plate by tomorrow.
Sometimes they don't put it on until it's run for a few days, just in case they need to get under there.
But if everything's running fine, then sure, we can take care of it.
Wonderful.
And I think that's it in terms of little issues.
Everything else is great.
I'm surprised by how quiet they are.
Yeah, very quiet.
And I'm just looking here and you used paper towel to clean the glass, right?
Yeah, I imagine they did.
Why is that?
Microlint.
See this?
Little white specks.
Best way to avoid that is to stick to a microfiber cloth or chamois.
Or here's a little trick.
You can use newspaper.
Seriously, it'll leave it crystal clear.
Newspaper?
Well, I'll be sure to share that with everyone.
And while we're here, let me just show you how to open the case from the front here.
There are two little latches down at the bottom.
Just flip them up, and then you can raise the glass.
Just like this.
Okay.
That would be good for restocking and such after hours.
Exactly.
Saves you from having to reach in from the back all the time.
But just a word of warning here.
It will stay open in the opened position, but you can't force it any farther than this, okay?
All right.
I'll remind the staff of that as well.
Okay, great.
And if there's anything else, just ping me a message.
I'm usually over on the island Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I'm flexible.
Anyway, if I don't hear from you before the big opening, then good luck with all that.
I hope it all goes smoothly.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Aaron used in this post-sales follow-up conversation.
So, things are looking pretty good, but you mentioned a few questions you had.
Yes, your installer was great, but just a couple of things.
Dave, maybe you can show him.
Okay, if you just come around the other side here.
I'm just curious about these handles.
When you slide one door open, it hits the other door.
Dave has a question about the deli cooler, which is a large glass case used in the cafe to display baked foods, meats and cheeses.
Dave is concerned about the handles on the sliding door hitting one another.
How does Aaron respond?
Yeah, but there's a rubber strip on the handle to absorb the shock.
And believe me, these handles are designed to take a lot of abuse.
In 15 years, I've honestly never had someone call about one breaking.
When a customer has concerns, a good salesperson will provide reassurances, just as Aaron does.
He tells Eva and Dave that the handles can take a lot of abuse or wear and tear, emphasizing his point with the words believe me.
He also says he's never seen one break, which is a good way to reduce his customer's concerns.
There are other expressions you can use as well, like I assure you and I guarantee.
Let's practice some of these different ways to reassure a customer.
Believe me, this machine will run for a full year before it needs servicing.
I assure you, your staff could drop this from the top of your building and it wouldn't break.
With this particular oil, I guarantee you won't see any problems.
I've really never heard of one of these printers jamming.
Now let's listen as Dave presents another concern.
Alright, fair enough.
But another thing here.
Isn't there supposed to be a kick plate on this end here?
There's one at the other end, but here the trim panel stops about 8 inches above the floor.
It sounds like Dave is reassured, but he's worried about something else as well.
Basically, he notices that one end of the case doesn't have a kick plate or a metal panel to protect it from damage.
In this situation, Aaron can't just provide reassurances.
This is a problem that Aaron has to deal with.
Ah, yeah, I see what you mean.
That'll be real simple.
I can get Mike back here with a kick plate by tomorrow.
Sometimes they don't put it on until it's run for a few days, just in case they need to get under there.
But if everything's running fine, then sure, we can take care of it.
Aaron doesn't hesitate to promise a quick resolution to the problem.
He needs the customer to know that it will be taken care of as soon as possible.
This is an important part of post-sales follow-up.
You don't want customers getting frustrated because things weren't done right or don't work correctly.
So by saying things like that'll be real simple and I can get Mike back here tomorrow.
Eva and Dave should feel reassured that Aaron is taking care of them.
What are some other ways we can promise a quick resolution to a problem?
Let's run through some more examples.
I'll get the tech guys in here right away.
We'll have this up and running again in no time.
I'll call this in right now and you'll have a replacement by this afternoon.
The service department can take care of this immediately.
Do Eva and Dave have any other concerns?
Let's listen.
Wonderful.
And I think that's it in terms of little issues.
Everything else is great.
I'm surprised by how quiet they are.
Yeah, very quiet.
And I'm just looking here and you used paper towel to clean the glass, right?
Yeah, I imagine they did.
Why is that?
Microlint.
See this?
Little white specks.
Best way to avoid that is to stick to a microfiber cloth or chamois.
Or here's a little trick.
You can use newspaper.
Seriously, it'll leave it crystal clear.
Eva doesn't have any more concerns.
In fact, she sounds pretty happy with how quiet the coolers are.
But a good salesperson doesn't just address concerns or problems during a post-sales follow-up.
He also helps a customer get the most out of a product, offering tips on how to use or take care of it.
Aaron's tip is about how to clean the cooler.
