One of my favorite hobbies I have enjoyed over the years is pistol and rifle shooting. Early on, when I was just getting started in the sport, we were taught one of the key marksmanship fundamentals—“follow through.” It means you must continue aiming, continue focusing on your breathing and hold control even after the shot is fired. If you do not practice follow through after the shot is fired, then it is still possible to move the barrel before the bullet exits. This will throw your shot off the target. You will have done everything right, but because you failed to maintain follow through, you will miss your target. The same theory applies to sales. How you communicate with and treat your customer after the sale is incredibly important. There are three main parts to Follow Through.

Number one – reach out to gauge satisfaction. This is the most important step in making sure your customer is 100% satisfied—ask. This could be as simple as a phone call, text message, or email asking the customer to rate you. If you decide to use a survey, then keep it short. You are simply trying to gauge how well the installation went and if there are any problems that need to be corrected. It is way better if you are told of problems after reaching out to your customer instead of the customer having to call you to report a problem. This after the sale communication is the most important aspect of the follow through process and is responsible for creating the most powerful and positive impression on your customer.

Step two – correct problems quickly and at no additional cost to the customer. After the purchase of any product that involved many possible alternatives, there is always the possibility of buyer’s remorse, and this is definitely something you never want to happen with your customer after the sale. Customers who experience buyer’s remorse will not say good things about your company and products to their friends and family. If you are lucky, then they won’t say anything at all. So, taking care of any problems with the windows or doors quickly is extremely important. This is how you achieve the opposite of buyer’s remorse, which is buyer’s delight.

“Buyer’s delight” is when the customer cannot stop talking about the greatness of your product and your company. The amazing thing is that you can still achieve buyer’s delight even if your customer experienced initial problems with the product or the installation. It is all related to how well you handle these problems. You can look at these problems as a negative, which, they certainly can become. Alternatively, you could view them as opportunities to show your customer how dedicated your company is to their complete satisfaction. How many times have you read positive reviews about a company whose products failed to perform out of the gate, but the company stepped up and took care of the issues in a timely fashion with no additional cost to the customer? In the end, the customer could not stop saying positive things about your company to friends and family. This “word of mouth” advertising can be extremely powerful as it builds a positive reputation for your company and helps generate future business.

Step 3 – Reengage the Customer to ensure complete satisfaction. After you fix any issues that may have surfaced after the sale, be sure to go back and communicate once again with the customer. Make sure your customer is 100% satisfied with his new windows and doors. Remember, customers who are happy with your products and service will go on to be your best source of advertising. How many times have you seen a post on Facebook such as, “we are in the market for new windows, so who does everyone recommend?” This sort of discussion on social media or home remodeling forums can be a very powerful tool and can influence a prospective new customer to seek you out because of your reputation as a company that takes care their customers. Never underestimate the power of the “word on the street.”

So, as the spring selling season takes off, be sure to include a session in your sales meetings about the importance of Follow Through after the sale. What you do after the sale is as equally important as what you did to land your customer in the first place!