Tool Box
Issue No. 37 - October/November 2007
Sales success in detail
by Craig Stubing
Even the most experienced of us can become slack and overlook basic points. Sometimes these lapses result from familiarity or tiredness; sometimes we let our knife go blunt through plain carelessness.
Here is a reminder of some of those little things we can do to make a difference.
Appearance and grooming - This is about avoiding distractions that may get in the way of customer communication. If our hair is untidy, if our fingernails are grubby, if our breath smells of cigarettes or alcohol our customer will be distracted at best — at worst, they will be offended.
Dressing to sell is not the same as dressing for other occasions. Shoes must be appropriate and clean. Clothing also needs to be appropriate to the task; it must be clean, well pressed and in good condition.
If these points are not respected our appearance may get in the way and cost us a sale. We must look the part.
Watch our manners - This is about being polite and respectful. It means using the words ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ appropriately. It also means not ‘talking over’ our customer, cutting them off mid-sentence because we have something brilliant to say.
Other things to watch are opening doors for people (male or female) and letting them go through first; taking care with any humour we might use; and not using inappropriate language.
Engage our customer - Our customers are people first and customers second. This means that we must make a connection with the customer from the start. The best way to do this is to ask our customer some questions, in a conversational way, so as to give them an opportunity to talk about themselves and their general situation. As they answer our questions they will start to relax in our company. This can only help in the subsequent sales discussion; it may also give us valuable insights into their ‘hot buttons’, ‘cold buttons’ and ‘sore points’.
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