1. Sell the
way the buyer buys. People have their own style and way of buying.
Lose your ego. And don't apply one size fits all. Become adept
at knowing the preferred way your potential customer makes decisions.
Then help them to understand your product or service in that
way.
2. Find out what is most important to the
customer. Your ability to discover those unique features and
benefits that your client wants and needs are what you want to
focus on. If you first personalize the sales process instead
of talking about what you like best first, you turn a
general shopping trip into special buying experience.
3. Take them to the solution. It's always
amazing to me how the better salespeople will take the time to
walk with me to the stand or aisle that holds what I'm asking
about. And then they'll either hand the item to me or at least
point to it and ask me if this is what I want to check out. This
personalized selling approach communicates a favorable attitude
rather than using the less friendly index finger to point to
the location across three aisles and down to the left or right.
4. Learn how to listen. A recent study by
Ramsey and Sohi in the Journal of Academy of Marketing Science clearly
establishes that a customer's perception of how well a salesperson
listens has a positive association with trust. Listening includes
such behaviors as giving your full attention to the customer,
responding to acknowledge understanding and asking clarifying
questions. Listen more and you won't sell short.
5. Leave out the cliche "How can I help you?" Most
of us have become so numb to this question either we automatically
respond or we just do not hear it being asked. Greet your customers
with a greeting that personalizes your attention to them, to
current events in your company or with a question that gets their
attention.
6. Overuse two words: thank you. Next to our
own name, these are the words most of us love to hear often.
Your greeting could include "Thank you for visiting us today." On
occasion it becomes necessary to leave a customer momentarily.
Certainly you want to ask if they would excuse you. And when
you come back, you want to thank them for allowing you to take
care of the situation. And always say thank you when a customer
leaves your store whether they buy something or not.
7. Flash them a smile. Many persons feel pressured,
believe they don't have enough time, or have some downright serious
happenings in their life. They come into your place of business
with this kind of baggage. A smile in someone's day when they
don't expect it brightens an otherwise dark moment. A smile puts
you in a favorable light. And have you noticed, when someone
smiles at you it's quite natural to flash them a smile right
back. |
