I was at the Dallas airport today and due to one of those unavoidable situations I was stranded there for 3 hours.  The excitement actually started when I tried to enter the lounge and was so humbly refused entry.

As I picked up the phone to call  American Express in order to inquire  the reason for my refusal,  I was notified with a smile over the phone that I was entering the wrong lounge.

The amazing thing was that the lady over the phone spent almost an hour with me answering all the questions I had about my membership.  She patiently went the extra mile answering my questions and sourcing the onces she could not answer.

Today more than ever the members of the sales industry need to realize that a sale is no longer about the bottom line. No matter how well you communicate, no matter how good your product, what will set the most successful salespeople apart will be the quality of their relationships, and the amount of pride they take in making sure their clients receives the right product at the right time at the right price.

When your focus moves from a product based model to a solution based model your clients will gravitate towards you, making you their primary contact when it comes to your industry, and thus making you more profitable.

The benefits that your clients receive will be the determining factor when it comes to their loyalty to you. No longer will you simply be able the sell a good product to a customer and have them remember you, what will make a difference between a clients coming back and not coming back to you will be whether or not you went the extra mile. Those that do not do that extra little bit for each client will be left behind, only to wonder why they failed, and where there clients went.

The fact is that loyalty still exists, but it must be earned. You must provide added value to each and every customer.

Fred Sarkari

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