“People everywhere want to succeed in business and need to know how to be persuasive and behave appropriately. Everyone should learn to sell! ABC’s of Selling with Etiquette is easy to read, very understandable and full of valuable information.” —Dale Brakhage
What people in the know are saying about ABC’s of Selling with Etiquette:
“This novel approach to selling, … is one of the best ideas since sliced bread! It reminds me of the excitement I experienced while teaching salesmanship to my first group of high school marketing students.” —Fred R. Braswell, 2008 National Career and Technical Education Administrator of the Year
“Dale Brakhage and Edie Hand are the perfect ones to take you on an easy reader ride to success! They use the simple alphabet to help you learn the skills and manners to sell anything!” —Wanda McKoy, Eastern Region Representative, American Advertising Federation
“This book makes wonderful psychological sense—appealing to the psychologist that I am.” — Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Author of “Complete Idiots Guide to a Healthy Relationship”
“… a refreshing approach to selling … simple strategy guarantees success to any business or sales associate that practices his ABC's. … reminds us that selling can be lots of fun.” —Kathy Beall, Executive Director, Alabama Jewelers Association
“Edie Hand knows the real recipes in life for success… I believe that doing little things over a long period of time makes a difference in love and friendship.” —Zig Ziglar, author and motivational speaker – quote from Recipes for Life by Edie Hand
ABC’s of Selling
with
Etiquette
by
Dale Brakhage & Edie Hand
Published by Canterbury House Publishing, Ltd.
www.canterburyhousepublishing.com
at Smashwords
© 2010 by Dale Brakhage and Edie Hand
All rights reserved
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author copyright page.
Dedication
Foreword by Achievement Coach Greg Kilgore
Introduction: How this book works for you
Dedication
Remember the very first time someone asked you to actually sell something? It was probably for a school fund-raiser. This book is dedicated to all students who, with no sales training whatsoever, have tried to sell candy bars, cookies, cleaning stuff, magazines, light bulbs or anything else for their school, band, scout troop or club.
It is also dedicated to all the parents, neighbors and friends who bought that stuff, not because they needed it, not because the students were good at selling, but because they love those students
It is especially dedicated to life’s “persuaders,” people who work in jobs where persuasiveness equals success: parents, teachers, preachers, politicians, lawyers, managers and especially salespeople.
Good selling!
By Achievement Coach Greg Kilgore
Whether you are just starting-out in business or you are a seasoned sales professional, the format and straight-forward language of ABCs of Selling with Etiquette makes this book the ideal primer for a student of business or a budding sales associate, as well as, an efficient resource book and refresher for seasoned sales professionals. Likewise, sales managers and business education instructors can leverage the format, concise presentation of concepts, and basic language of the book for the professional development of call center teams, salesforces, and business classes.
What do you think of when you hear the terms “sales,” “salesperson,” and “selling?” As an Achievement Coach, I advise and coach people for professional productivity, business growth, and personal empowerment. As such, I have a lot of occasions to hear what people from all walks of life think about “selling” and “sales.” More often than not, the value of the function of selling and the role of salespeople in our lives is misunderstood and often taken for granted.
In the ABCs of Selling with Etiquette, we will learn that selling is undeniably a function of communication necessary for every successful venture in industries, communities, national and international economies, civic life, and even personal relationships. A sales professional serves a vital role that is incalculably valuable and even a noble and honorable commitment to our way of life. You will come to realize that “selling” is presentation, organization, persuasion, and effectiveness that goes far beyond just trying to get others to buy products or services. As you read ABCs of Selling with Etiquette, you have an opportunity to re-discover the value and meaning of terms, such as, “selling,” “sales,” “salesperson,” and “customer.” Together we learn that “selling” is actually a form of communication not only between buyers and vendors, but also between professionals, colleagues, friends, and family.
Who do you know whose livelihood doesn’t depend upon a salesperson in their company or organization to sell or promote a product or service to generate revenue? Do we not all endorse, even embrace, that living in a capitalist democracy requires productivity, production, sales, revenue, profits, and paychecks? The world continues to turn, so to speak, because many of us earnestly spend many hours of our lives in dedicated service to the provision of quality services or the production of quality goods for the benefit of our families, friends, neighbors, countrymen, and citizens of our global community. Each of us can acknowledge that there is not an aspect of your lifestyle that isn’t a product or service that you purchased and were sold in order to sustain your quality of life… Products and services. Sales. Selling. Sold.
