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.