People like to do business where they are well treated. When customers are neglected, they take their business to a store or business where they are treated with courtesy and respect. Treating customers well is more than meeting their temporary needs. It means caring about meeting their current needs and anticipating their long-term needs or future problems.

Caring for customers means making customers your number one priority. It isn’t easy to deliver high quality service consistently. It takes salespeople who really understand why it’s necessary and who really care about what happens to their company. These are the salespeople who make an effort to go beyond the limits of their job description. Instead of the cop-out “That’s not my department,” they let the customer feel well treated by saying pleasantly, “I really can’t help you with that particular problem but I’ll find out who can help you.” Then, they personally escort the customer to see the person who can solve the problem and stay with the customer to the very end. Don’t leave a customer in territory or situations that may be threatening or unfamiliar to them. Stay with customers to make certain they receive the hospitable service customers deserve.

Be wary of falling into the following poor sales habits:

Collecting in groups to talk with other salespeople

Ignoring customers to perform stock and display duties

Being fearful to begin a sales conversation

Concentrating solely on current customers while ignoring newly arrived customers