Therein lies



the secret to repeat business and building a solid referral system. It all comes

down to following up in a way that has a positive effect on the customer. Some

examples:

·                     

Calling

the customer to say "thank you" and finding out if he or she is pleased with

your product or service.

·                     

Accepting

full responsibility for problems, instead of passing the buck and saying

"Such-and-such department should have known better."

·                     

Telling

customers what you can do rather than what you cannot do for them. A friend once

gave us a new cappuccino machine that leaked. When we took it back to the store

to find out if we were doing something wrong or to exchange it, the salesperson

said: "Oh, I remember selling this, but I have no idea how it works. Our floor

manager is on a lunch break right now. Do you just want to leave it here and

pick it up later?" The saddest part of this story is that this salesperson's

post-sale methods are common practice in today's business world.