Customer service and sales: how to correct a crucial communication error

The walked into an office to purchase a service. The department manager, who was behind the computer in the office,  gave her a business card and said, "Email me with the details and I'll get back to you."

What happened? The prospective customer, who had been ready to buy, took the card and did not send the e-mail.

The office manager, who had the power to act immediately, was not pro-active. She did not take the prospective customer's name,  contact information,  and details, or give her the desired information on the spot. She sounded disinterested in having a prospective new customer. (If the problem was that she was busy, she did not bother to explain this.)

Instead, she expected the prospective customer to put forth more effort (by sending an e-mail) to request the service. She did not consider the number of competitors for that service that the customer passed regularly, or the other distractions competing for the person's attention. In other words, her reaction was all about her (the manager's) needs. It should have been about the customer's needs. The customer, internal or external, is the reason for the business.

This scenario also happens in another, more common, way. When a customer calls into an office, if he reaches the wrong person, that employee can either switch him to the correct person or can ask the customer to call back. The first way is pro-active, and shows great customer service. The second (reactive) way can lose a customer, or get him frustrated. How is this handled in your organization? Do all employees know how to locate the correct employee's name and phone extension, and do they get training in how to switch callers to the correct extension?

Internal customers also count; the work each employee does affects all of them in completing the finished product. (This would be a great topic to discuss when orienting new employees, or when doing the yearly talk on how the company is meeting its' goals,  to show the relationships between the various departments.)

Every customer interaction counts, and communication is vital to all of them. Make the internal or external customer feel wanted through efficient, pro-active communication and sales techniques!
Business Speech Improvement provides communication coaching and concise e-books. Check out your options now!

How to be more persuasive in sales

A salesperson of a financial product met with a potential client, at her request. He asked her to bring some information with her.  The information was beautifully presented, with relevant facts neatly arranged.  The  potential client had spent a lot of time in preparation, and was proud of her efforts.  She casually mentioned something about the work she had done. The salesperson did not say a word. Later, she twice asked questions about the commission; the salesperson evaded the question both times.  She was confused about some of the terminology used, and looked puzzled. The salesperson did not notice, so she  had to verbally ask him to explain. Finally, testing his communication skills further, she gave him a direct compliment about how well he had explained one concept, and he beamed with pride.

He tried to close for an immediate sale, but she demurred. She wanted an independent review of the financial product, convinced that she was not being told everything.

Here are the skills the salesperson missed.

1. Notice more than the words; hear the emotions being expressed.  Listen for a sense of pride or effort, especially if it has to do with preparing for your presentation, and compliment the potential client on it! This could be paperwork prepared as requested, a room arranged as requested, or even refreshments that are ready.

2. Answer questions the first time they are asked, and answer them fully. For example, if it involves compensation, don't say, "The client doesn't pay. There's a commission arrangement between company A and company B." Most clients want to know more, such as the commission rate, which is relevant as it affects their product. Payment of some sort is expected, but an exceptionally high payment may be of concern.  Evasion of answers causes mistrust, and will affect sales or other persuasion. The client knows that "there is no such thing as a free lunch" and that directly or indirectly, he or she will be paying your commission.

3. Avoid jargon, especially if your client is in another field or you are explaining something technical. Plain common English is essential. Literally practice your talk in front of someone from another field, and have the listener write down all the technical words or other jargon you used. Then try again with simpler words, and at a slighter slower rate of speech. In addition, watch the prospective client's face to see if he looks puzzled. If so, immediately ask if he has any questions. Communication, especially in sales, is a two way street. You should continually be getting verbal and non-verbal feedback from the client so you know how to proceed.
4. If you promise something for listening to you, such as a greater knowledge of a topic or how to improve something, make certain your audience gets what you promised.  If you use technical words that your audience does not understand, they haven't gotten  the information they expect, and this could also cause mistrust. Make certain you use language at a level they can comprehend.

Excellent communication skills will enhance your ability to sell and to persuade. Hear the emotions, answer questions fully, avoid jargon and technical terms, and provide whatever you promised as part of your effort to make communication a two-way process and build trust. Without some level of trust, there is no business transaction.