Not only does ABCs of Selling with Etiquette recommend essential “selling” strategies and methods for expressing yourself and your ideas, but ABCs of Selling with Etiquette also emphasizes a dimension of sales that is often neglected, the human-to-human conscientious courtesy of “business etiquette.” Merging selling tactics and the practice of better human relations through business etiquette will help you learn to listen with intent and empathy, express and demonstrate respect for others with appropriate protocols and manners, better manage and present your ideas, work efficiently to achieve goals and objectives, communicate effectively, and ultimately create mutually-valuable and appreciated transactions of exchange between people.
The ABCs of Selling with Etiquette guides us to identify, practice, and adopt behaviors and to create habits that help us be effective in how we relate to others, our communications, and how we create value between people. Let’s discover together that sales is not “someone trying to sell you something” or “you trying to get someone to buy your product.” Rather, selling is genuine and authentic communication between people to create symbiotic relationships and achieve mutually-appreciated exchanges of value and satisfaction.
-- Achievement Coach Greg Kilgore, http://www.gregkilgore.com
How this book works for you
Selling touches everything around us. Can you see an object near you that has never been sold? Unless you made it yourself, probably not. We are all involved in buying and selling. Selling includes persuading others to accept you and choose your ideas. You constantly persuade other people to “buy” what you are “selling.” The more persuasive you are, the more you get what you want out of life.
The purpose of this book is to de-mystify selling and improve your confidence when you sell. When you understand the essential concepts of how selling works, the mystery of selling disappears. If you take away the mystery, the stress of selling goes away. In every type of sale, certain events happen: An item or an idea is offered. When the seller and buyer agree on its value, then the buyer pays the seller and the buyer accepts ownership. From soup spoons to super computers, the essential concepts of selling apply.
This book assigns one concept of selling to each of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet—a simple structure we know well and recall instantly. That makes the concepts easier to remember. You do not have to use all twenty-six concepts every time you want to sell something! Just as you choose the right few letters of the alphabet to spell different words, you choose the best few sales concepts to make different sales. Every selling situation is unique. Use only the sales concepts you need to make that sale.
The chapters of this book are short and easy to read. This book de-mystifies selling by explaining in simple language what selling is and how selling works. This book also presents essentials of etiquette which make up the professional behavior buyers expect from salespeople. Knowing how to act in selling situations increases your confidence, makes you more persuasive and helps you sell more.
If you start reading the book from chapter “A is for Ask,” then the first time a concept appears in the book, it is in CAPITAL LETTERS to help you discover of the concepts of selling as you read along. For example, the concept, QUESTIONS, appears in that first chapter… You can turn immediately to the chapter “Q is for Questions” to learn about the concept. Feel free to skip around—learning about related concepts instead of reading chapters in order. What you want to learn (and when you want to learn it) is more important than the order of the chapters. Read the chapters in any order you like. The important thing is for you to learn.
This book moves quickly from topic to topic to prevent boredom. Like a sports car shifting gears in a race, the topics change quickly, moving you from sales to etiquette to insights and back to sales. The shifts are just enough to offer your brain a fresh re-start and a new perspective from section to section. Considering things from different perspectives helps you remember them.
These concepts are designed to be read and read again for review and reinforcement. Skills develop through practice and study. To receive the most benefit from the concepts in this book, read the concepts several times. Try using the concepts that make the most sense to you first. When you are comfortable using those, add another one. When you understand them, try using them in different combinations to see what works best for you. Work to fit one more concept into your selling every day. As you sell more, selling becomes fun. The more essential concepts you use, the more persuasive you will be. You sell more, you persuade others over to your way of thinking, you earn more money and you win recognition for your success. Get the essential concepts right, and all the rest falls into place. Watch your sales and your income grow as you become a skilled seller!
is for Ask“Ask and they will buy,” versus, “Don’t ask, don’t sell.”
