How to Create a Personal Connection With Your Customer

One of the easiest techniques for creating future sales can be accomplished by creating a personal connection with your potential customer.  This outcome can be created in several ways but some of the best ways I have found to do it is by doing a few little things.

1. Listening- Most people listen to a customer’s problems with the intent on finding an opportunity to speak and push their product.  They never consider if a person may want or need their product.  Try insisting upon understanding the customer’s problem.  This can be accomplished by repeating back to the customer what you think they said. This allows you to gain a singular clarity that will eliminate any confusion.

2. Personalize it- One of my favorite sales teachers (Joe Crisara) teaches his students to personalize their top solutions so that you can create a bond with the customer. This technique of personalization creates an opportunity for the customer to buy from someone like them, and in turn increase the confidence in the sales process itself. Let me give you an example, when Joe was pitching me one of his management classes for a manager that worked for my company, he made several Baltimore Ravens references. He knew that I had a Ravens tattoo on my right arm and so he attempted to personalize his service by appealing to a part of me that loved football. (FYI I bought the class and my manager loved it.)

3. Give options- People like to feel in charge of their money and their decisions they do not want to feel like they are being dictated too. A good, detailed list of options allows people to decide the level of service they want as well as allowing the customer to dictate what they are going to spend.

And after you make the sale if you want to keep them coming back….

Say Thank You- Thanking people for their business makes customers feel that they  made the right choice. You can say THANK YOU a hundred different ways. Some send freshly baked cookies to customers, some send flowers, and some people say thank you by doing something as simple as hand writing a card.  You can say thank you even if a customer doesn’t buy from you.

I was recently on an American Airlines flight to Odessa, Texas.  Where I received a note from the flight attendant, here is the note

I will be flying American Airlines from here on out…. And THAT’S How a Service Ninja Does it.