American Express

Posts Tagged ‘sales people’

Here are my recommendations (and it will be great if your list and mine are similar),A smiling face. This should be genuine. We have all been told that people buy more with their eyes than they do with their ears. If you were welcoming a friend into your house, you would quite naturally smile. It is also pleasurable when walking into someone else’s premises to be greeted with a smile. If you are lazy this should appeal, as apparently it takes less muscle power to smile than it does to frown. Eye contact. It is so important to look people in the eyes.
Not only do you convey body language when you look someone in the eye but you also are subconsciously registering
that person’s body language. We have become conditioned to believe that a person who looks us in the eyes is more trustworthy. Be pleased to see the customer. This is harder to describe, but it is a combination of facial expression, body language and tone of voice. We have all experienced, at some time or another, sales people who give us the impression that we are a nuisance and are interrupting their day.

This really is irritating when we as customers, should we make a purchase, are actually making a contribution to their pay packet. I have often longed to say ‘I help to keep you employed, so be nice to me.’

When customers tell you what they are looking for or how you may help them, introduce yourself. In big-ticket selling (cars, white goods, furniture, etc) it is then correct for you to get your customers’ names and to use those names in conversation. ‘My name is… I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’ Always address the customer as Mr or Ms but introduce yourself only by your first name. Ask questions. This is the most important selling skill, and I will be continually reminding you throughout the book. The most successful sales people are the ones who master the skills of finding out by asking questions about exactly what the customer is looking for.

Of course, in many cases customers may be unsure of what they are looking for, but nevertheless the good sales person can help the customer by asking the right questions. For example, for a customer looking for a dishwasher, the sales person could ask the question ‘Are you on a water meter?’, because the customer may not be aware that there are some machines that use less water than others. Consider your own experience of having been frustrated by a sales person who has endeavoured to sell you something that you didn’t want. If only the sales person had had the courtesy to ask and get a very clear understanding of your requirements, the sale would have taken place smoothly and pleasurably.