Rather than using a paper towel, he suggests a special type of cloth or newspaper.
This will help avoid tiny white specks or pieces of paper towel on the glass.
As he says, his tip will help make the glass crystal clear, which is a nice way to emphasize how great it will look.
Let's try some more ways of sharing a tip with a customer.
Notice how we can introduce the tip in different ways.
So, let me show you how to reset the machine with just a couple of clicks.
Opening these boxes is super easy.
Just pull this tab here and you're done.
Now, here's a little tip for you.
Load it from the bottom first.
You know what you can do.
Just open this panel, turn this to on, and you're done.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
Newspaper?
Well, I'll be sure to share that with everyone.
And while we're here, let me just show you how to open the case from the front here.
There are two little latches down at the bottom.
Just flip them up, and then you can raise the glass, just like this.
In this part of the dialogue, we can hear Aaron demonstrating the product.
He starts by saying, let me just show you, which signals that he wants to demonstrate something.
Then he proceeds to show Eva how to open the case from the front, using clear and direct language, such as just flip them up.
This type of demonstration is a very important part of the post sales follow up.
You need to make sure your customer knows how to use the product correctly and effectively.
If you don't, you might find yourself getting phone calls or paying another visit when the customer needs help figuring things out.
What are some other ways we can demonstrate a product?
Let's try a few examples using Let's and Clear direct language.
All right, now let's just start by turning it on with this switch at the back.
Now that it's installed, let's just go over the controls.
So, just spray some of this on and let it sit a few minutes.
Then wipe it with a clean rag.
If you grab both clips like this, you can just pop up the lid.
Aaron has one more thing to say about the new display coolers.
Okay.
That would be good for restocking and such after hours.
Exactly.
Saves you from having to reach in from the back all the time.
But just a word of warning here.
It will stay open in the opened position, but you can't force it any farther than this, okay?
Aaron offers a word of warning or caution.
In other words, he's telling Eva what not to do.
You want your customer to have a good experience with the product, so if there are common mistakes that users make, let your customer know.
You can do that by introducing your idea with expressions like just a word of warning, or just so you know, or one thing to be careful of.
Let's practice some of these expressions used to caution a customer.
Now one thing to be careful of here, never leave it running overnight.
I should just warn you here that it's not designed to take over 500 pounds.
Just so you know, you should only use premium fuel in this engine.
You'll need to make absolutely sure that the power is off before switching out these batteries.
Now let's listen to the end of the dialogue.
All right.
I'll remind the staff of that as well.
Okay, great.
And if there's anything else, just ping me a message.
I'm usually over on the island Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I'm flexible.
Anyway, if I don't hear from you before the big opening, then good luck with all that.
I hope it all goes smoothly.
Aaron has addressed his customer's concerns and given some advice about how to use the product.
Now he finishes by reminding Eva to contact him if there's anything else she needs.
That's just part of taking good care of your customers.
And beyond that, Aaron wishes Eva luck with their big opening, which shows he cares about their business.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you work for a computer company that has just sold some new laptops to a customer.
You're following up with the customer after the sale and making sure everything is working okay.
You'll hear a cue from the customer, then I'll give you a suggestion for how you can respond.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
So, I'm just curious about the battery life on these laptops.
Start by reassuring the customer that it is outstanding and they will run for 10 hours without a charge.
Answer.
It's outstanding.
They can run for 10 hours without a charge.
All right.
Now I think one of them might be a bit damaged here.
Mention that this happens sometimes and promise the customer that you'll get a replacement to them later in the day.
Answer.
That happens sometimes, but I'll have a replacement here later today.
Okay then.
And besides that, they seem to be exactly what we wanted.
Next, share a tip by suggesting using the sleep mode button when not using the laptop.
Answer.
That's great.
And here's a little tip for you.
Just use sleep mode when you're not using them.
And so, how do we put it in sleep mode?
Now, explain that they just press the sleep mode button.
Very simple.
You just press this button here for sleep mode.
Yes, that is simple.
And can we do that any time we're not using them?
Finally, warn the customer that they shouldn't leave them running overnight.
Sure, but just be careful not to leave them running overnight.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, You need to make sure you keep the glass crystal.
You can say, You need to make sure you keep the glass crystal clear.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
We'll send our best to set up the new machines tomorrow.
Answer We'll send our best installer to set up the new machines tomorrow.
If you need to enter the office after, you need to use this key.
Answer if you need to enter the office after hours, you need to use this key.
Just a word of.
If you have any questions at all, just me a message.
If you have any questions at all, just ping me a message.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the sixth and final lesson in our series on the sales process.
Today we focused on the post-sales follow-up, and we've learned how to reassure a customer and how to promise a quick resolution to a problem.
We've also looked at how to share useful tips, how to demonstrate a product and how to give warnings.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
