THIS week I want us to spend a few minutes deliberating on a topic that is not only critical to marketing but also fundamental to the success and survival of every business setup.
In one of my previous articles, I looked at the topic of customer relations and how this is important in nurturing long term profitable relationships to business, whether Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs) or corporate entities.
In this week’s article however, I want us to evaluate the problem that most business enterprises face when dealing with their customers.
From experience and observation, I have come to learn that the failure for most businesses to record and achieve business goals and returns on investment can largely be attributed to failure to hold long term projections.
Many Zambian business enterprises have a serious misconception regards over-concentration on short term results and profits will subsequently lead them to achieving their long term goals.
Resulting from this kind of mindset, is the emphasis on sales volume and profits, all at the expense of good customer relations, after sales service, account management, customer service and proper customer complaints channels.
There is now a wide spread tendency of most but not all business organisations to concentrate more on recording huge sales volume and profits as this is believed or perceived to result into the achievement of long term goals.
Most organisations do not care about long term relationships, provided they provide a service, sale a product and get their profit. The practice is reminiscent of the kind of transactions one can only get in the streets such as the infamous Katondo Street in Lusaka.
For such organisations, this problem can be blamed on the management philosophy, where profits and money is more important than anything else.
With this kind of approach to marketing, organisations will do everything possible and use every technique available to entice and convince customers to either buy, use or test their products or services.
This approach to marketing is a drawback to the development of the marketing discipline in this country, as it is founded on the sales era concept whose aim was to maximise sales and profits at the expense of a customer’s interests and needs.
This philosophy is selfish, as it only looks at issues from the side of the organisation.
I have personally encountered such kind of marketers that will not sleep until they convince you to buy their product or use their service.
I believe that there are many consumers or readers out there that have experienced what I am talking about.
For instance there are those sales representatives who have no timing at all they will call you at awkward hours, which can be very irritating.
Some marketing companies have a way of getting individual contact details of their targeted customers at all costs.
When they have done this, they will not stop sending e-mails and text messages on mobile phones.
Some of the business organisations will be so persistent and consistent in getting the customer to buy from them.
During this time they will be as courteous and friendly as possible, an approach very similar to the behaviour of a young man trying to win the heart of a young lady, and once she has agreed to the proposal, she gets discarded.
I should testify that some Zambian marketing firms are very good at doing this, they will put in everything when soliciting for business but they are very bad at sustaining and maintaining long term relationships with their customers.
It is no wonder most of organisations can only refer to people who give them business as their ‘customers and not clients’.
I am not saying that aggressive selling is a bad thing, on the contrarily it is healthy for business organisations to have aggressive marketing techniques.
My concern is with the tendency of some marketing organisations to perceive the selling transaction to be an end of business.
The behaviour of closing your doors to your customers once they give you business or buy your product is retrogressive.
What marketers need to understand is that customers look to more than just buying a product they look for fulfillment, solutions and satisfaction.
The marketer must ensure that the customer is not only assured of getting these, but must demonstrate this by providing ways of follow-up, feedback and guidance especially in the case of technical products such as electrical items, computers or motor vehicles.
Organisations should ensure that they put in place clear policies and guidelines, pertaining to dealing with customers, after sales or after a business transaction has been concluded.
Organisations must have procedures for after-sales service, customer feedback and handling complaints.
It is not a difficult thing to call a customer two days after a purchase to find out how they found the performance of a particular product or whether they are happy with the service received.
For comments write to: dennis_sokondhlovu@yahoo.com