Guest post by:
Ian Parker,
Ian Parker Management Group.
If you asked your customers to rate the purchasing experience with you, what would they say? It costs more to find and make a sale to a new customer in terms of time, advertising, lead generation etc. then from a repeat customer. You want all your customers to become repeat customers!
Does your business have strategies to acquire new customers and to keep them for life? Your goal must be to develop long term customer relationships through building trust and rapport to keep your customers coming back to you and not going to your aggressive competition.
If you give a great experience every time they purchase from you they will be Customers for Life.
Here are 5 Tips to improve YOUR customer's experience:
People like people that are just like them or how they would like to be. People buy from people they like and trust and often pay more to do so. Mirroring, matching, leading and pacing are not old magic tricks, they are essential traits if you want to connect with people you are selling to. Rapport is not about fooling or manipulating your customers, it is about respecting, recognizing and understanding them as individuals.
To influence people different to you - you must act differently, by maximising the sameness and minimising the differences.
Listening is a skill. I always say “Two Ears, One Mouth”, meaning listening twice as much as you talk.
The best listening skill is to listen attentively. Lean forward to face your customer directly and make eye contact. Listen without interruption. Listen as though you are intrigued by your customer's every word, as if they are about to give you the winning “Power Ball Numbers”.
The ability to listen and give your customer that uninterrupted attention when they are speaking is a primary listening skill. In sales it is the most important skill of all, it requires discipline and continual practice. Always listen to understand, not to just simply respond. It is not easy but if you master listening the payoffs will be tremendous.
Don’t be aggressive and pushy, those days are long gone. Customers have changed but sadly most salespeople have not.
To succeed today in sales you have to maintain a polite, friendly, likable manner, paying attention to finding out what the customer’s needs are by asking the right questions and then offering solutions to those needs.
Give the customer your full attention, show them you are interested in their needs. Many salespeople can show interest but the big difference is showing and demonstrating genuine interest. Demonstrating genuine interest is a rare trait in many salespeople, yet it is so valuable.
Sales is a people business, you need to develop people skills and then sales skills, only then will you deliver a great buying experience every time for your customers.
One question… What's the one thing that no other business can offer? What's the one thing only your business has?
Answer is…YOU!
You need to build value in you, your business and your staff!
Don't get comfortable in your business, always be looking for ways to take your customers' eyes off the price. You need to create an advantage over your competition because let's face it, your customers can get what you're selling somewhere else, be it down the road, on the phone or online. So think about it for a moment, why should people buy from you? Other than product or price, WHY!?
The first sale to any customer can be the hardest and most expensive. But it is the second and subsequent sales that are just as important.
Repeat sales are proof you built trust and rapport in the first sale. What you do as a salesperson daily is sell your promises to people in exchange for their money. Your promise is that your product/service will give them benefits or provide a solution to their problem. When they become repeat customers, they are confirming that you delivered on your promises.
A repeat customer is easier to sell to than a new customer, normally it requires less time and effort.
- Do you track your repeat customers?
- Do you remain in touch with customers who have previously done business with you?
If you have satisfied customers, they are happy to give you referrals and referrals are easier to sell to than cold calls. A good referral is nearly sold before they walk in the door, it also saves you time and money looking for the next lead.
Ask confidently, ask politely but always ask. If you have given your customer a memorable purchasing experience, you can ask for referrals. Ask the customer if can you mention their name and assure the customer that for the friend or colleague they are referring there will be no pressure. Also ask them for a video testimonial that you can use on Social Media and your website.
Do you know that the best way for your customers to give you word of mouth testimonials in a competitive market is by giving them an outstanding customer experience time and time again?
Whatever you do in your business ALWAYS +1! What can you do every day just a little bit better? You'll find that by improving what you do every day by just a little bit, will eventually give you fantastic results, awesome team culture and a more structured and easy-to-manage business.
What would you like your business to look like?
Watch the full video interview with Ian Parker on the Powerful Marketers YouTube Channel.
Ian is a valued Sales, Business and Leadership Expert, Mentor and a professional Sales and Business Coach from Australia. Discover his Free Sales Power Course and learn about building relationships, prospecting, following up, handling objections and negotiating.