You already know many things about when your customers are ready to buy your offer, how you can convince a prospect who says it is too expensive, or what aspects of your personality you can improve to become more efficient as a Sales expert. No problem for you now to be a winner playing a Sales edition of Trivial Pursuit! Thanks to this various content, you can better analyze the issues related to a Sales conversation with your prospect and develop an exceptional customer service as well.
Such objectives both require you to anticipate and start thinking about customer experience at your very first contact with your prospects. Before even talking about business, you have to make sure you and them both can rely on each other. Convincing the professional or the consumer of the relevance of your arguments is only the second step. First of all, the one you have to put on your side is the human being hidden behind. To do this, our 6C method here will surely help you. Then, nothing easier after this than have a commercial deal with your prospect!
1st C is for Establishing a Connexion
The first things that you have to convince your prospects are who you are and the impressions you leave them. When you begin a Sales conversation, may it be direct or by phone, your potential customers are more likely to remember how you say things than what you exactly say: your tone, spontaneousness and sympathy, etc…
With a professional and polite attitude, just show them how happy you are to have such an opportunity! First, make your prospects feel comfortable in your company by asking them how they are doing today, or simply joking about the endless rain outside. This mustn’t take you more than one or two minutes, and it will allow you to ignite a spark of complicity between you and your prospects. Thus, as the conversation will keep on going, it will be easier for you to talk about your professional synergies.
2nd C is for Being Clear
During this first contact, you and your prospects both have to define the offer and the demand, in other words find out if your solution can answer their needs. According to the communication filter, people finally remember only 20% of the original message you wish to pass them. So the challenge for you is to give them the most exact idea of what you are sellling and avoid all misunderstandings. And your prospects have the same mission towards you, to express what they need.
Once more, first of all you have to take care of the shape of your presentation even more than its content itself. To figure out progressively what your potential customers have in mind, your conversation has to be a dialogue, not a monologue only starring you as an actor. Communicate with them by using short sentences and the simpliest words you have (while there will be a need for more technical terms later in the conversation). Be transparent to become their best friend!
3rd C is for Precising your Comprehension
There are your prospects’ needs, and there is the situation they happened to be in to express those needs. Now imagine you are James Bond, and try to get the maximum information about the context your potential customers are currently working in, and the reasons why they came to contact you in such an environment.
By doing your best to understand everything about them, they will be happier to talk to you, and maybe even make you some confidence. So your involvement and your willingness to help them will certainly be noticed by your prospects, and that will be easier and faster to make them trust you afterwards.
4th C is for Remaining Coherent
Like a sailor aiming at arriving safely to the harbor, your objective has to be clear in your mind during your whole sales conversation. Your jokes about current weather, your questions to know more about your prospects’ situation, all of this has to be part of your final purpose to sell them something, and also promise them a high-quality customer service.
So one of the signs that you and your prospect trust each other undoubtedly lays on the logical structure of what you say and the objectives you have. Your potential customers have to be sure of your honesty. Of course, no need for pressure to make a deal together as fast as possible, but still you can be precise and coherent while talking to them, with no vague concepts.
5th C is for Asking for Confirmation
Your prospects can trust you only if you prove them you are going where they want you to. Up to you to systematically ask them whether what you say is matching with the needs they expressed earlier. If not, ask them for some complementary information so you can improve the Clarity and the Coherence of your arguments.
Don’t worry, your job is not to ask your prospects for their approval after every sentence you say. Though it would be a good idea for the biggest parts of your arguments. Then your potential customers will be active in finding with you a solution to their problems, and they will love it! After this, they will express you their gratitude at the most important moment: the sales process itself!
6th C is for Observing their Body Communication
Finally, let’s recall everything one can deduct from a person’s attitude and body language. There are many signs of trust between you and your prospects that can be seen rather than heard. During a sales conversation, if you just see that your customer uncrosses arms or smiles spontaneously, it means he or she is not under pressure, and is listening carefully to what you have to say.
Obviously, this also works in the other way. And don’t forget that even on phone, your prospects hear your smile!
Well now, what can be inferred from all of these signs? Firstly, when trust is established between you and your prospects, it has to come from both sides. Customer experience then completes your professional experience. Whatever your sales conversation is about, if at any moment you can detect some mistrust, thus it will be more difficult for you when the business subject will be risen. So there is no time to waste to earn this trust!
And secondly, now you master the “6C science”, it will be an easy task for you to get this trust that stands as the 7th C (in addition to being a dangerous player at a Trivial Pursuit Sales Edition!).