Business Speech Improvement provides individual coaching in verbal skills.

You only have one chance to make a great first impression.

Persuasion: "What kind of a job would make you smile?"

    

    A recruiter called me up, and instead of going through her sales pitch, she asked a simple question. "What kind of a job would make you smile?" Then, she waited.

    Startled, I thought of my ideal job: the setting, the hours, the types of clients and co-workers I most enjoyed, and then I added the work values (independence vs team-work, travel vs being in one place, variety vs one type of work, a desire for status or power, etc, that I most enjoy). By the time I finished, the recruiter knew a lot about me, including whether she had an opening that I would enjoy. This recruiter was an extraordinary persuader - but now she knew what to focus on when persuading me.

    Take five minutes and write down the description of the ideal job for you.

What are the setting, the type of tasks done, the hours, the pay, the types of ideal customers, and the values that you most enjoy? What would be the impact on employee engagement if you asked each current employee this simple question? 

    If you are a recruiter or are on a recruiting team, ask each candidate this. Then go a step further, and figure out what you could do to be his or her employer of choice. For example, if he comes from out of town, could you provide him with some pamphlets on the community, including information how to find local property managers or realtors (or at least a map of the town)? Could your waiting area for candidates showcase what is special about your community as well as your organization?  Could you find out ahead of time in an anonymous survey why your current employees like working for your organization and share that with your candidate? People like to work with others with similar interests. Find out which of your benefits or other advantages of your workplace (such as a career ladder or tuition reimbursement) means the most to the person, and talk about that.

If you are not a recruiter, think about whoever is your customer. What could you do to make a customer (internal or external) smile tomorrow? 

 

Could you adapt the question above to fit your needs, such as "What kind of (product or service) would make you as the customer smile?"

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive training in verbal skills. Special topics in verbal skills relating to sales/recruiting can be designed to fit your needs; contact us!

Rate of speech: Going Too Fast Actually Takes Longer

Two salespeople left me messages today, ones that I actually wanted to hear. Both sounded like they are experienced salespeople, but clearly neither one had considered a problem with their verbal image.

When they left me voice mail messages, they said their telephone numbers at a very fast rate.

It takes longer to write down a telephone number than to say it. People can talk faster than they can write.

When leaving a telephone number for someone else, write it on paper or in the air as you speak; this will give you the correct rate of speech. If you go very fast, because clearly you know your own telephone number, your listener may have to replay the message repeatedly to make sure he has it written down correctly. This is not good for your verbal image; it also is not good for a possible sale!

Yes, many of us have caller ID, but sometimes we want to called at a different telephone number, such as a cell phone number, an 800 number if it's a business incoming call, or some other phone number.

Saying your telephone number clearly and slowly is crucial - even if you are in a hurry.

Do you normally speak quickly? Business Speech Improvement offers an e-book of practical tips:  How to Speak Slowly in Six Steps.      Speech rate coaching for speedy speakers who want to slow down and need help is also available.

Decision-making: A vs B - What if There's a C?

                         

A favorite technique of people who want you to make a decision is to offer you two choices, A or B.

Professionals in many fields use this method. Do you want to meet on Monday or Wednesday at 2 PM?

Do you want to try treatment X or Y? Do you want to study your spelling or your history first?

Think beyond the box, though. Consider if there is a third option that for some reason the person is not mentioning.  For example, in the case of a medical treatment, is there a third process such as physical therapy that might be an equally effective option for a given problem?  Is there some reason the person is only offering you two choices and has not mentioned a third one, such as a business person having a financial interest in the two options discussed?

This critical listening question is similar to the 10 that are discussed on page 16 of the tip-filled Executive Communication  Strategies, the e-book you'll wish your boss had read! Learn techniques ranging from appreciation to critical thinking and persuasion, 18 different subjects in all. Find out more here!

Do you struggle to understand others with strongly accented speech on the telephone?

