One of the most important parts of a successful sales career is customer loyalty. When I took over my sales territory in pharmaceutical sales, the rep before me had done a great job building customer loyalty. All I had to do was keep it going. It was like keeping a rolling car going. I did not have to exert as much energy as I would have if I was trying to push the car from a dead stop.
He was being promoted because of his great work and I was taking over a plum territory. His manager was also good at building customer loyalty and instilled the idea in his reps.
I had trouble with one of the nurses at one of the hospitals I was taking over though. This hospital had been covered by a former rep. He had been fired by the company for not working 8 to 5. The thing was the company had no specific hours listed in the policies manual reps had to work.
But this guy flaunted it. He refused to work 8 to 5 and was bragging to other reps and customers alike that he could get his job done in half that time. His market share was good so he was bringing in money. But he simply did not want to work all day. The company fired him and soon after wrote the hour requirements in the new policies manual.
The rep actually sued the company over this. He lost. The court ruled that there was an implied expectation of work hours. But the rep did not stop there. He tried to get his former customers to boycott the company. I had the job of calling on one of his former hospitals.
One head nurse there claimed during my first week that our products were not fit for her patients claiming they were causing digestion problems. I knew no better. Perhaps this happened all the time. My district manager asked the district trainer to call on the nurse with me since I was new. We were primarily a nutritional company so it is not drugs we are talking about here.
The trainer practically yelled at the head nurse claiming she was crazy. If there was a problem with our product we would hear about it all over the country at other hospitals. We did not. Later the nurse told me and my district manager she never wanted to see the trainer in her unit again. I was glad that she took a job at another hospital soon after. She was we discovered a good friend of the rep who had been fired and might have been part of his boycott.
The boycott did not last long. Customer loyalty only lasts when you are with the company. But I rode the customer loyalty bandwagon that the rep before me built up to many sales awards. This is why today the best thing you can do is build customer loyalty. You can count on many sales awards for years to come with it. - 33374
He was being promoted because of his great work and I was taking over a plum territory. His manager was also good at building customer loyalty and instilled the idea in his reps.
I had trouble with one of the nurses at one of the hospitals I was taking over though. This hospital had been covered by a former rep. He had been fired by the company for not working 8 to 5. The thing was the company had no specific hours listed in the policies manual reps had to work.
But this guy flaunted it. He refused to work 8 to 5 and was bragging to other reps and customers alike that he could get his job done in half that time. His market share was good so he was bringing in money. But he simply did not want to work all day. The company fired him and soon after wrote the hour requirements in the new policies manual.
The rep actually sued the company over this. He lost. The court ruled that there was an implied expectation of work hours. But the rep did not stop there. He tried to get his former customers to boycott the company. I had the job of calling on one of his former hospitals.
One head nurse there claimed during my first week that our products were not fit for her patients claiming they were causing digestion problems. I knew no better. Perhaps this happened all the time. My district manager asked the district trainer to call on the nurse with me since I was new. We were primarily a nutritional company so it is not drugs we are talking about here.
The trainer practically yelled at the head nurse claiming she was crazy. If there was a problem with our product we would hear about it all over the country at other hospitals. We did not. Later the nurse told me and my district manager she never wanted to see the trainer in her unit again. I was glad that she took a job at another hospital soon after. She was we discovered a good friend of the rep who had been fired and might have been part of his boycott.
The boycott did not last long. Customer loyalty only lasts when you are with the company. But I rode the customer loyalty bandwagon that the rep before me built up to many sales awards. This is why today the best thing you can do is build customer loyalty. You can count on many sales awards for years to come with it. - 33374
About the Author:
As one of the retail marketing tactics, reward program, is increasing in popularity, loyalty cards serve as an incentive for customers to shop at a specific store. When customers are offered bonus points, it will help businesses build customer loyalty.
