Top 10 Customer Service Practices for Network Marketers

You're in the business of people and your existing customers are your #1 source of income whether they are purchasing from you or eventually taking on the business themselves with you as their sponsor. As a network marketer you always want to expand your network, but at the same time you have to keep your existing ones strong. Your customer service skills need to be fine tuned to do so! It's what keeps people coming back to you, even though someone else they know might be selling the same thing. The best part of these skills is that they can be learned and made habitual by following these 10 Practices for Customer Service in Network Marketing (or anywhere, really!)

1. Follow Up
This is the #1 Golden Rule to customer service and keeping in touch with your current customers and clients. Customers will keep coming back to you because you care and want to take care of them by putting their interests and needs first. I use the Follow 3 Rule:

• Follow up 3 days after delivery of purchase to make sure order was well received
• Follow up 2-3 weeks after (or within the realm of a money back guarantee) to make sure everything is up to their standard and that the product is not defective
• Follow up 3 months after to see if they need a reorder/ restock of product

This will let your customer know that you are putting them first by coming to them before they have to come to you. This might take some organizational and tracking skills, but it's worth it!

2. Thank You Cards
Showing appreciation to your customers with a card and a hand written note is the cherry on top of a completed order. When you take the time to thank customers personally with a hand written note it shows that they MATTER to you and that you truly do appreciate their business. Purchase some or print custom ones, but ALWAYS hand write a personal message. 

3. Keep Customers Informed
Letting your customers know about monthly deals, flash sales and business opportunities ties in with rule #1. When you follow up with customers, you can include a sale, flash sale or business opportunity in the message. Relaying this information to them is putting their interests and needs first. There are many ways to keep your customers informed. Here are a few ideas:

• VIP Customer Facebook Group
• Email List
• Text Message Subscription Service
• Direct Facebook Messaging

Letting your customers know about deals can be done at ANY TIME! Don't be afraid to send out a quick message. Keep it short and sweet! Let them ask questions and be interested!

4. Regular Customer Incentives
A big part of customer service is offering your returning customers an incentive to keep coming back. Punch cards like "buy 7, get one free", spend $X amount and get $X amount free.. etc. A lot of NWM companies offer this in the form of 'Party Rewards', but you can also offer your own incentives.

5. Do the Work for the Customer
Make the whole experience easy for the customer. I mean this in a few different ways:

• Place the order for them on their behalf
• Guide them through the ordering process over the phone
• Be available to them for questions while they are ordering
• If they need to contact support for any reason, draft up an email FOR them so they have all the necessary information and correct email addresses
• Let them know when their items have shipped
• If you are shipping multiple customer orders to yourself in a bulk order, hand deliver the items to them the same day they arrive or arrange a time for delivery

Your customer will appreciate the time taken to attend to their needs. Are you seeing a trend here?

6. Ask for Referrals
This one might seem weird to be in a list of 'Customer Service Practices' but it is actually one of the best things you can do for your business. I consider it a customer service because it is the ultimate compliment from a customer to refer your services to others. It means that you have provided an excellent amount of customer service to them that they trust you to take care of the people that they care about. THIS. IS. HUGE. Not only does it validate your excellent customer service, it also expands your network. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals, whether it be in your follow up messages or even in conversation.

7. Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude comes with a few other essential qualities to have when serving customers. I call these 'All the P's':

• Positivity
• Patience
• Peacefulness

It's about the experience for the customer. If your outlook is to help them find what is best for them, instead of trying to sell them something random it will be much easier to stay positive and patient to keep a peaceful interaction. Even if you get frustrated about something, don't express it to them. They will feel any kind of negative energy and decide from that one experience whether or not they will want to come back to you or not. PRACTICE POSITIVITY AND PATIENCE TO KEEP THE PEACE!

8. Clear Communication
Clarity isn’t just important for making your customer feel good. It can also make a big impact on your bottom line. What if you could send one less email per support interaction because you didn’t have to clarify anything that your customer didn’t understand the first time?

One tip that I find helpful is to think about how I would explain the instructions or problem to a five-year old. Obviously: Be respectful and don’t actually treat your customers like children. This is about using simple, easy-to-understand language. Not only will this lessen frustration, but it will make the experience easier and quicker for everyone!

9. Listen
Communicating effectively also means being able to listen. Not just hearing when your customer has to say, but really listening to understand their problem or need. How are you supposed to suggest products to them if you don't know what problem they are trying to solve? You don't sell a compact car to someone who is looking for a sport SUV utility vehicle for camping. Maybe they have a budget of $50. You wouldn't want to suggest something to them that is $150. If you ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, you will be able to suggest the best products.

10. Product Knowledge
Know the ins and outs of how your product works, just like a customer who uses it everyday would, or at least know where to obtain the information in a split second. Sometimes it's difficult to know everything about everything, but knowing where to find the information quickly is almost just as good. Without product knowledge or experience, you won't know how to help customers find the perfect product when they run into issues. Be a product of the product!

Keeping your customers happy means being responsive to their needs and wants. A good customer service experience can turn a one-time customer into a lifelong repeat customer or a business partner. People like to share their good experiences. Excellent customer service can turn into positive word of mouth! It's all about building and maintaining positive relationships! I hope these 10 practices will help you build stronger relationships with your customers and business partners <3

Christina