Asking is an important part of every sale. Asking can be as simple as a gasoline pump flashing “Carwash? Yes or No” on a tiny video screen before it prints your receipt. On the other hand, asking can be as complicated as a contract hundreds of pages long used to sell the Navy a new aircraft carrier. In both cases, the seller asks, “Will you buy this?
Asking connects you to another person. Everyday, people pass right by you without making direct contact. When you ask someone a QUESTION, however, you make a connection. You capture that person’s attention. For the moment, they focus on you. When you, as a seller, ask a buyer to give you something in exchange for whatever you are selling, you establish a link. Then it is up to that other person to answer your question. They can say YES or NO, or they can say maybe. They can even ignore you, but for a moment, you have their attention. They are now connected to you.
They are thinking about you because you asked them a question. It is that simple. When you ask someone a question, you connect. It does not matter if what you are selling is expensive or cheap. Your question can be ordinary such as “You want fries with that?” On the other hand, it may be life changing such as “Will you marry me?” Whatever you are asking, when you ask, they respond. Asking a question starts it all.
Asking is fundamental to selling. Do you agree that, if all else is equal, a salesperson who asks 10 CUSTOMERS to buy something will sell more than a salesperson who asks only five customers? Yes, they will, every time, because selling is a numbers game. Ask more; sell more. Not only is it important to ask many people, it is important to ask every customer you see to buy your product. It is easy to become involved in nice conversations with your customers and get distracted away from selling. Remember why you are there, to sell something, and remember to ask every customer to buy today. You sell more by asking more customers to buy whatever you are selling.
How you ask is important. Be polite. Be direct, and before you ask, make certain you give your customer a good reason to say yes. On the next page are three examples of how to ask a customer to buy something. The basic selling situation in this example is how most of us made our first sale, so it is an appropriate starting point.
Four elementary school students are selling candy bars door-to-door to raise money for their school. The first student just asks, “Do you WANT to buy a candy bar?” The second student says, “Hi. I am selling candy bars for my school. Would you please buy one from me today?” The third student says, “Mrs. Jones, my teacher at school really needs a new computer, and if we all sell 30 candy bars, we can buy her one right away. They are one dollar each. Would you like to buy two or three?” The fourth student sits at home and plays video games.
The first student will sell some candy bars if he asks enough neighbors. Most people do not sit around waiting to buy candy bars, but enough people like candy, so he will sell some. The second student will sell more than the first, because people who like candy will see a chance to help her school. She gave them a reason to buy. The third student will sell even more. He pleasantly and quickly explained why he is selling and what he is selling. He gives customers a chance to help him, his teacher and his school. They even get candy out of the deal! Did you notice that he asked them to buy MORE, two or three candy bars? He understands selling! Of course, the fourth student did not sell any because he did not try.
Before a customer will buy your product or SERVICE, they must understand what they are buying and what the PRICE will be. You present those details in a conversation before you ask them to buy.
It makes sense, does it not, to tell customers what the product and price are before you ask them to buy? Asking them to buy usually comes at the end. In a sales presentation, asking the customer to buy is “The Close.” You “close” your selling presentation by asking them to buy. Look at these examples of questions you can use to ask customers to buy. They are quite different, but they all get to the same point, “Please buy.”
- Would you like to buy this now?
- Would you prefer a red one or a blue one?
- Can I wrap this up for you?
- Will that be cash or credit card?
Some closing questions work better than others, but all of them work better than not asking. Put two salespeople on a street selling cookies. One of them just stands there saying nothing and the other asks everyone, “You wouldn’t want to buy some of these today, would you?” The asker will sell more cookies, guaranteed. Since he asks a question, he connects with people. Some of them will buy his cookies, even if he is not asking as effectively as he possibly can.
At first, some people feel uncomfortable about selling. They feel uncomfortable asking directly of people to buy something. This is common and is more a fear of the unknown than a fear of selling. The unknown is what the customer is going to say. They may say yes, or they may say no. They may say maybe. You need to realize right now that saying yes, no or maybe is basically all they can do. So, what is there to be afraid of? Nothing, really.
