Turning a Negative into a PositiveTurning a Negative into a Positive

Marc Eisenhower, National Sales Director, Harley-Davidson Financial Services

‘Look for small wins to initially build or rebuild the relationship.’

When you sell high-end products and services to discerning buyers and clients, you better be prepared to hear some complaints. Marc Eisenhower has been helping people finance their motorcycles for a long time, and along the way, he’s learned how to respond to swiftly respond to negativity from customers.

What are three things professionals should keep in mind when attempting to persuade a customer who had a negative experience last time?

1. Consider and acknowledge what role you or your company may have played in creating the negative experience and contributing to the undesired outcomes during a previous interaction.

2. Ask questions and actively listen to fully understand the customer’s perspective and what he or she is looking for. This feedback is not negotiable, and you must resist directly challenging the customer.

3. Identify what specifically may have contributed to the customer’s negativity, and then look for small wins to initially build or rebuild the relationship.

Great Relationships Make Personal EvangelistsGreat Relationships Make Personal Evangelists

Marc Eisenhower, national sales director for Harley-Davidson Financial Services

Build a network. This does not have to be work. Staying in touch is actually a fun thing to do.’

When others refer to someone glowingly, I refer to them as “personal evangelists” — people who sing your praises.  Marc Eisenhower, national sales director for Harley-Davidson Financial Services, has spent a career seeking and fostering personal evangelists.

What advice do you have for individuals looking to cultivate their own personal evangelists? 

Great relationships form the foundation of personal evangelists. During careers, people you work with move on to different jobs. Keep in contact with them. Build a network. This does not have to be work. Staying in touch is actually a fun thing to do. I put reminders in my Outlook calendar to give former colleagues a call or send them an email to find out what’s happening with them. This network grows surprisingly fast.  I have been able to keep a lot of great friendships alive, and you never know when those trusted and valuable friendships will pay off.