The closing is not the final stage of a sale. The final stage is following up, which is actually a process that may continue indefinitely. This stage may have two valuable outcomes: referrals and future sales.
The nature of a follow-up to a sale will depend on how the sale was carried out. If you sell via mail, then the delivery should be accompanied with a compliments slip thanking the customer for their custom and making clear your hope that you can do more business in the future. If you sell in person, then it can be very beneficial to follow up with a call a few days later asking how they have found the item.
When you carry out the follow-up, it is important to leave the customer feeling like they have been well treated. It is likely that you can think of a case where you have been given excellent customer service – you probably told your friends and family about it, and when you have required anything in the same niche you will have thought immediately of the salespeople that covered your sale and gave you such excellent service before.
You will want to ensure that you receive that level of service again. As a salesperson, this is how you want people to think of you, too. By providing an excellent level of service every time, you will gain more business from the friends and family of that customer, and from the customers themselves.
