Article 2: Creating a lasting legacy with your customer
Today I am going to offer some valuable insight into creating a lasting legacy within your customer. As a sales professional it is vital to have the ability to connect with your customer and establish a bond of trust. Over the past few years I’ve written many articles with the sole purpose of connecting you with your customer, opening the lines of communication and creating an obligation to become your customer for life. When you are able to mix these skills, along with product knowledge and sales training, something magical happens between you and your customer. The walls of fear and doubt suddenly begin to disappear as your customer has now entrusted you with their loyalty and business.
By mastering these skills, future sales become easy and almost effortless as you are able to quickly sell repeat customers and efficiently take care of their needs. This is a new avenue to become an effective closer without all the selling skills and trickery used in the past. There are still some sales professionals that choose to sell the old way, but many are turning to a more effective method in connecting with the customer.
Lets assume that you have mastered these skills and are satisfying your customers’ needs. You appear to have reached the pinnacle of your sales career. Then one of your customers walks into your store and goes straight to the first sales associate they meet to buy a gift for their spouse. What happened? Why did this customer not ask for you? As a sales professional you did everything right! You created a great environment, served them well and made their shopping experience easy. The answer is that you did do your job well by creating an environment that they are comfortable enough to come back into. The bottom line is that you did not create a legacy with your customer that is held together by the bond of loyalty.
As a sales professional we have all experienced this frustrating scenario. Sure we are happy that the customer returned to shop, but inside it feels like a loss because our time, effort and energy seemed to have been wasted. I want to take a moment and say that I am all for sharing with teammates and co-workers. There is no place for selfishness and greed in the work environment. However, there is a way to create a legacy with your customer that will make them remember you in their time of need. Today I will share with you the legacy that I create within my customers that has set me apart from the crowd.
It all starts with creating a unique experience for your customer. I call it a Show-Time Experience! The truth is that customers are used to coming into a store and receiving the same old sales pitch and tactics. What would happen if you as the sales professional took their experience to a whole new level? Do you think your customer would enjoy their visit even more if you were creating a show-time experience while selling them? You would be giving them something unique and different that would make shopping fun and less painful.
Some of you may be wondering how I create such an experience for my customers? It all starts with the key ingredient of passion and energy within my sales presentation, which is always refreshing to my customers. Many of your customers enter your store with the weight of the world upon their back and you may not even have a clue. They may be suffering a loss, having financial issues or just be down in the dumps. The list could go on and on! So they enter your store low in passion and energy (maybe empty) and here you are filling up their tank for free and making them feel special and good about themselves for a moment. The show-time experience actually allows your customer to escape their issues for a moment and enjoy a fun experience.
In this show-time experience there are many unique things that I try to establish, like making them laugh or smile. I like greeting them with a unique greeting that they were not expecting. Instead of the boring old, “Welcome to our store. My name is Brian. How can I help you?” I come out with something they are not expecting like, “You look like you know exactly what you are looking for!” Most of the times this opens up the lines of communication very easily and the customer appreciates skipping all the formalities. Even if they have absolutely no idea what they want, the door is now open to begin the show. If they say, “I have no idea, let me look,” I will give them a few minutes to relax and follow up with, “It would be too easy if they told you exactly what they wanted, wouldn’t it?” Instant smile or laugh almost every time and the show goes on. For more insight into creating a show-time experience you can visit my web site for the full article at www.moderndayselling.com.
The final concept I will share in creating a legacy within your customer is the key to all my success. It is having the attitude and humble nature of a servant’s heart. When the customer walks through that door I am not just working for my company, I am working for my customer and looking out for their best interest. I do not allow greed and selfishness to operate within my sales presentation and my customers appreciate that. I do not try to maximize the dollar of my sale, but rather maximize the experience of my customer. Take a moment and let that one sink in. Hopefully a little light bulb just went on inside your head. In meeting my customers’ needs it is OK to lose a few dollars today to make 10X the amount in the future. All you have to do is watch my sales during the Holiday Season or with a returning customer. Quick, easy and almost effortless!
In closing, I hope that this article has given you some insight to ponder and help you create a lasting legacy within your customer that will stand the test of time. Last year I received a glimpse of the legacy I have created when I became ill for 8 weeks within a three month period. The amount of love, concern and support that I received from my customers and co-workers assured me that when my time comes to go I will leave a legacy that lasts a long time. I also enjoy receiving e-mail from people I have never met around the world that share how much my insight has helped them in their sales career. These are the wonderful fruits of creating a legacy within people that will stand the test of time.
Next month I will share insight into creating a lasting legacy within your store environment.
Brian Barfield is a two-time published author, worldwide, who specializes in offering fresh new insight in retail sales training. Modern Day Selling offers a unique perspective in teaching sales associates how to reconnect with their customers and how to achieve greater success in their sales career. For more information please visit his website www.moderndayselling.com. Brian also offers in-store sales training and can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com.
