Hi, this is Missy Eck and I am one of the sales and leadership coaches with Emerge Sales Training.

 

It’s no secret that the entire team at Emerge LOVES being customers of LOTS of different direct marketing companies.  I mean, it’s critical that we are knowledgeable consumers of the industry we serve, right?

 

As a customer of at least 6 different network marketing companies, I am getting a front row seat to the customer experience.  And as a sales coach I tend to always be thinking about how it feels to work with a new consultant and how it feels to be their brand new customer.  

 

Do I trust them?  Do I want to buy more of their products?  Do I feel like they know my needs and how their products can help me?

 

So, the first thing that usually happens after I become a customer of a new business is that I am added to a customer Facebook group where there’s a ton of great information shared, I get educated on the products, and become part of a fun community.  As an avid user of social media, I think this is awesome –it’s a place I can go for support and education on products at any given time.

 

As part of these new product groups, my newsfeed is consistently filled with the features and benefits of a variety of amazing products on a daily and even hourly basis.  At first this was exciting but in all honesty it has now started to become a bit overwhelming. Even though I may have had an awesome customer experience with my consultant during our first sales conversation where he/she made it easy for me to understand my options and the best packages available for me, I begin to feel lost on where I go from here as a customer.

 

I share all of this with you all because I want to make sure that you don’t lose sight of the fact that a personal relationship with your customer is THE best way to serve them.  Technology is amazing and you can support many people at one time through automated posts about product uses and testimonials, or Facebook Lives on how to use your product or an upcoming special, BUT if this is your primary communication tool you may be missing the opportunity to really connect with your customers in a way that will develop the relationships needed to build your business to the next level.

 

An example of this is Zappos – I have been reading a lot about what makes their customer experience so different in a marketplace that is filled with online retailers who would prefer to connect with their customers via email or chat.  At Zappos their customer phone calls out number their other methods of communication by 6-7 times and, according to their CEO, “It lets us have in-depth, textured conversations with our customers. It’s the key to how we build customers for life.”  And in this world where it can be hard to even FIND a phone number to a live person, Zappos’ puts their number front and center on their homepage and are available 24/7. They’re actually experimenting with ways to get more people to call because it’s such a valuable marketing and brand builder for them!

 

One of the best examples of the impact that Zappos’ focus on live interaction has had was shared by one of their customer loyalty agents.  He said,

 

“Last year, when I was working the phones, a woman called, trying to return some boots.  The sad story turned out to be that she had bought them for her father, who had since died.  I told her not to bother returning them; that we would refund her money but she was free to give the boots away instead of returning them.  And after the call I felt moved to send her some flowers–just one of the 380 gifts of flowers you can see on the board that we sent out last year.   Some time after that, she sent me a letter and a photo of her father.”

 

So, let that soak in for a second and then imagine if this woman had felt that it was best to just email or text in her return request versus calling and talking to someone?

 

So what can you take away from this Zappos approach to customer interaction for YOUR network marketing business?  I’d recommend doing a little assessment by asking yourself these questions…

 

  1. How often are you truly interacting with your customers?  I mean voice to voice, face to face –REALLY getting-to-know-them interaction?
  2. When is the last time a customer felt WOW’d by YOU –not your product or service but by the way you made them feel or how you served them?
  3. How do you as a leader celebrate customer service WINS with your team members versus how much product was sold each month?

 

If you hear a common theme with these questions it’s all about FEELING and CONNECTING. That’s where I tend to feel the biggest gap as a network marketing customer.  I LOVE that I can order amazing products online, get education and info at my fingertips on Facebook, and support small business owners, but I don’t want to lose that personal connection as a trade off.

 

I’ll end with this quote by Brene Brown, “We are hardwired to connect with others, it’s what gives us purpose and meaning to our lives.  Without it there is suffering.”

 

So please friends, don’t let a customer suffer because they are not connecting with you!  My challenge to you is to find a way to personally connect with one of your customers today.  Get crazy –pick up the phone versus texting and really talk to the people who are learning to love your products and YOU.  I’m betting that you’ll not only sell more but you may even find your new team member in the process –that’s definitely not something you can do through a Facebook post or message.

 

To sign up for one of our free trainings on closing or recruiting, go to emergesalestraining.com/freetraining.

 

Have a great day!