How are you greeting your customers?

A few years ago, I was in charge of sales training for a pretty large indirect dealer.  I had the pleasure of training 100's of salespeople throughout my years and its probably some of the greatest times I would have in my career.    Besides the in-store training that was mandatory, classrooms were beneficial to getting new sales people started off right. My classes were known for being easy to understand and they promoted class interaction.

One of the first things I taught them was one of the first things they would ever do on the sales floor....Greet customers.  Doesn't sound that hard does it?  It's not, but you can ruin an entire transaction by not performing this fundamental task correctly.



The biggest mistake I see from multiple sales reps is the way they greet.  Here is the one liner, simple greeting you will hear all across sales-land and its the worst thing you could ever say to a customer.....This sentence makes me ill every time I hear it in our business......

"CAN I HELP YOU"?

Lets think about this for a moment and dissect a greeting done in this way.  Here is what happens 40-50% of the time with this question:

REP: Hello, can I help you?
CUSTOMER: No , I'm just looking around.
REP:  Great, my name is _________ if you need anything.

After this meeting of the minds, the sales representative walks away and "hides"behind the counter.  I have even seen this take place with the sales person BEHIND the counter having the conversation....Ugh.  In normal circumstances , "Can I help you" gets you no where and does not set you up for investigating the customers wants and needs and building a relationship.  It will normally stop the conversation right there.  It's so impersonal.   There are places that this wonderful tidbit does fit in.... McDonald's for one.

Now lets work on how we should greet our customers.  Give these a try and see what works best for you.
The key is to start the conversation by asking a question that would better help you direct the customer.
Something that will START a conversation and is more personal.  These are scripts so they will seem dry, but use them as guidelines for success.

RULE#1 : always greet someone within 6 feet of walking in or 6 seconds.  People do not want to wait.  This is especially true during rushes or holidays... acknowledge that you know they are there and you will be with them as soon as possible

Example....
REP:  Hello, welcome to ABC Wireless, Are you currently using our service?
CUSTOMER: Thanks, I am using it currently
REP: Great, Would you like me to look up your plan to make sure your on the best plan for your needs?
CUSTOMER:  That would be fine, I also wanted to see what new phones are available
REP: Great, While I am looking up your plan I can also see if your eligible for an upgrade plan.

Now , I know they will never go that perfect ,but you can see how this rep brought the customer into a conversation right away and got right to the heart of the matter.  Not only did they directly offer a service to the customer, but they now can speak to what brought the customer in the store seamlessly.

Heres another example.....
REP: Hello, Welcome to ABC Wireless, are you currently using our service?
CUSTOMER: No, I have XYZ Wireless now.
REP:  They are a great service I hear, Have you seen our current rate plans and phones?
CUSTOMER: No, I heard they are good so I wanted to stop by
REP:  We are glad you did, Let me show you how ABC Wireless compares with your current service and see if its a fit for you.

(notice in the above I didn't shrug off or bad mouth their current carrier.  By doing that your saying "wow, you made a stupid decision ever getting them")

And another based on the handset.....
REP: Hello, Welcome to ABC Wireless, are you currently using our service?
CUSTOMER: No, I have an iphone.
REP: Wow, Apple did such a great job with that phone, how do you like it?
CUSTOMER:  Its great, but I am paying a lot of money for the plan.
REP:  I have had customers tell me that before, have you seen the new Palm Pre?  Its a touchscreen phone with a keyboard and offers a ton of features you would love.  We could also save you on your monthly service compared to XYZ.
CUSTOMER: let me take a look.

 The bottom line is use questions to your advantage.  Let the customer know that you care about their needs and you are just the person with the knowledge to help them . Just by changing a couple words and discouraging your salespeople from using "Can I help you", you create a better customer experience and more sales.  One tip you should take from McDonald's....ask them to super size their order with accessories !

While this is just the first step of a sales process, Let me know how these greeting tips help you in the comments section and share some experiences with what works in your business....

Good Selling,
CS

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