Earning one sale from a customer is great, but building upon that relationship is key to earning service business and the subsequent sales. That’s why follow-up is so important.

Last month I explained why I bought the motorcycle I bought and how the salesperson understood me and my wants. However, since that purchase, my experience with that dealership has gone cold.

It seems that after I bought my bike, that dealership stopped caring. They earned my money and moved on to the next person. Does that make me feel welcome? No. Does that build my loyalty? Definitely not.

As great as the sales experience was, everything from the delivery on has been disappointing. At delivery, I was sent back to the service department to pick up my bike. There was little excitement, little instruction, and my bike was dusty. I was so thrown from the experience that I forgot to ask important questions, like where the manual is, so I can get to know my bike. I had to go back to get that instruction a few minutes later.

Since picking up the bike almost two months ago, I haven’t received one phone call or email asking me about how I’m enjoying my bike or if I need any further assistance.

In fact, just this week the dealership missed a key follow-up opportunity. My license plate finally arrived from the DMV, and the call to tell me about that was purely informational – again no questions about my motorcycling experience or if I need anything else to enjoy riding more. Later in the day, I stopped into the dealership, and my plate was simply handed to me with no other interaction.

Three people were on the floor of the dealership – one customer was being helped by two employees at the parts counter. I had to stop a third to be helped, and again no one asked me about my bike or if I was interested in any parts or accessories now that I’ve spent some time on it. In fact, I could use a tank bag and am interested in other accessories as well. But no one asked.

As any customer experience education has taught us, loyalty is built on the entire experience at your dealership, not one sale. Be mindful that you’re not leaving customers hanging after they make a purchase from you.