Presentations Should Be A Dialogue Not A Monologue

Telling isn’t selling. If this statement is true, then what is selling? Selling is providing a solution to a problem that the prospect has revealed. The very best way to know the problem is to ask. Selling then is comprised of effective questioning and powerful listening.

In a sales presentation the sales person should only do about thirty percent of the talking and seventy percent of the listening. With each point made about your product or service, ask for the prospects response. Use phrases like, how does that sound? Will that work for you? Can you see the value in that? What do you think? With each question we are soliciting their response and creating a dialogue. When we are discussing the solution with the prospect we are moving comfortably towards the sale.

When a sales person tells a prospect anything, the prospect is evaluating the validity or truthfulness of that statement. When the sales person uses a question to encourage the prospect to reveal what he would have otherwise told the prospect, the prospect believes what he has said and the sales person does not have to sell the prospect on that point.

Practice this principle and watch your sales increase!

Creating An Effective Sales Presentation

Most sales people can hardly wait to tell a new prospect all they know about their products and services. From the moment they first meet the prospect their minds are racing to tell their story.

The most important part of any presentation is to ask the appropriate questions to identify the prospects true needs. To present our product to a prospect before we understand their needs is equivalent to giving "CPR" to a person who has fainted. Once we have identified the prospects needs we are then in a position to present our products as a solution to their problem. When the sales person presents his product as a solution to a problem, he will also be building a strong relationship with the prospect.

Having a product that the prospect may or may not have a need for, or sometime in the future might consider, is the method most sales people use. To present your product as a very specific solution to a very real need (expressed by the prospect) gives you a position of strength. People are more interested in how problems can be solved than they are in just knowing about products and services.

Customer Service

We all talk about it. We all sell it. We all claim to have the best. Customer Service - what is it really? Very simply stated, customer service is “whatever it takes to make the customer feel special and satisfied.” Customer service is more of a feeling on the part of the customer and an attitude on the part of the sales person than it is something tangible.

Let me give you an example. I spent the past week as a guest at the Excellence Resort on the Mayan Riviera. One night we dined at the Lobster House, one of eight gourmet restaurants at the resort. They only serve lobster and shrimp at the Lobster House. My daughter doesn’t like any kind of seafood, so I asked the hostess if it would be possible for my daughter to order her dinner from the Grill Restaurant next door. The hostess leaned close and whispered into my ear, “Don’t tell anyone else, because we are not supposed to do it, but for you, we will bring your daughter a menu from the Grill.”

I’m sure that I’m not the only guest she has told that to, but she made me feel special and completely satisfied my desire. For me, that was excellent customer service! I spent a whole week with similar excellent customer service experiences. I wasn’t given any more than any other guest, but the way they made me feel, and their attitude of wanting to please was about as close to perfect customer service as I have ever experienced.

Remember these few key concepts and you too will provide excellent customer service:

1. Make the other person feel special.
2. Seek to find ways to please your customer.
3. Find joy in pleasing others.
4. It may take effort on your part, but it is worth it.
5. Customers that feel special RETURN OFTEN!
   

How To Deal With An Unhappy Customer

Irritate one customer and they’ll tell a hundred people about their bad experience, but deal with them correctly and they will become a loyal and happy customer. Here are eight fool-proof steps to properly dealing with an unhappy customer.

1. LISTEN - The absolute first thing to remember in dealing with a customer’s complaint is to listen. Don’t interrupt, just let them talk. We all want to think that people are paying attention to our needs, so pay attention and let them talk their frustrations out. Often, just letting them vent their frustrations is enough to defuse an angry customer. Sometimes, if you let them talk and explain their frustration, they end up actually switching sides and start defending you.
2. ASK QUESTIONS - Questions help you get to the real problem and not just the one they called you with. By asking questions you accomplish two things: (a) you are able to clarify the areas of concern, and insure that you are both talking about the same thing, and (b) you demonstrate that you care about the customer and the problem.
   
3. VALIDATE THEIR FRUSTRATIONS - Let them know that you understand why they are frustrated, and that you care about eliminating their frustration. Don’t ever try to make excuses. Always acknowledge how upsetting the situation can be and assure your customers that you want to provide them relief as quickly as possible.
   
4. SEEK RESOLUTION - Ask them how they would like the situation resolved. They may not want what you think they want. Yes, it is true that sometimes what they want is unrealistic, but try to accommodate their desires as much as possible. Doing a little extra to resolve the situation will go a long way towards satisfying the customer and winning their continued support.
   
5. PAUSE BEFORE SPEAKING - Always pause before you respond, that pause indicates that you are thinking about what they have said and that you are formulating an appropriate response, not just rattling off some stock answer that you tell everyone.
6. DON’T PASS THE BUCK - Whoever gets the irate customer first should have as much authority as possible to resolve customer disputes. No one wants to be on hold while you “talk with your supervisor,” or “see what you can do,” or be passed around. Let their first point of contact be their last.
7. ACT QUICKLY - No one wants to wait hours or even days for some sort of resolution. When you make the customer wait, you are adding to the frustration and the problem, not resolving it.
8. SMILE - Let them be the grump, you be the ray of sunshine that is taking care of their problem. Be pleasant. Their problem may seem insignificant or irrational, but it is serious to your customers. Respect that concern and behave accordingly.

Remember the old saying, “The customer is always right.” Well, the customer is not always right—but they are always the customer.