If just ‘closing the sale’ is the alpha and the omega of your business model, you could be needing a drug prescription really soon.

In our world of rampant connectivity, we each possess instant access to a spread of information about almost any product or service we are in the market for today. It is inevitable, the word about your company will get out….. good or bad.

This makes spending too much time worshipping at the Church of Closing the Sale a teensy bit short-minded and flaccid. Businesses can no longer afford to worry exclusively about closing sales, they must begin to focus on the entirety of the customer’s experience before and especially after the sale.

Now, I’m not advocating abandoning current sales efforts, just the opposite. What I suggest is that you find ways to drive sales by enhancing customer experience with your company both pre and post sale.

What could happen when a customer touches your company is likely your greatest un-leveraged asset.

I’m not talking about customer service, which typically describes a companies defensive posture to unhappy customers. It also goes way beyond treating customers well, this is what is expected of all businesses, and making this the target is reaching for the average denominator,. What I’m talking about is maximizing the relationship your company enjoys when a customer decides to spend some of their invaluable time with your company.

I suggest we begin attending the Church of the Customer’s Experience FIRST, and closing sales will naturally and abundantly follow.

Customer retention and customer experience are not areas of business that should be delegated to fast and shallow talkers. One should find a great prospecter like Future Now’s own Jim Novo as you begin drilling down into this underground ocean of income potential.

Also scope out my buddy Steve Rae’s blog Touch Points for his take on customer experiences.