Going the extra mile. (thank you notes and follow-up; part 12 of a series) (Selling Slants) (Column)

I think you'll agree that delivering excellent customer service is an absolute necessity to be successful in a retail environment. Great merchandise without good service won't always sell unless you're the only gift and greeting store in town. Even then, customers may drive miles out of their way to another city if they are unhappy with the service or the lack of it in your store. So, let's assume for the moment, that you offer excellent customer service and also produce very high sales each month. What could you do to be even more successful?

Part of being a successful salesperson is the follow-up work you do after the customer has received his/her merchandise.

The Value of Thank You Notes

"GO THE EXTRA MILE" with every customer and send a personal "thank you" note after each sale. You'll increase your repeat and referral business dramatically with very little effort at all.

Now, by "thank you" note, I mean …