Everybody knows that relationships are the cornerstone to success in sales, especially in these times. The stronger the relationship, the greater the chance of repeat business, referrals and not just staying in business, but thriving! That’s why Sam King, founder of From Fear To Mindful, has put together some tips to help you strengthen the relationship between you and your clients.
1- Don’t Rush It!
The last thing a customer wants is an overly eager salesperson rushing to them as they walk through the door or shouting at them as they show interest in a product.
Take the time to gracefully welcome them to your store making them feel at ease with your presence. It takes time for people to get used to their surroundings and as sales professionals it’s our job to accommodate that.
Extra For Experts – People buy and make decisions in their time, not ours. It’s important to remember that when strengthening the relationship.
For the perfect meet and greet download the 13 Tools to Double Your Sales with Half the Stress with the link below.
2 – Not Acting Butt-Hurt When A Customer Doesn’t Buy
Not everybody is going to buy from you straight away. I know it’s not nice, but it’s true. Here’s what you should do when you close the deal and get the ‘We need to think about it’ line.
When you close the deal (which you need to be doing every time when appropriate) and they say they “need to think about it”, do this:
“Sure, let me write everything down for you so you have all the information”. This acknowledges the objection and makes sure your customer is feeling heard and understood.
Then write all information down for the customer not leaving anything out, price, colour, sizes the whole caboodle. This gives pure transparency, proves you’re not hiding anything and that you care about your customers’ needs.
As you give it to them, ask them “What was it you had to think about?” in an inquisitive yet non-demanding manner.
This will allow them to open up and give you their objections that’s stopping them from moving forward with the sale.
As a professional salesperson you should love to hear objections as they are buying signals and all you have to do is overcome them.
If it is down to simply size or colour, the ‘Subject To’ close is perfect for nailing the sale down.
“Just so you’re aware, we can take an order subject to and you can call to confirm the sizes when you get home. If it fits, great, if not we can look at something else or offer you a full refund. At least this way you don’t have to come back into store as we can refund you over the phone or we can take the balance over the phone too”
(You can order samples subject too and give the customer a few days to make a decision)
Then wait for their reply.
If they go for it, great, if not:
Them: “We still need to think about it”
You: “Yeah of course, would you mind if I took your phone number and gave you a call in a few days to see how you were getting on?”
Then call them in a few days (2-3 minimum so you don’t look pushy) and try to close them over the phone.
If they don’t give you their number then still provide them with all the information for them to make a decision in their own time and send them on their way with love letting the universe do its work.
The amount of people that have tapped salespeople on the back of the shoulder during a busy saturday and pulled out the card and said ‘We want to go for this please’ is staggering. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere, a £5,000 is on the books with what looks like little to no effort, unbeknown to others the level of work they had put in weeks prior.
This is the strength of holding your nerve and not acting on impulse and keeping your cool.
This is what makes the elite salespeople different from the rest.
For the perfect closing technique Download 13 Tools to Double Your Sales with Half the Stress with the link below.
3 – The 3 Stages Of Branding
Many companies do the first 2 stages of branding but forget about the other 33%.
These are the “Pre” and “During” stages of the sale, but what about “Post” sale?
It’s all well and good engaging your clients to get them in and providing them with great service to get the sale, but what about once the product has been delivered to them and the sale has been completed?
The most successful companies offer a “Post” branding reward to make their clients feel appreciated by their business. This could be anything from a box of chocolates, a voucher or even a hand signed letter from the CEO thanking them for their loyalty.
I know of one company in the UK that provides their own bottle of gin to entice their friends and family to shop with them too, genius right?
These little nuances make all the difference when strengthening the relationship. What can you offer your clients to make your company stand out from the rest and ensure that your company is used time after time and is referred to? Don’t make the mistake of thinking that people will automatically refer you. It sounds harsh, but that is an entitlement mentality and you will suffer for it long term.
Download 13 Tools to Double Your Sales with Half the Stress with the link below for the perfect referral strategy that will increase your sales.
Every year we take a select few furniture retailers and help them generate One Million in additional sales (above current pace) in 2 years or less, guaranteed. 75% of the fee is linked to results.
Book a Strategy Session here to apply and to see whether we’re a good fit working together and to see if I can crush it for you!
