Articles about customer service almost never include the word "Selling". You will see how selling is usually the best thing you can do as a service to your customers.

Is selling really the best customer service? Most of us think of customer service as repairing what a customer bought, or doing warranty work to satisfy a customer. Of course these things are important. But when are you really doing the best thing for your customer?

Let’s say a customer calls you and says that the thing you sold them isn’t doing the job they wanted. Our first thought may be that what they bought is defective, or inadequate. If the product is defective (and still under warranty) of course you will replace it. But what if what they bought just isn’t enough to do the job? You show them the better model that will do the job. This model will cost more than what they bought before, but you are solving their problem. And most of the time, solving their problem will involve selling them something better than what they have now.

I own a store that sells vacuum cleaners. When someone comes in for a repair on their vacuum cleaner, most dealers would sell the part that would fix the machine. So will we. But first, we want to know how the customer likes what they have now. Has it given them any problems? Is it getting hard to push? Losing suction?

Many times what will really solve the customer’s problem is New Technology. A new product that is better suited for the customer’s needs.

An acquaintance of mine has a small repair shop that fixes vacuum cleaners and sewing machines. People bring in a fifty year old machine and he fixes it so it will still run. When I mentioned to him that maybe these people would benefit from something new, he said he didn’t want to sell something new when what they had could still be fixed.

I asked how many cars are still on the road after fifty years. Of course, not many at all. Why? Because consumers like to buy new things. They smell better, are shiny, and the customer can brag about what they just bought to their friends and neighbors.

You would be surprised at how many customers are already thinking of buying something new, before they even tell you about their service problem. You are not truly giving the best customer service unless you offer the best solution to their problem. And many times, that solution is to buy something better that will make them happier than they are now.

Most products get better as time passes, new developments, new technologies, new options.

If you don’t at least make your customer aware of these new options, you are doing them a dis-service.

If the customer thinks the one product they bought is inadequate, maybe they need two to really do the job.

One techniques I’ve found valuable when customer’s need service is to apologize to them for not pointing out the better product that was available all along. Whether or not, it’s your fault is not material. I apologize and tell them I must have forgotten about this better, and more expensive solution. This works far more often than not.

In our business, one of the most profitable sources of new sales, is selling better stuff to the customers we have now, that needed customer service. This can be done in a retail store or over the phone. Use it, it works.