Did you ever watch a salesman on aapproach stand trying to “put his foot in mouth”? Let me ask you this question, “Do you pay more attention to or less attention to what is going on with that person?”
Having been in sales for my sales career, I can tell you that I sure paid more attention to what others were wearing. At first on theapproach have you ever noticed someone try to sell you something by walking around talking freely and not having any particular agenda?It kind of just makes you think that they are a busy ordinary person. You know what I am talking about. They are talking with you about anything and everything but they do have one thing in common. They have no real expectation of a customer buying anything from them or even listening to what you are saying. There is no reason to talk like that when you are trying to meet with your potential customer or have someone purchase from you. You need to assess your first impression every time you engage with anyone be it social or business.
What do I mean about a first impression? Here is how the first impressions are made.
- Speak quietly with diction, your speaking will not be necessary it is going to sound garbled or mumbling. Putting it into your mouth will portray the image of someone who does not want to be heard or someone who is someone who does not want ogthank them.
Tip: Being careful to speak slowly will give you a better pace.
- scans also known as 10 second scanning makes you freeze. It makes you look like a deer in a headlights. Not thinking on your feet or not thinking you can build rapport with your customer. Your scan happens like you are thinking of what you are going to say next instead of what your customer is asking.
Tip: You do not have to say everything right away and do not feel as if you have got to sell them everything. As the conversation progresses take some time to ask you question or tell them your story. This will give you time to think with the customers mind tell them that you are a real human who wants to help them improve their relationship with their end user.
- also known as “nagapoker” scan your customers phone book and laptop or file cabinets looking for nuggets of good contacts or business opportunities. Your conversations are going to be dominated with stories of how you were able to help others and received great results in return.
Tip: Do not make the mistake of being over excited. I know we have all heard the saying “One man’s pain is another man’s gain”. Have you ever met someone who has the audacity to tell you that he was a sales representative and your whole conversation revolved around his great book of prospects? Maybe you are thinking what do they have to eat, or are put off by what they do. Am NOT going to approach them you need to keep your focus. You need to listen more then talking with them. The more they talk the more you will learn about their dreams and goals and what makes them tick.
Tip: ventilation is key. Imagine for a second that your customer is in front of you and that you are not looking at them. How would you sit? How would you act? How would you speak? Would you just tell them you have accepted your sale or start telling them what you want? I am going to tell you right now that I have a secret. Just keep speaking to your customer, do not interrupt them. Rather ask some of great questions like, Is dominate the sale or free gifts? Do you want engraved pens, calendars, business cards, travel mugs, or do you want a free shipping lanyards? This will let you determine if they are in the market now or they are a prospect and do not let the greeting get out of control.
- Just like how you have checked your appearance in the mirror before you walk out the door, I believe you need to check the first impression before you connect with anyone. Just this week I had a prospect that had a first impression that just did not work. She tried to “get the sale” rather was trying to “make a contact”. See the picture? To avoid the 5 others I wanted to help determine what to focus on first and then how to follow up. I knew her approach was a bit egotistical and her body language was a bit lacking. This showed up right away with her body language not engaging the prospect or me, I decided to just let it go for the situation and see what the outcome would be.
Find out what works for you and let your actions attract success minded clients to you. Take the time to adjust your approach, if you are too fast and do not allow a conversation then you could possibly drive away prospects.