Let’s face it. Customers don’t want to be sold. No one calls a friend and says, “Hey, I just got sold a car today.” In today’s world, people want to buy.
Facts about the “sell” mentality:
• Selling involves trying to get someone to buy what they may or may not need or want.
• People who sell products or services often make assumptions about the wants and needs of their customers.
• Selling is about you and your product. Buying is about the customer and what he or she wants.
People want to buy … and everyone’s job is to help them! Here are a few tips that will allow you to increase your closing ratio and capture more customers:
• To capture new customers, you must create a buying environment. A buying environment is a customer-focused conversation.
• A conversation between two people is one where each person does 50 percent of the talking. This means you need to be a great listener, because the more talking your customer does, the more engaged he is in the possibility of buying.
• In today’s world, getting a potential customer on the telephone has its challenges, so you must give the listener a compelling reason to talk or call you back.
• Once you engage the potential customer in a conversation, you must build rapport. Initially, you are the product.
• Customers buy solutions that serve them. Find out what your customer wants and needs and then present your products or services in a way that paints a customer-focused picture.
• To increase your sales, you have to understand and live by the buying process which puts an emphasis on building strong customer relationships on your product.
Regardless of the times, customers buy from people who they like and feel connected to—great sales people have great relationships.
In a nutshell, pick up the phone and start new conversations.
Renie Cavallari is CEO and Chief Inspirational Officer for Aspire, an international training and marketing consulting company positioning organizations to make more money through:
- Hospitality Training. Coaching Skills. Cultural Alignment. Team Building.
- Re-energizing Organizations. Strategic Planning. Sales & Marketing Consulting. Positioning. Branding.
- Customer Service Culture. Customer Service Training.
- Awakening the Passion within People & Organizations. Leadership Training.
If you would like to receive free leadership tips go to: www.tipsonleadership.com
Discover new ways to engage and revitalize your team at The Coach Approach at Aspire in Phoenix, AZ November 2, 2010. Space is limited. Please call Keith Clark at 602-392-0700 to register or visit our website, www.aspiremarketing.com to enroll in this dynamic one day program.
Renie writes regularly for Hotel Motel Management magazine, in which this article first appeared (October, 2009). For more insider tips on hospitality marketing, go to: http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/cavallari
