IDEA: Call and acknowledge new sales orders: confirm their order, thank your customers for their orders and then sell them more.

Most customers now email sales orders to their vendors and they lie sitting in a folder until someone opens that folder when they arrive to work the next day and then process the order.  Many do not call but just acknowledge the order with a canned response.   What is missing is the telephone call that affirms that the vendor got the sales order, appreciates the request and then asks a couple of questions that gives the customer information they did not have that may be valuable and important to them.

• Clarify PO components:    When calling, clarify if there is anything missing on the invoice to make sure there are no errors made (i.e. price, quantity, freight cost, taxes, freight method, how fast delivery?, ship to location if missing, special instructions for the driver, etc.).
• Sales items (Increase current item quantity):   After those details are verified with the customer, then mention your sales that are going on that the customer might want to take advantage of.  Look up the customer’s buying history and mention that the item he bought one of is on sale, three for two sale, if he is interested.
• Sales items  (Add previously purchased items not bought this time):    Another item that you want to mention that he did not list on this order but is on sale this week is now 50% off until stock is depleted.  Tell him if he wants to get off the telephone and call back to find out if there is interest, you will keep the sale open for him this week.
• Freight special:   Also mention if they want to consider it, any orders over $5,000 receives free freight this week. You mention it because they are at roughly $ 4,500 on their current order.  If they want to hang up and call back that will be fine.  You will be glad to hold their order open for them. You will be glad to place their order if they want to modify or keep it the same, either way.