List of excuses - "It's not my fault."
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Competition too cheap
Competition unethical
Customer is too difficult
All customer cares about is price
I don't have time to follow up
I've been doing sales for ## years. It can't be me.
My company fails to back me up
delivery is late
quality deteriorates
I never lose a customer through any fault of mine
Ask the tough questions
Do I get mad at small orders?
o Do I stay away too long between calls?
o Do I keep customers informed?
o Do I keep all my commitments?
o Was our service ineffective?
o Can I help you in any way to get the account back?
o
Listen
carefully and
politely