It is my opinion that in order to maintain "ownership" of an account over a period of time the salesperson must maintain contact and document that contact. I would set expectations for the frequency and type of contacts required to maintain that "ownership".
Too often salesperson makes the sale and then moves on to concentrate on new clients or new accounts because they do not perceive a financial gain to be had by simply "maintaining" contact with an account they've already sold -- especially if they are no longer receiving commission or bonus from that account.
This short sighted but distressingly common approach leaves the customer wondering why they gave your company the business.
By maintaining contact and developing a relationship with the customer over time the salesperson positions him or herself to: gain referrals, add new business at the existing account, provide his or her company with valuable feedback regarding the customers perception of his or her company whether they are fulfilling commitments. This obviously greatly increases the chances that the company can retain that account over time. If you never lose a customer all sales become net gains and I've always viewed that as a very good thing.
If they salesperson does not maintain the required level of contact (email, phone, personal, etc.) then they have absolutely no right to regard that customer as "theirs". In that situation the customer is "up for grabs" -- a situation that can cause many problems and make growing that customers business a much more difficult task.
Any good,great salesperson will stay in contact FOR EVER. They can do additional business with the client and also obtain referrals. If they do not stay in contact the client will not have any loyalty.Therefore, no client, no follow up sale.
Charlie Rudd. Corporate Developments.
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