Page 26 - March 2014 Catalyst
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CHAKISSE NEWTON’S
NEWTON’S LAWS OF INFLUENCE
Tools and Tips to Improve Professional and Personal Success
5 simPle ways to increase sales with great customer service.
There are many ways to in- crease sales and exert influ- ence, but one of them may be easier than you think: provide great customer service. A trip to the grocery store provides an ex- cellent case in point.
As I stood in the checkout line having my groceries scanned, the manager approached me and asked, “Did you nd everything alright?” I hesitated before responding that I needed olives, but couldn’t nd them. Quickly, he disappeared and returned with several choices of the store brand olives. I selected the type I needed, added them to my purchase and went home happy.
ere are ve in uence strategies that you can learn from the man- ager’s example that will help you build brand loyalty, improve rela- tionships and increase sales:
1. Ask for feedback
(and wait for the real answer). Ev- eryone wants customer feedback, but many times we overlook the simplest way to get it: ask. Look for opportunities in your sales process
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or relationship building to ask if your customer has everything they need or nd out any comments they want to share. If they hesitate, give them time to give you a genu- ine answer before you move on to a di erent activity or question.
2. Volunteer solutions.
Once your client has identi ed a need, proactively volunteer to assist with a solution. is may involve brainstorming, conducting research or doing a bit of manual labor to help meet their needs.
3. Offer options
People respond best when they can choose from among various op- tions. ere may be many ways to meet your client’s objectives and you let the client the choice to pick their preference. In my case, I was o ered di erent sizes and types of olives so that I could choose the one that best t my needs.
4.Showcase your strengths
When you o er options, don’t hesitate to promote your brand and your solutions. Frankly, I never would have considered buying a
march 2014
