The Secrets Of Getting 100% Positive Customer Feedback
Three months ago, I got back into retail sales. During my short tenure, I've had success with customer feedback.
100% positive, in fact.
(As of current writing)
Instead of golf stuff, I now sell electronics.
I'm lucky that I've had mentors in the retail game.
Let me reveal my secrets and micro-habits that creates this kind of success.
(And if you're an introvert, you have no excuse)
Have A Genuine Interest In Helping Your Customer
"He who cares most for the other party, wins." – Alex Hormozi
The greatest gesture you can show to a customer is caring.
The stakes might not be yours, but they'll appreciate it.
Which leads into the idea of, people love talking about themselves.
Asking more questions indicates curiosity.
Curiosity indicates a genuine desire to reveal the problem and offer the right solution.
That is the job of the salesperson: empowering the decision maker solve their current problem.
Smile
If I had an 80/20 rule, smiling is my 20 that contributes to my 80.
It's harder to not smile when someone is smiling at you.
Speak through your smile.
It's harder to hate on a guy that is positive.
For Phone Calls
People can hear over the phone if you're smiling.
Although they might not see you, they can still hear it.
Speak In A Higher Register
My first store manager noticed my voice when serving customers,
"Don't speak so deeply. Have a higher register. You don't want to come across defensive. Your father is quite good at it."
Your voice is an instrument. How you use it depends on context.
When I'm with my friends or family, I put my voice in a lower register.
Customers are strangers, at first.
Come across as friendly and open, speak in the higher register.
To indicate you're open to helping them, how you sound helps A LOT.
Enthusiasm
Being high energy indicates an eagerness.
Jordan Belfort from his book 'Straight Line Selling' calls it 'bubbling enthusiasm'.
Not too much that people become intoxicated by it.
Just enough to show that you're determined. And you're not getting ahead of yourself.
Again, to have genuine enthusiasm means actually caring.
Laughing
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." – Charlie Chaplin
Probably more akin to my personality.
In Grade 4, I had a friend who would say anything and I would laugh. Even something as obscure as saying,
"Monkey in a cage. Ooh ooh. Ahh ahh."
Even in misfortune, of my own and others, I will laugh.
Optimism and stress relief.
In relation to the customer, if they see you have a sense of humour, you build rapport easier.
With that rapport, people are more likely to trust you when making suggestions or guiding them throughout the decision making process.
Posture
Shoulders back and back straight, for young guys especially.
Shows customers you're switched on. Ready to tackle the problems ahead.
As much rhetoric is pushed about your appearance doesn't matter, we are hardwired to pick up on body language cues.
Who is the customer more likely to trust?
A slumped over rep with poor posture?
Or a confident rep with great posture?
(This advice doesn't just apply to being in sales.)
How You Look And Dress
I did an experiment. For a week, I started dressing casual-formal.
Nicer shirts, tucked in and belted up.
For that week, I did better on budget.
Even talking with the store manager, he found that your sales do better because people like people who can present themselves.
Consciously, customers won't say to themselves,
"Because this guy dresses well, I want to buy from him."
It's more of a subconscious working,
"If he dresses well, how will it reflect the quality of his service and personality?"
(Note: be careful of your outfit. My blue knitted yd t-shirt, black Blaq pants, RM Williams belt and white Nike Air Force 1 makes people break the touch barrier and old people give you compliments)*
*sarcasm with a grain of truth :)
"What's Your Best Price?"
Depending on where you work, you'll have a commission structure.
Each product a different commission for its respective margin.
I got this trait from the second store manager at Golf World.
Give them the best price!
Only if they ask... That's on the customer.
Don't skimp out on giving the customer savings.
Sometimes I'll have a $20 dollar commission for an item and reduce it do $1.30.
(This recently happened with a portable air conditioner)
Do not be repulsed by the words,
"Is there a better price?"
It indicates they've already made a buying decision. They want the product. The price is the bottle neck.
Again, how you communicate the value and how it bridges their problems and solutions will determine if they say YES.
Take Care Of Your Health
The one thing I couldn't do is eat junk food for lunch, then go out onto the floor selling.
Not having brain fog. Not needing to catch your breath when walking across the sales floor.
It's easier to be energetic and motivated when you are healthy.
That also means working out...
Sell What They Need
A customer had the impulse buy a drone.
I mentioned he needed an SD card if he wanted to record footage. He said he's going to mainly use it for flying.
He grabbed the 256 gb SD. I said if it's for flying, get a lower gb like 64 gb. Buy more later.
He appreciated that I mentioned the lower cost item instead of saying nothing.
Assess your customer needs.
Sell them something they need/want.
Not just in it for yourself.
If they win, you'll win as a byproduct.
Honesty: Own Up To Your Mistakes
I will get product information wrong.
"You're right. I was wrong."
Sometimes they'll ask a question I know fuck-all about.
The worst thing for the customer is to have a rep who is making shit up as they go.
Lying to get the sale indicates selfishness.
Be Patient
Impatience indicates superiority of your time over your customer.
You will give off an aura of,
"Why are you taking so long?"
Let them take their time.
A $100 dollar purchase might mean nothing to your budget. But to them that's 4 hours of work.
They're going to like you more if you're with them for every step.
(Outside of work, yes, be selfish with your time. You don't have much of it.)
The ONE Thing That Will Kill Customer Feedback
Resentment towards your customer which breeds unfriendliness and defensiveness.
Of course, I will get my fare share of bad customer interactions.
This resentment can compound if left unchecked.
Thank God I don't have hate towards my customers.
Here's how...
Have A Goldfish Mind
I might have had three bad customer interactions that I can remember.
The point, is to actually forget about it.
When I do get into a confrontation: my demeanour drops.
Rather than polarising as happy, I become neutral.
Nothing to feed on or feed off of.
And my responses are always,
"Okay."
The closest thing I will say to,
"Sure."
Duke-ism
A gesture more akin to me.
I will bow like in the Japanese culture.
To bow your head is to humble yourself in front of the customer.
You're in their service. Like a servant to a king.
I usually do this at the end after all things are said and done.
Subconsciously, it communicates,
"Thank you for letting me serve you."
There is great joy found in helping people find solutions.
What If I Don't Have It In Me?
Some days I go to work feeling low energy.
By some miracle (it's called effort), I still perform.
Even for my introverted sales people, your nature does not define outcome: for you or the customer.
How you come across, you want customers thinking to themselves,
"I want to be served by THAT guy."
BONUS: Need Reading Material?
Go read,
- "How To Win Friends And Influence People" by Dale Carnegie
- "How To Become Popular In School" by Denzil Duke
Alex Hormozi mentioned if there's one book you needed for the rest of your sales career, it's Dale Carnegie's.
Most of the principles I live by are from that one book.
Simple stuff.
Makes a world of a difference.
As my sales coach puts it,
"Most of the sales process is actually about being a good person."