Professional salespeople realize that more people are going to say “no” than “yes.” (Realistically, if all customers said “yes” all the time, then there would be no need for salespeople! Every business would sell everything it could make. That never happens, so salespeople will always have jobs.)
The best salespeople know this. The more people they ask, the more often they will hear yes. They will also hear no many times, but that is okay. Salespeople understand that many people say no. That is just the way it goes in selling. When you are selling, remind yourself often that every “no, thank you,” brings you closer to hearing the next “yes, I’ll buy that.” Train yourself to expect “yes” on every call. At the same time, do not allow the word “no” to disappoint you. Do not take “no” personally, it is simply part of the process of selling.
You can learn something from all your customers, the ones that buy and the ones who do not buy. After each sales call you make, take a moment to think about what happened. How did the customers react to what you said? As you evaluate your selling, you will discover that some words sell better than others do. Use them again. Experiment with the way you present your products and ask for the sale. As more customers say “yes” keep revising your questions to make them more effective.
Note: There is a big difference between selling and order-taking. For example, when you bring your groceries to the checkout line in a grocery store, the grocery clerk does not ask you if you want to purchase. She understands that you want to pay the marked price for those goods. Order-taking is simply taking money from customers that have already decided to buy. Salespeople can certainly take an order, but that is not really selling. Selling is persuading others to buy from you. The following 25 chapters in this book contain other essential concepts of selling that will make you more persuasive and better at selling.
Etiquette Essentials
The Value of Etiquette and Greetings
As you read before, what makes many people uncomfortable about selling is the fear of the unknown. That is a very common feeling! Not knowing what will happen next makes most people uncomfortable. That is why society invented etiquette. Etiquette, or manners, is a set of expectations that most people share in given situations. Etiquette makes people feel comfortable around new people in new situations. When you ”mind your manners” you are making other people around you feel more comfortable. When that happens, they are much more likely to buy from you. You are much more likely to persuade them to your way of thinking.
An essential of etiquette, is how you greet people… How you address people the very first time each day, sets the tone for the rest of your discussions. If they know you well or if they have never met you, it is up to you to make them feel comfortable with you. Use the following steps to greet people, and they will want to listen to you.
First, always be pleasant. Before the other person can hear you or see you, make a conscious decision to project your best image. Here is how to do that: Take a deep breath to calm yourself, put a smile on your face, stand up straight and think to yourself, “This conversation is going to go well.” This only takes half a second, but it is very important. If you appear nervous or negative to the other person, they will immediately put up defenses before they listen to you.
Respect a person’s personal space. We each have a “comfort zone” of space around ourselves, and it is different for each person. If you walk up too close to anyone the first time you meet them, then they will feel uncomfortable and back away. They will not want to talk to you. Stay at least an arm’s length away, and watch them carefully to see how close they want you to be. If they are interested in what you are saying, they can move closer to you if they want.
Be friendly. The old saying goes, “If you want to have friends, be a friend.” Smile and say something friendly like, “Good morning,” or “Hello, thank you for meeting with me.” Speak directly to the person and look right into their eyes as you speak.
Speak respectfully. Leave out any slang or trendy expressions like: “What’s up?” “How ya doin’?” “Mornin.” “Hey, Man.” Addressing people formally is a sign of respect. It shows them that you are being serious about talking with them. In business, unless you already know someone very well, address the person using a title. Use “mister,” “misses,” “miss,” “doctor,” etc., in front of the last name
Here are some examples:
“Hello, Mister Baker.”
“Good morning, Misses Strong.”
“Nice to meet you, Doctor Taylor.”
One of the most comforting sounds we can hear is our own name. If you know the other person’s name and know how to pronounce it correctly, then say their name. It makes people feel comfortable around you. If you are not sure how to pronounce their name correctly, then just use a greeting like those above.
You may not be accustomed to using formal greetings. For a while, they were going out of style, but now they are making a classy comeback. Using them sets you apart from the crowd and shows the other person you are a respectful, serious person. Addressing someone properly takes only a moment, but it is very important. In a very short time, you make the other person feel comfortable about you. You seem pleasant, respectful and friendly to them, so they will probably listen to what you have to say next.
