The average sale takes a matter of hours. And that’s where 95 percent of sales training is focused. Not good.

After customers purchase, that’s when USE of the product or service begins, and that’s where 95 percent of their time is spent.

• What are you doing to create loyalty?

• What are you doing to create word-of-mouth advertising?

• What are you doing to create value in the mind of the customer?

• What is your social media presence that focuses on customer communication and interaction?

• What are you doing to create and ensure reorders?

• What are you doing to earn referrals?

• What are you doing to build a value-based relationship after the sale?

• What are you doing to ensure that it’s easy to do business with you?

• What are you doing to ensure that everyone who answers your phone is friendly and helpful?

ANSWER: Nothing or not enough.

MAJOR CLUE: These questions are the HEART of your future. And for the most part, the answers are way below an acceptable level to ensure your future success.

REALITY: It’s likely that your present actions will ensure that you’ll have significant customer attrition, which will cost major dollars in lost customers. Your sales team will have to sell more than last year just to maintain present sales levels.

Many companies employ the “hunter-farmer” strategy in making sales. One person makes the sale, immediately turns it over to a service person (often with little or no personal handoff) and heads for the next sale.

MAJOR CLUE: THERE IS NO DUMBER SALES STRATEGY THAN HUNTER-FARMER – other than cold calling.

The hunter-farmer strategy creates a vacuum between what was promised and what will be delivered. And the “hunter” has to continually prospect and cold call to make new sales rather than cultivate an existing relationship and earn referrals.

OK, so what can you do and what should you be doing to make certain that you are keeping the customers you have in a manner that THEY value? Or better stated: What happens after the sale?

Here are a few suggestions for what to do.

• Send a weekly value message. IDEA: Read a business book and send your customers your review with salient points of value.

• Enhance your social media effort. By setting a full-blown, VALUE-BASED business social media campaign in motion, you will give your customers a chance to learn about you and get your messages, and you will have a chance to learn about them and get their messages. Examples of value-based message: If you sell health insurance, tell me how to avoid common colds or keep my kids healthy.

• Help their social media effort. Your customers could gain insight from your social media effort and visit you to learn and emulate.

• Share ideas that can benefit your customers. Not offers to buy your product.

• Share observations and tips. When you visit other businesses, become aware of things other successful businesses do and post about them.

• Bring several customers together for a monthly mastermind meeting.

• Refer customers. The best way to get referrals is to GIVE referrals.

• Do business with them. Go out of your way to patronize those who feed you.

Every business wants re-orders, loyal customers and a great reputation. Ask yourself, “What (of value) am I doing about it?”

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by email at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2011 Jeffrey H. Gitomer