Maximising sales and customer satisfaction

We don't need to tell you that, for your business, maximising sales is the most important thing. But did you know that you are over 100 times more likely to get in contact with a customer if you call after five minutes, than if you call after 30? And that 50% of all deals are closed within four weeks?

We want to help you to translate an attractive office on the website into a thriving business environment with happy clients.

1: Getting started on a sale 

Jesper Krarup Kristensen, MatchOffice Sales Manager, says to always remember to follow up on a lead as soon as you have received it, while you’re at the front of the customer’s mind. Call the customer immediately, or they might forget about you. Customers might be casting a wide net in their search for office space – make sure you’re the one that gets in touch first! 

Within your business, the lead should be registered manually or automatically in your system, and the sales manager should act on it immediately, or within five minutes.

2: Contacting the customer

Speak to the customer on the phone, and never apologise for calling. You’re offering the customer a service by speaking to them and matching their needs to an office.The most important thing to establish is a viewing in person to see the space. Images online are useful to get an idea of the office, and new VR technology means that digital tours are possible, but meeting customers in person will enable you to show the best of the office and maximize the possibility of a sale. Offer a tour the same day or the following day to keep your office fresh in the customer’s mind.

3: Talking through the options

Customers may want to know the price of an office immediately, which can be difficult, if, like many serviced providers, you have a number of options for customers to choose from. Offer the lowest price on the phone, then arrange to chat in person to explain the levels of pricing. 

Jesper Krarup Kristensen advises that when discussing options with the customer, you should always ask open questions. It’s all about getting the customer to talk, because it is easier to sell a product or a service to a customer if you know a lot about the customer and his needs. If you just keep taking, you don’t get to learn anything about the person. When you know the customers needs you can also pretty fast figure out if your service or product can match these needs.

Meet the customer on home turf. People trust other people they can relate to; that is how we are built. It’s a good idea to try to match the customer by trying to use the same approach they are using. Try to communicate as they are: if you, for example, are talking to a person that seems kind of quiet or shy, it’s important to lower the tempo of your voice.  

4: Showing off the office

When you have outlined the needs of the company, then give customers a tour around the premises of the serviced office. Here, it is a good idea to mention the other tenants in the office, especially those who work in the same industry as the company you are showing around.  

During the tour it is important that you explain and emphasize the benefits of working in a serviced office that are relevant for the customer, and never show any more than five offices. When you have finished the tour, take the customer back to the meeting room, and discuss their options, and what they liked about the services you can provide.

5: After a tour 

After the tour, it’s a good idea to send the customer an e-mail to say thank you for the visit. Do it the same day you saw them – be friendly and don’t put pressure on them. If you do not receive a reply to the e-mail, give the customer a call the day after and ask them if they had a chance to think about your office.

At the same time, ask them if they have any questions. If they are not entirely sure, you might offer them another tour. Lastly, ask the person if they are interested in making a deal, then arrange the next step – either that you send them an offer or that the customer calls you afterwards. 

Follow these steps to make sure that customers feel cared for throughout their office selection process, and that you give yourself the best chance of making a sale. Call again after 3-4 days, and after that once a week, until you receive an answer from them. If they are in doubt, then ask them what it needs to take for them to accept. And then maybe offer them other deals with alternative solutions.

Read more about sales and get the top tips from MatchOffice using our Sales Guide, here.