IDEA 3:
MAKE CUSTOMERS RESPECT YOU
If a customer sees you as professional, they will be more likely to trust you, to listen to your advice- and to buy from you.
Sometimes what can engender this respect comes through general manner and how you are with people, rather than from something that is inherently part of the sales approach. In this respect sales and service are often closely related, especially in a service business. Show signs of exemplary service and selling almost automatically become easier.
Idea
At a hotel in the Marriott chain….
During a recent stay of mine in a hotel the following occurred. Checking in, the system was that a uniformed member of staff came out from Reception, handled the paperwork quickly and efficiently as you sat in a comfortable seating area, then escorted you to your room. The women who did this for me did it efficiently and charmingly. When I was crossing Reception to check out two or three days later, the same person approached me offering help. Told I was checking out, she said, “Please let Mr Forsyth, isn’t it?” Amazed at her memory I asked how many rooms there were in the hotel (nearly 500, she told me) and asked, “Do you remember everyone’s room number?”. She smile and replied, “Yes, most of them.” I believed her, and loved the fact that she so clearly enjoyed being able to say that. I immediately saw her differently.
She had the responsibility of looking after guest in a more complete manner than is usual- seeing to the whole check-in process for instance, and more no doubt besides. She is doubtless part of what persuades many guests to return, even without engaging in overt sales activity.
In practice
- Never forget how sales and service overlap, and never fail to see, and use, the service aspect as a way to provide a foundation for successful selling. That’s especially true if what makes a mark can be done as delightfully as this.