Interacting with customers
The following chart contains a good checklist of questions to ask of yourself
after interacting with a customer:
Every greeting or approach to a
customer should begin with a smile.
This sets the mood needed to open
the selling process. It creates a
favourable impression of you and
your company to the customer.It is very important to maintain good
eye contact with the customer at
all times.A smile puts the customer at ease and
encourages them to tell you what their
needs are and what they are interested
in seeing.Periodically mentioning the
customer's name during
conversation and your
presentation is a useful device
in holding the customer's
attention. It can also draw their
attention to particular points.
A smile builds customer confidence in
you and makes them feel that you
are capable of serving their needs.Always watch for 'body language';
i.e., tenseness, facial expression,
eye reactions. This can often give
you unspoken or hidden clues to
the customer's reaction to you,
your company, or your
presentation.
A smile starts the action moving, the
conversation flowing and involves the
customer in your presentation.Never 'dump on the competition.' It
injects a negative tone to the
meeting. If the customer has
been dealing with the
competition, indirectly you are
insulting their intelligence.
At first meeting, a firm, positive
handshake is an important part of
reinforcing a feeling of confidence
in the customer towards you and
your company.Always stick to selling the features,
benefits, and strengths of your
program. Presented positively and
with confidence, this can be your
best selling feature.Actual interactions with customers are never exactly like the textbook illustrations.
However, you will encounter many of the situations illustrated in this section
during actual selling situations.