Do you answer telephones a lot at work and have trouble understanding people who have strong regional or foreign accents? Maybe you ask them to repeat themselves several times, and still can't understand, such as this Scottish man in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My40XgYEvLM. Or maybe the person at the other end has a hearing loss, and can't understand YOU! There are more effective methods you can use to get better results in many cases. A new pre-recorded webinar, Pardon Moi:The Art of Effective Listening, explains the problem and offers concrete strategies to improve comprehension on the telephone. One strategy is to ask people to repeat themselves - ONE time. Try these other techniques and see the difference! Frustrated prospects often don't buy. You can't afford that. Get this pre-recorded webinar and see the difference that professional telephone strategies make! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and products to help people communicate more effectively. Great speech makes business sense!

Sales Communication: Three Errors You Don't Want to Make

As a salesperson, your first job is to match up the customer with the right product, or to determine the prospect is not right for any of your products. Then you need to close the sale with the customer. Here are some major errors novice salespeople make. 1. Don't focus on the features (such as the product's size, ability to do it X times faster, or array of buttons). Instead, focus on the customer's needs, such as a need for ease of use, rapid delivery time, or ability to fit into a tiny space. You will only find out the needs if you ask well-chosen questions, such as "What type of features are you searching for?" When getting to know the customer, immediately start asking him or her questions, which gets the customer involved and focused on the conversation. This is especially crucial with telephone conversations, because the customer may be doing computer work (or other things) without you being aware of it. Asking questions lets you know whether there is a potential fit between the product and customer. 2. Don't talk too long at one time. Always keep involving the customer. In a recent sales telephone call made to me by a nervous and inexperienced salesperson, the person spoke for over 30 minutes. As I was not in a rush, was doing something else while she spoke and was curious as to how she was going to handle this sales call, I patiently listened. However, 99.9% of the time, the customer would have hung up long before that point. 3. Don't speak spontaneously and also don't read from a script. Speaking totally spontaneously may mean a poorly chosen flow of words or a bad example. It may result in making you sound incompetent. However, reading from a script may make you sound mechanical. Few people can read with such wonderful expression that you sound spontaneous. Instead, if your company allows it, memorize the talking points or other crucial items and flow, while using your own words. This is a happy medium. Business Speech Improvement provides coaching in verbal communication skills. Visit us online to see our coaching and e-book options!

A tale of two salesmen

I had the great fortune to sit next to a professional fund-raiser today. I asked him the the secret of his success, and he said, "It's all in the listening. I ask them what matters to them, I listen to their emotions, and then I put all that together in a proposal." He repeated, "It's all in the listening." Later in the day I called a company to ask about getting an expensive service. I told the salesman what I needed, stressing that convenience was important in this case. He told me the way the company worked, which was definitely not customer-friendly but was employee-convenient. I told him why I needed it be more convenient to me, and he said "We don't do it that way." Case closed, sale lost, employee clueless. Are you in the business of selling ideas, services or products, informally or as a profession? Remember the fund-raiser's words: "It's all in the listening." Knowing what matters to your prospect helps you emphasize vital points that will make a sale. As for the emphatic "We don't do it that way", that leads to closing of the wallet! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal skills, including sales and executive communication skills. Training options include in-person coaching and convenient e-books! Check us out at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com  .

Training adults?

Are you giving a presentation to adults to train new employees or group members? Here are some training tips you can use.

Adults are not little sponges, eager to soak up every last word you say. Although they may sit still and not interrupt, they quickly decide whether to pay attention or not. Presenters who ignore this fact risk losing their audience's attention - and may never know it.

1. Get adults involved in a brief interaction with the person sitting next to them or a small group, or involved in an individual exercise, every 20 minutes. Possibilities: Remember the best/worst ______ (e.g.teacher, pet, friend) you ever had. What made it so special? (Note: Memory and emotion are connected in the brain. You remember things that are emotional.) Interview the person sitting next to you, and tell your small group about his interests. There are many books and probably websites with similar training exercises.

2. Quickly show how people in the audience will benefit from your presentation. "Today, you will learn _______. This will help you by ____________."

3. If appropriate, put some clean and appropriate jokes or a funny story in your presentation. Other stories involving people using the information, or how they were affected by a situation, also help people learn.