When you address people that you already know, use the same technique, but use their first name. People will tell you when it is okay to use their first name. That is a good sign that you have established a relationship with that person and that they are beginning to trust you.
A Different Perspective: Selling Happens Everywhere!
Professional salespeople earn their living by selling their company’s products. Politicians win elections by selling the public on voting for them. Religious leaders grow their groups by selling people on believing in a particular way. Single people get dates by selling other people on the idea of going out with them. When two people like each other enough, they sell each other on the idea of getting married. Parents sell their ideas of how to live a happy and productive life to their children. Friends go to a particular movie or restaurant after someone in the group sells the others on the idea. As you can see, “selling” goes on all the time. In fact, you have been selling all your life, even if you did not realize it. Everyone sells!
Anytime you try to persuade another person that you have a valuable idea, you are selling. That is much different from the picture in most people’s minds when you mention selling: A slick, pushy, fast talking salesman in a plaid sports coat trying to sell beat up cars to anybody who happens to walk by his used car lot! Only a small percentage of people sell products professionally. Most people “sell” every day as amateurs. They are the ones persuading students, friends, voters, congregations, children, etc., to believe in the VALUE of their ideas.
For those of you who are already professional salespeople, this book is a quick-and-easy-review of the essential behaviors that make sales happen. Professional salespeople know that a regular review of the essentials can keep their selling skills sharp. Since you have not seen the essentials presented in this format before, this unique presentation will be an interesting review for you.
If you are like most people, this book will open your eyes to how selling works and show you how to be more persuasive. Most people can see big positive changes in their lives from applying these essential concepts. Please recommend this book to as many of those people as you can. They will thank you for it. Now it is time to learn another concept!
is for BenefitsFacts tell. Benefits sell.
Facts are what your product is. Benefits are what other people believe your product does for them. Benefits are much stronger in selling than facts. Why is that true? Because people buy things after they believe in the benefits, not before. The moment people believe that something, anything, will provide a benefit for them, they begin to want it. When they want something enough, they buy it. Facts tell; benefits sell.
We buy things for what the product can do for us. We buy light bulbs for the benefit of seeing after dark. We buy trashcans for the benefit of not having stinky trash all over our house. We buy coffee for the benefit of waking up and feeling alert. We buy insurance for the benefit of feeling secure about the future.
We buy gasoline, not because of these facts: It is poisonous, smells terrible and can easily explode, but because of this benefit: It fuels our cars so we have the freedom to travel wherever and whenever we want to go! The facts about gasoline do not make anyone want to buy it. It is the benefit gasoline provides that makes us buy it. We will keep buying it, even though the price goes higher and higher, until there is some other convenient way for us to travel.
Here is a comparison of facts and benefits: Consider a cell phone...
Do you see the difference between facts and benefits? Facts just tell about something. Facts are all about your product. Benefits, on the other hand, are all about your customer. Benefits show how your customer’s life will be better! When you are the customer buying a product, are you interested in it, or what it will do for you?
To discover the benefits of your product or service, state a fact about it and then ask, “So what does this do to help the customer?” An even easier way is to ask, “So what?” In the cell phone example above, the first fact was, “It is small.” So what? You can carry it with you easily and stay in touch with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. As you can see, a benefit answers the ”So what?” for a fact. Remember, a benefit explains to customers what the product does for them.
To sell anything as quickly as possible, always describe the benefits to your customer. Put yourself in your buyer’s place for a moment, JOIN their world and imagine what challenges that customer must face. Ask them what they want the product to do for them. They will tell you. That is your chance to explain to the customer how your product’s benefits match what the customer just said. As you describe the benefits, describe how your product helps the customer solve problems and be happier. When you are talking about benefits, you are talking about your customer instead of your product. It is all about them. Customers will appreciate your help.
To be more persuasive, always follow a fact with a benefit. Explain what good things the product will do. If your customer agrees, they will want to buy your product. A thousand facts might not make a customer want to buy your product. One good benefit will.
