Really WINNING Over Customers

Three qualities are needed to sell anything in life. They are:

1. STRENGTH.

2. EMOTION.

3. CONFIDENCE.

If you are in sales or taking customer cancellation calls, exercising these three qualities well can help you be more successful.

Your strength will come from the knowledge of your product and the ability to get back up after a fall.

Your emotion will come from your belief, real or feigned, that your product is the best product in its class, and your empathy for the reasons why customers would want to stop using your product and/or to go with a competitor.

Your confidence will come from within; it is something you should demonstrate so that others believe in what you are telling them. If you do not sound confident that you can handle what problems come across your desk, then customers will not have confidence in you.

These three qualities combined are a powerful force. I have seen even the shyest of people exercise all of them! People can really open up when given all the tools they need to do something, like win over customers. Being outgoing and confident are simply qualities of a professional.

Here are some tips that can help you put your strength, emotion, and confidence to work at keeping customers coming your way.

Money ISN'T everything. How many times have you bought something you couldn't afford, or shouldn't have, or was a splurge to "treat" yourself? Do you know of any people who have done so? This is an important thing to remember in sales and customer retention: people will buy things even if they shouldn't. Who REALLY needs half of the things everybody owns?

Ask questions. Get to the bottom of why people are not buying your service. Don't worry, most people love to talk about themselves, and will answer questions asked of them. If you are afraid, just remember, the worst thing that can happen is that they will say no. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Keep it simple. Avoid excessively long or complicated sales pitches. That can confuse or inconvenience callers. Few people will be leaning forward hanging on every word, as they probably just wanted to make a quick call. (It also won't help your call times.)

Know your company. Know your products, services, and public web pages 'in and out'. Know your company's history, office locations, and who's who in your organization.

Feel for real. The sales pitch should many times be part of a natural conversation. It should often be a natural solution or recommendation. Be yourself. Go one level higher: be your BEST self.

Listen, listen, listen. Let the customer talk, hear where they are coming from, empathize, break the ice. Consider emulating somebody you know who seems to truly get along with everybody they meet, and vice versa. You'll find they are often great listeners.

Everybody deserves a second chance. Make two different offers/solutions, maybe even a third at the last minute, before it's all over.

Don't beg for rejection. Be careful of saying "You don't want? do you?" or meekly asking "Can I offer you??" Those are not strong, confident, or emotional statements. Assume the best!

Now that you get the idea, let's put it into specific phrases, so that we have a framework to get started. Here are some examples of strong, emotional, and confident statements to use while making your pitch:

You know, you might like -

I do believe we have?.

Wow, I understand completely how you feel. Let me get you -

I recommend / I'm going to recommend / I would recommend -

Oh! Well, then you should try our -

While these phrases can help you get your offer out there, here are some ways you can sound more "real" while doing so. The last thing you want to do is sound like a robot!

Space your words out. to sound like you're really just then remembering something. Not like you automatically dish out that information all the time. Listening to professional storytellers like Garrison Keillor on the radio, on the internet, or at special events can help you develop your natural speaking style.

Study your recorded calls and try to hear them from the customer's perspective. What can you do better? Everybody can always improve. Be honest with yourself. What are you not doing that you could, and vice versa? Take notes.

Learn when to let go. Respect customers who have reached the point where they definitely don't want your product. If your sales efforts sound true and are not 'overkill', they might respect that in return and come back to you someday. A very bad experience with you will only hurt you and your company.

Stay positive and keep moving! Ignore negative co-workers who can bring you down. Accept that some days will not be the best.

?And the next thing you know, you'll be the best!

If you are interest in leadership theory and practices then you need to visit: http://www.righttolead.com. Diana Liffick is a contributing writer and thinker for our organization. In addition, as a leader you may be interested in http://www.myleadershipsuccess.com.

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