4. Make certain your Power-point or other visual is big enough for people in the last row to see. In a recent presentation, the speaker held up a book of materials she was demonstrating.
She was apparently showing some of the exercises on a page. The people in the back row could not see anything other than the fact that she was holding a book of some sort. They were frustrated and patiently waited until she finished. If she had put the page on a Power-point slide (as she represented the publisher, copyright was not an issue), it would have been much better.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training and e-books in verbal skills, including public speaking, diction, accent modification and more.

"May I help you?" - do you care?

Today I listened to receptionists answer telephone calls for two businesses. Both had clearly been doing this all day, and may have been tired. Although they used basically the same words, one's tone of voice sounded like she clearly didn't care about the person at the other end. The other, although not enthusiastic, was more welcoming.

Tone of voice can make a difference between welcoming a prospective or current customer, and turning him or her away.
All it takes is a desire to welcome the customer and a little bit of both training and energy.

Sound like you care - every time. If you don't care, the customer may not share his time and business with you. After all, would you want to do business with a company whose first impression is of not caring?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal skills, from diction and sales communication to American English pronunciation and more.

Poor communication in professional offices: your examples

As a client or patient in an attorney's, accountant's, physician's or other professional's office, what are the best and worst examples you have experienced of communication there?
What great communication would have made you want to nominate such an office (or one employee there) for an award for excellent communication? Conversely, what happened that made you think "Don't they ever communicate with people?"


Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal skills.

Follow-up: Tips for Success

You've jut come back from meeting someone (or a lot of people), and want to follow-up to make a sale, or respond to a current customer in hopes of getting more business or a higher satisfaction rating. How can you do this more successfully?

First, when you get the person's business card, really look at it, and comment on some aspect of it, using his or her name. Few people comment on a card, so that alone will be noticed. After yo leave the person, write a note on the back of the card about the person's specific interest in your products or services, and add the date you met him or her.

When you get back to your office or home, enter the information from the card into a database, if you have one. This keeps your information organized, and allows you to add additional details such as the dates you contact the person. If the person mentions something personal, such as the fact that he is leaving for vacation tomorrow to see his new grandchild,enter that on your database so you can ask about the child when you contact him next.

Sales experts report it takes an average of 7 contacts to make a sale, although that could vary depending on the industry. Contacting the person or company by various means (e-mail, telephone, letter, even stopping by with a food treat such as fudge, fresh cookies, etc if it is a business) are better than using just one method. If asked to stop contacting the person or organization, though, comply immediately.Also check on the specific rules for Do Not Call in your state, for individuals who have asked not to be contacted by telephone.

When you contact the person or organization for the first time, remind him how and when you met, and comment on his specific interest, such as a particular product. Try following up at different times of day, or different days of the week for better results.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and e-books in verbal skills. Visit Business Speech Improvement to subscribe to the free e-zine and check out the many types of training available!

Sales Communication: Building Trust

A sage once said that a person doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care. A professional salesperson cares enough to do three things immediately to start the process of trust-building. First, he or she respects the prospect's time enough to ask a few questions about the product or service desired, to narrow down the options and make sure the prospect will be getting what he really wants or needs.
(Often prospects don't use the right terms or are unaware of crucial differences.)
Second, know your products or services well enough to know which will be the best for each customer - and if none of them are right, be knowledgeable and willing to direct them to a competitor. (You would want the competitor to do this for you.) Third,
do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. For example, call the prospect when you say you will do this.The person may be awaiting your call then and not be able to talk with you later. These steps start the crucial trust-building process.

Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com) offers intensive, targeted training in verbal communicaiton skills through Open Enrollment group courses, individual speech coaching, and e-books. Great speech makes business sense!

Persuasion: getting customers to take surveys

Many companies want customers to take customer satisfaction or sales surveys. The companies politely ask if customers would be willing to take the surveys, and customers often answer "no". Getting customers to answer "yes" is the first crucial step to obtaining feedback on performance.

A major reason customers answer "no" is that companies have given customers no positive incentive to say "yes". In other words, in exchange for answering a long series of often confusing questions, the customer gets nothing out of it for his time.
Companies who want more responses to their surveys should first offer customers a great incentive, such as a gift card or significant discount, and then ask 5 or fewer clear questions. Companies should also make it very clear that they do read and respond to the feedback they get, and offer an obvious "contact us" button on the website's home page for customers who need to reach them.

