What would you say is the number one goal for a salesperson to accomplish?
Besides fulfilling the customer’s order or providing a service, your ultimate goal as a salesperson should always be to make them feel important. Why? Because if you do this, they will never call your competitors nor will they ever have a reason to do so. They will stay your customer as long as you stay in business. MOST salespeople don’t get this concept, and I am not exaggerating when I say MOST. A salesperson in today’s business climate can be less than average and still make a great living because our society today has accepted below-average service. But instead of taking your time and mine talking about what the majority of salespeople are doing wrong, let’s talk about what the rest of us are doing right.
My fellow top salespeople and business leaders know that one of the reasons they became successful is that they know how to make people feel important. Notice I said “people” and not just clients or prospects. If you go out of your way to make everyone feel important, this will become your habit 24/7 and eventually come naturally to you.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
I believe that every second we are on this earth is a gift…every second. If we have the ability to make people feel important and good about themselves, then we have the responsibility to do so.
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, always told her salespeople: “Pretend everyone you meet has a sign around their neck that says ‘Make me feel important.’” That is by far the best advice I have received in business. In my career selling real estate, one of the main reasons my past customers have continued to be my current customers is because they know I care, they know I have their back, and at the very least they know how important they are to me. I can’t assume they know this without hearing it, so I tell my customers every chance I get how grateful I am for their business and how important they are to me. Making your customer feel important is fundamental, easy, and common sense.
One simple, positive, encouraging comment over the phone or a sincere smile in person may be all it takes to lift someone’s spirits. Your objective is to make people feel like they matter because you and I both know that they do matter and then some. Example: If a potential customer calls you on Monday morning it’s because they want to talk to you Monday morning, not Thursday afternoon. I am continually amazed by how many salespeople don’t respond to calls from customers or prospects in a timely manner. I am so passionate about returning calls that I devoted a whole chapter to this topic in my book titled Common Sense Selling.
I have always had the edge over my competition because I know customer service, I know common sense, and I know how to make people feel important. I can’t impress upon you enough that I made a choice to have this mindset, and you can make the same choice too. This way of thinking will not just enhance your business; it will change your personal life as well. You will also find that you want to surround yourself with people who are grateful for their blessings, just as you are grateful for yours.
If you want to be above average in your industry, then start making people feel important. Make them feel like they matter, because unfortunately this approach is not very common today.
Van is an authority on customer service! Invite Van to present a 1- to 3-hour workshop on ways to make customers feel important. Workshop participants will benefit from the success principles Van has shared with thousands of attendees at events throughout the country. Hire Van as a consultant, workshop presenter, or keynote speaker. An outside voice could be exactly what your company needs. Contact Van at 402-680-8448, email van@vandeeb.com or visit www.vandeeb.com.