Closing the sale is not the end of the story

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “selling” as, “making over or disposing of in exchange for money.” However,  “Selling” can also be seen as a process of influencing thought, action and attitude, to produce a desired action.

Businesses exist only for the purpose of making money. Whatever a business makes or type of service it provides, money is only produced when the goods or services are actually sold to a customer. It is only from the act of selling that income is derived for the business in question, thus the ability to “sell” is fundamental to the success of every business. A constant stream of income is the necessary life-blood of every commercial enterprise. Maintaining the flow of income relies on the business to successfully close sales to produce the income.

Those who consider themselves as marketors have to accept that while other marketing activities may identify potential customers, only the act of closing the sale produces income.   Without the ability to successfully close the sale, all other marketing investment becomes irrelevant. While ultimately successfully closing the sale is the action that produces the income, it is not the end of the story. Initially, Sales people have to engage with the customer, make a successful presentation, and close the sale. However, retaining the customer for subsequent sales is dependent on how the customer perceives the relationship to the supplier. The main factors that effect that post sale relationship relate to the delivery of the product or service, credit and finance conditions, product support, customer care. All these factors collectively provide the confidence of the customer to invest in future purchases from the supplier. However, if the supplier falls short on its post sale customer relationship, it can seriously effect the ability of the salesforce to successfully close future sales. Next to closing the sale, , post sale customer care is the most important business activity, as good customer care helps retain the customer for future business.

The principle aim of the Commercial manager is to produce profitable income for the long term future of the business. Producing profitable income for the long term requires getting customers and retaining them.

In an increasingly competitive world, many of the data analytical jobs required for market analysis, and targeting currently done be marketors will soon be largely done by artificial intelligence (AI). However, active selling  and closing sales, as opposed to on-line transactions will still require person to person engagement. This is also true of post sales customer care and relations.

While getting the sale is the ultimate act which provides the income, the sale itself is not synonymous with customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the primary necessity as it encourages repeat sales, and customer retention. Retaining customers is important for every organisation supplying goods and services, but especially for those involved in business to business, supply chain, business and consumer services, consumer supplies, and hospitality.

 

Retaining a customer for further sales is essential to maintain the business. It is easy to lose customers and hard to replace them. Gaining customers and selling to them is expensive but necessary, not only to grow the business, but to maintain a customer base that will otherwise decline through natural wastage. Once gained, it is therefore obvious that it is economically more efficient to retain customers and gain repeat sales. Businesses should consider carefully how they treat their customers, and what it takes to retain or replace the business and income they provide. Good communications with the customer is the basis of customer service, which  includes credit control, payment, account management, packaging, delivery, product returns, repairs, complaints and general customer assistance. Retaining customer loyalty and repeat business requires providing a service that customers can rely on.

Commercial managers need to consider and identify the factors that influence and encourage customer loyalty, in order to retain their business and repeat sales,

  •  Does the quality of the product or service consistently meet the standard set by the producer and the expectation of the consumer? – How do you know?
  • Is the delivery of the product or service reliable? Does it meet the company promise and the customer expectation?   How do you know?
  • Is a return system easy for the customer to enact if required? How do you know?
  • Is the billing and credit control system easy for customers to access and understand?
  • Is a customer complaint system easy for the customer to access and to contact named individuals rather than an Artificial intelligence system?
  • Is the web-site clear and easy to understand and intuitive for the customer rather than the web-site designer?
  • Are all business contact methods, telephone, e-mail and postal, readily available to existing and potential customers?
  • When customers or potential customers telephone the business, how welcoming and helpful is the response?  How do you know?
  • How long does it take to respond to e-mails, letters or telephone calls? Are all such contacts routinely answered, and if not, why?

Customer retention depends on the standard of the product or service and the support provided by the supplier. A high priced product expects a high level of service to support it.

While closing the sale is a prime objective of the sales team, customer satisfaction should be at the centre of all those other activities that support the customer, such as production, service support, distribution, payment and credit control. This requires the effective management of all those activities which directly and indirectly effect customer relations.

While closing the sale is  essential for gaining the income, only good post-sale customer care and service can retain it for the long term.

© N.C.Watkis, Contract Marketing Service 21 Aug 26

 

August 24, 2026   Posted in: business development, business efficiency, Business Marketing, business performance improvement, business performance indicators, business performance measurement, marketing development, marketing management, marketing metrics, marketing performance measurement, performance management, performance measurement indicators