Here is an example of selling with benefits: A customer just entered a cell phone store and was greeted by a salesperson. The customer said he wanted to buy a new cell phone. Some salespeople would immediately start showing the customer different phones. The smart salesperson, however, will focus on the customer first. She will talk more about the customer then cell phones. She asks the customer, “What did your old phone do for you that you really liked?”
In this case, the customer says he likes how he can talk a long time without recharging the battery, and he likes how he can make calls from almost anywhere. Those are two important benefits; so any new phone the salesperson shows should have a long-lasting battery and great reception.
Then the salesperson asks, “Is there anything you’d like your new phone to do that your old phone couldn’t?” The customer replies, “Yes, I like to check my e-mail from my new phone.”
By asking two short questions, the smart salesperson has learned important benefits that the customer wants in a new phone. Right away, she can show the customer several models that provide those benefits. The customer is glad the salesperson is not wasting his time, and he is much more likely to buy a phone that can do the things he wants.
Etiquette Essentials
Business Cards
Everyone in business should have their own business cards. That is a fact. We will get to the benefits of business cards in a moment. A business card is about three inches wide and two inches tall. Printed on one side of the card are your name, your title (what you do), your organization and how you can be reached. The best business cards are simple and designed to remind people about you. Businesspeople keep files of business cards from people that they may want to do business with in the future. A file of business cards serves the same purpose as your e-mail contacts list. It represents people you have met in person. Keep other people’s cards in alphabetical order as you collect them to find them quickly later.
It is good business manners to take your business cards with you all the time. When you meet a new person with whom you are doing business for the first time, hand the person one of your cards. Say, “Here is my card. May I have one of yours?” Most business people are happy to exchange cards with you. They now have your contact information. That is a fact. So what? A benefit of giving them your business card is this: You have just made it easy for them to contact you when they are ready to do business.
It is also good business manners to leave one of your cards behind if you attempt to visit someone who is away or unavailable. Give your card to the secretary or receptionist and ask them to please give it to the person you came to see. You just made it easy for that receptionist to pass your information along. Some people call business cards “calling cards” for just that reason.
Most people consider it poor manners to write notes on your business cards. If you want to leave someone a note, write it on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your business card with a paper clip. You should never write notes on someone else’s card while you are meeting with them. After your meeting, when they are gone, you can make notes on their card if you like. For example, always write the date you met with that person. That can be a very useful piece of information for you. Believe it or not, it is easy for weeks and months to go by without calling someone you intended to get back to right away.
Some businesses provide elaborate cards for their employees. These cards have color photographs and a company logo (their identifying symbol). Some even have products printed on the back. They want their card to grab attention. That is fine, but most business cards are straight-forward and simple with a blank back.
Having business cards, and knowing how and when to use them are signs of a professional businessperson. If you are a student, it is perfectly acceptable to have business cards made with your name, your school, and your contact information. For your title, print “Student.”
Business cards provide a benefit to everyone you meet. Those people can now easily remember you and contact you in the future. In business, it is often not who you know but who knows you, that brings you opportunities for success. Make it easy for people to remember you with business cards!
When trying to be helpful, focus on the little things.
-- Edie Hand
is for CustomersSelling would be so easy if we could do it without all those customers!
Successful selling is all about customers. Here is the most important point about selling. The product you want to sell is not the most important thing. The most important thing is what your customers want your product to do for them. When they believe your product has benefits for them, they will buy it.
Where do you find customers? They are everywhere. To find your customers, just put yourself in their place. For example, if you are selling jewelry, think to yourself, “Where would I be if I wanted to buy jewelry?” The answer is obvious, in a jewelry store. To sell jewelry, you set up a jewelry store. If you are selling hot dogs, you can find hungry customers at baseball parks, city corners at lunchtime, etc. If you are selling the latest incredible kitchen gadget, you can find millions of customers watching their TVs late at night, so run a TV infomercial. If you are selling candy for your school organization, your customers are your friends and neighbors in your neighborhood.
Your next question is, “How would I want to be treated if I were a customer?” The answer to that question is a little tougher. Not all customers want to be treated the same, but they all want friendly service. They all want to be appreciated, and they all want to receive respect. They absolutely all want fairness and HONESTY, and they all want to get the best value for their money.
