10 Best Client Communications Skills

The brass tacks of a successful client conversation come down to 10 points. They are simple to list, but take a little practice to master. Don’t worry! Each one leads naturally into the next, reminding you of where you’re headed. These techniques are effective in person and on the phone. Practice each one for a full day. You’ll be a better salesperson in 10 work days. Here they are:

• Start with a smile and a warm greeting. You know the smile you give when you unexpectedly see a dear friend out of the blue? That’s the smile to share with your prospect the moment you make eye contact, before either of you have said a word. You’re setting the tone for the entire interaction. (You can even tell if someone on the phone or radio is smiling when they talk!) How do you feel when you receive that smile? It’s the same relaxation you experience when you are welcomed and respected. Give that smile, and mean it. Humans tend toward reciprocity. This means people usually respond in kind to the way they are treated. If they’re treated pleasantly and in an agreeable way, they’ll tend to react in a pleasant and agreeable way.

• Call every prospective customer by name. People feel more important when called by name. If you don’t know their name up front, shake their hand, introduce yourself, and ask them. Repeat their name once you have it. “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Foster. Thank you for meeting with me today.” When you need to address Mr. Foster, use his name once every 2-3 minutes. It keeps him involved, and keeps you from forgetting it! If you believe his attention may be drifting, call him by name in your next sentence or question.

• Listen and mirror. Listen to your prospective customer. Listen to their words, their tone of voice, and their style of expression. If they are speaking quickly and gesturing with their hands, they are probably excited. Mirror that behavior. Likewise, if they are speaking slowly and deliberately, be sure to enunciate and speak at a slower pace. Don’t copy their voice or hand gestures exactly. (That annoys people!) These mirroring techniques have been shown to make people feel understood and respected, even when no words are spoken. Putting your body in the some of the same postures they use will help you understand their mood and attitude. If your customer has a slumping posture, slouch just a little, and see how it makes you feel. Are their arms crossed tightly across their body? Cross yours loosely, and see how it feels. Once you correctly perceive their mood and attitude, you’ll address their questions more effectively.

• Talk about your client. The only context that matters to your client is how to meet his own needs, achieve his own goals, and solve his own problems. Most people prefer to talk about themselves. Encourage them to talk by using probing questions. As they talk, you’ll be learning about what product to sell them, why, and often how. Everything they share tells you something about their needs, their qualifications, and about their buying process. Do not interrupt. It’s good stuff. Apply what you’re hearing to your sales pitch.

• Thou shalt not speak ill of the competition. Never, ever, ever. Putting someone else down doesn’t make your product or company look any better, it just makes you look petty and like a gossip. It’s unprofessional, and in some companies it will get you fired. Most importantly, you are not talking about your product or your customer! Bring your attention back to where it belongs. Youcan emphasize that your product wears longer, or that your service is backed with a guarantee. Ex: “You can make this purchase with peace of mind. We’re proud of our guarantee. It’s the longest and most complete in the industry.”

• When your shopper finishes a thought or asks a question, be ready with the next concept or question you want them to address. This is the most important skill in contact management. Ex: Client: “...and that’s why I’m in the market for a new system.” Short pause. You: “Mr. Client, we have a large selection of systems that will meet your needs. Tell me about how your staff uses the system. What do they need the system to do more effectively?” Back to Mr. Client: “Well, if the system could scrape data from a number of different applications and generate reports, that would be ideal.” Short pause. Now you:“That seems reasonable. Think of how much stress that would relieve! We have solutions that do just that. How many staff members will be working on this system?” Again, an appropriate response is tied directly to the next probing question. This technique should be employed on most or all occasions that you speak in the sales process. It makes you efficient, responsive, and most importantly, keeps your prospect talking. Conversational control usually fails if you have not mastered this skill.

• Praise/thank your prospect. There is always a sincere reason to praise them, and it shows them you think they are important. Ex: “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “Thank you for seeing me today.” Even when they call you, work it in. “It’s good to hear from you. What can I do for you?” Your client is, and should feel like, the most important thing you have going on right now. Ever come across one of those salespeople who treat prospects like they’re an interruption or an annoyance? Giving the impression you find your agenda more important than you find your client is a sure way to see to it they don’t “bother” you again.

• Be well and fine and happy. Sales is a customer focused activity. If they ask how you are, you’re fine, or great or terrific. Now turn the focus back to your shopper. No one cares if your feet hurt, if you broke up with your sweetheart, or if you’re in a lousy mood. Well, at least, your client doesn’t. Clients want service. Pleasant service. Make sure they get it.

• Try to avoid saying “NO.” Your shopper sometimes will ask you for things you can’t deliver. If they ask, “Can you give me another 20% off?” You say, “What we can do for you is this -.” When they say they want lifetime service free of charge, you can say, “We usually meet that need by doing this -.” Addressing the question with the available choices is usually enough to bring the customer back to discussing the possible. If you are forced to deny a specific request, be gentle but clear: “We don’t offer that option. We’re happy to offer this.” "No" is always a last resort. If you have to say it, don’t leave it hanging in the air like a bug you want to swat! Follow it up immediately with the solution you do offer.

• Create a “Yes” frame of mind. In your discussion with your client, ask questions which lend themselves to “yes” answers. Ex: “You appreciate a good value, don’t you?” Or, “Your family is the priority here, right?” