In my previous post about Cognitive Dissonance I touched on the lack of it during this holiday season, so I’ve decided to spin this around for a second and look at it from a seller/service-provider point of view.
Cognitive Dissonance by definition is the feeling of remorse after someone purchases something usually big and/or pricey.
From a consumer point of view, it honestly can suck. Realizing that the damn ring you got your girl-friend or wife could have waited a bit longer sucks. Realizing that maybe you could have gone for the 42 inch TV, instead of the 50 and been just as happy can suck. Having someone build a website for you, only to find out it hasn’t done anything worth the money for your business or organization sucks as well. A lot of the impulsive buys can suck a whole lot.
So how can customers deal with it? Well, if it’s an item, I can be returned, resold, traded, etc. As business person you also have one truly awesome option.
The always awesome follow-up – Following up wither customers is really essential to keeping them happy, and keeping them happy is the key to keep them coming back.
Follow-up calls, emails, letters, and visits show determination to build a relationship with your customers, and doing it isn’t a big deal.
Setting aside a few minutes every day to call recent clients to ask how everything is going with the product or service(s) you provided or are providing really goes a long way.
One call can make a difference. Think past sales, think past tomorrow and next week, think long term and think about relationships instead of numbers. Intangible assets are often most important to businesses and organizations. 
Great post!
One point of the follow-up that always strikes me is the message you can send and what you will learn. There are often festering little issues that will not make the customer unhappy but over time they will remember.
Consider a follow-up call where you ask the customer “How do you like your new 42″ TV?” and get a response “It feels a little small for the space, I wish I would have gone bigger.”
The salesman now has the opportunity to explain the return/exchange policy to make thing right.
Or you get a response, “The color is a little washed out and not as good as expected.”
The salesman can now offer to have the customer come in for a little training on how to enhance the picture quality.
The relationship that the sales person is building may be rare in consumer purchases but shouldn’t be and is essential in business to business selling.
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