Business Speech Improvement (www.businessspeechimprovement.cm) provides intensive training in communication skills. For a list of our curent coaching and e-book training options, visit us today!

Shy at parties? Three tips to help

Many people feel hesitant to walk up to a stranger and start a conversation. Many years ago, people would be introduced by mutual friends, who might stay long enough to make sure the conversation was going well. Now, people start talking with others often without any help.

Here are three tips to make this easier. First, consider the goal of the conversation. Are you trying to make a new friend, determine if someone is a good business prospect, or
find out delicately how a new hire feels about a potential "hot topic"?

Plan a series of 3 -5 questions around this goal. If you want to make a new friend, ask how the person feels about living so close to the sports arena or university, for example.

Then, if you want to consider staying in touch, ask for the person's card. After the person is out of sight, write something on the back so you will remember this person, and follow up with him the next day by e-mail.

Many more tips on making small talk, including how to start and gracefully end a conversation, can be found in the e-book "Small Talk: Connecting with Others" (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com).

Rate of speech and persuasiveess

Many people think of salespeople as "fast-talking". Does a faster rate of speech increase their (or your) persuasiveness? An interesting study by Caroline Jones, Lynn Berry and Catherine Stevens found that use of a normal rate of speech was more persuasive. They also found that talking fast reduces the ability of the listener to understand. This makes sense, because people who don't understand don't usually buy. Also, children and senior citizens process language more slowly than other people.

What do you do if you are a fast talker and want to reduce your rate of speech?
Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com) offers a one day class on Speak Slowly! Speech Rate Reduction Strategies to be held July 9, 2010. It also offers an e-book on Six Simple Steps to Speak Slower. More information is at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com.

Regional Accent Modification Helps with National Business Contacts

Many people with strong regional accents who give presentations or speak with people on the telephone in other parts of the country feel self-conscious about their speech. They report that customers ask them to repeat themselves, tell them their accent is "sweet" or "just like my Grandma's". If they give presentations, they note that listeners notice their speech patterns so much that they do not necessarily focus on the speech's message.

One tip regional speakers can do is to listen to the news on a national TV channel to determine what sounds are produced differently, and try to speak that way.

Many speakers, though, need feedback and more specific recommendations on what to change, and how to do it. They need help to go through the stages of speech training.

Business Speech Improvement (http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes) offers group seminars on regional accent modification, as well as
Individual Speech Coaching that can combine accent modification with other skills such as
presentation skills or customer service skills.

How to Leave Clearer Telephone Messages

Do you worry that your telephone messages are not reflecting your professionalism and may be hard to understand?

Start by saying your name clearly, and spelling it with keywords if you are not known to the listener. For example, say "Smith - S as in Sam, M as in Mary," etc. Many letters can be easily misunderstood on the telephone, so keywords are helpful. Say your telephone number slowly, so the listener can write it down. Give the message clearly, possibly starting with the major benefit or essential point. For example, "Please confirm you can come to the sales meeting at 3:00 today in the conference room so you will know the team's new sales strategy and your role in it." Then end by giving your phone number again.

Individual speech coaching, and group seminars in sales and executive communication are available from Business Speech Improvement, www.http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes .

Communicative competence, communicative confidence

That's a real tongue-twister, isn't it?

Can someone speak well and not feel confident about it? Why or why not? Can someone speak with poor clarity or have trouble choosing the right words to say, and feel great about it?

Does competence equal confidence? Share your opinion!

Business Speech Improvement provides training in many verbal communication skills for adults. More information can be found at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com.

Connecting with Strangers

Are you uncomfortable meeting strangers? If so, you have plenty of company!
If you go to a meeting, party, convention, new house of worship, or other event where you need to make connections, try some of these tips from my e-book, Small Talk:Connecting with Others
(www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com). First, look approachable. Be well-groomed, smile and show good posture. Look around for others who are alone and seeking someone with whom to talk. Make eye contact and smile. If the other person does the same, go over to him or her. When you get there, use the tips in Small Talk: Connecting with Others to start a conversation!