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Should CSRs Sell?

Most customer service reps do not like to sell. However, I find that CSRs love to help, they love to be useful. If you ask them if they would feel good if they could provide their customers with more ease, more convenience, more peace of mind, or more value, they will enthusiastically respond, "Yes!" Here are several steps you can take to create the right environment for maximum selling results....

Customers love to buy. We love when someone helps us solve a problem, meet a need, satisfy a desire, or do something nice for ourselves.

If that’s true, why aren’t your customers buying more? Perhaps you are not asking them to.

Many organizations take the position that customer service "shouldn’t" sell. They believe CSR’s are to take orders, answer inquires, or deal with complaints.

Smart organizations realize the amazing potential in designing scenarios where customers have more opportunities to buy and the reps have more opportunities to create customer happiness by being astute enough to know what those customers need.

My experience with CSR’s over the years tells me that most service reps do not like to sell. In fact, many of them have less than glowing opinions of "salespeople." On further inquiry, I find that CSR’s love to help, they love to be useful. If you ask them if they would feel good if they could provide their customers with more ease, more convenience, more peace of mind, more value, more variety, more satisfaction or more delight, they will enthusiastically respond, "Yes!"

Here are several steps you can take to create the right environment for maximum selling results:

Reframe the activity

Help CSR’s see that by offering the "premiere" upgraded service, the maintenance contract or the matching accessories, they are indeed creating more value for the customer. As a customer I want a rep to be astute enough to recommend the right glue for the glue gun I am buying, the best insurance product for my small business or the fertilizer that will make my new roses thrive.

Set reasonable goals

The art of the up or cross sell is in asking the right questions. To find out what else a customer needs or how they are planning to use your product, ask and then and listen for responses. This takes more time. Make sure a rep is not penalized for doing a good job at this probing activity. Set goals based on outcomes not just time spent on calls. Rushing a customer off the phone won’t get you where you need to go. Create incentives tied into goals.

Some companies pay team incentives for selling activities and some pay the individuals. There is no "right" way. What works best for you, your reps and your customers? Making selling fun by tying it into contests and rewards makes it more enticing. After all, we are asking people to stretch outside their comfort zones. Train people how to sell.

The more a rep knows about your product, the easier it will be to see the opportunity cues. Does your rep use your product or service, if not, could they? Can you get them out to customer sites to see your products in use and to talk to the people using them? Help them become specialists in using your product so they can easily make recommendations to customers. Teach them benefits not just features. The more rep understands, the easier it will be for them to sell.

Remember, customers love to buy, now go sell ‘em something. Skillfully.

This article was written for Customer Service Management Magazine.

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of books such as "Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal, and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.