All sales begin at the beginning with the FIRST IMPRESSION. Salespeople have three seconds to make a positive first impression. Three seconds is all it takes for a customer to decide whether or not they like you. To create a good first impression, have a neat appearance and smile! Greet customers with ENTHUSIASM and warmth. The customer will glance at you and make an immediate judgment based on your appearance and your attitude (your apparent desire to be of service). This immediate judgment by customers is the best reason salespeople should always dress for success. Always wear your nicest clothes and your best attitude to work.
The best salespeople immediately greet customers in a friendly manner and, at the same time, evaluate every customer’s response to the greeting. You can see right away whether or not a customer wants personal attention. Pay attention to the customer’s body language. If this new customer moves toward you and begins a conversation with you, it is safe to stay closer. If the customer moves away from you with a gesture or an unresponsive reply, it is better for you to give them their space. Be ready to assist that customer when they indicate they want your help.
No two customers act alike. You can never predict how a customer will act by their appearance. You cannot judge a book by its cover, and you cannot judge a customer by their clothes. Today, millionaires dress like homeless people, and homeless people dress like millionaires. It is a big mistake to assume how much someone can pay by how they dress. Instead, treat all new customers the same. Try to sell everyone until it is clear they cannot afford your product. This is also true when you are selling to businesses. In tough economic times, many businesses look fine from the street, but they are broke. Never underestimate their ability to buy, but never deliver the product until you have done a credit check or received your payment in advance!
Without customers, there would be no sales. Everything salespeople say or do should focus on what the customer wants. Incredibly, however, many salespeople focus on themselves! They are more concerned with selling their product than they are with what customers want. These salespeople focus on what they think about the customer rather than what the customer thinks about them. Customers do not respect these “pushy” salespeople. Self-centered salespeople sell less than “customer-oriented” salespeople do. Customers want you to care more about them and less about yourself.
We started this chapter with the most important point in selling. The most important thing in selling is not your product, it is what the customer wants your product to do for them! Before you say anything or show any product to a customer, think to yourself, “What does this customer want?” Obviously, if you do not know what that customer wants, you need to ask. In the chapter on questions, you will find tips on exactly how to ask a customer what they want. Once you know what the customer wants, you can share the product’s benefits that match the customer’s wants.
It takes much more work to gain a new customer than it does to keep an old customer. Old customers, regular customers and repeat customers, are the foundation of any business. On the average, 80% of any business comes from 20% of the customers. That is the 80/20 Rule of sales, and it highlights how important repeat customers are for you.
Repeat customers should be treated with more attention and faster response than new customers. Be careful! Sometimes it is easy to take your repeat customers for granted. Do not let that happen. Remember, other salespeople are doing their best to turn your repeat customers into their new customers!
Here is one last thing about customers. Everyone agrees that people who trade their money for your product are customers. Life, however, is about so much more than that! Everyone is a customer.
Everyone has something to give you, and you should treat everyone like a customer. Your parents and your children have respect they can give you, or not; treat them like customers. Your spouse has love he/she can give you, or not; treat your spouse like a customer. Your co-workers have help and support they can provide you, or not; better treat them like customers! Your mail carrier, your barber, your garbage man, waiters in restaurants, etc., can all provide you with excellent service, or not; treat them as you would a customer to get great service. Even your pets can give you love and attention, or not. Please be certain to treat your pets like customers! How much better would this world be if all its leaders treated their people and other countries like customers?
Etiquette Essentials
Conversation
To be persuasive and good at sales you need to be good at conversation. A conversation is an exchange of information between two people. Do you remember the most important thing about selling? The same principle applies to conversation. The most important thing in a conversation is not what you have to say, it is what the other person says and what he/she believes about what you said. Follow these simple skills, and people will want to have conversations with you, and they will tend to believe what you say.
When you have a conversation with someone, make them the focus of your universe. Concentrate your attention on them. Look at them. Look them right in the eyes. You can tell a lot about what a person is saying from watching their eyes. If you are watching their eyes, they can watch yours too. They can see that you are paying complete attention to what they have to say. That makes people comfortable sharing information with you.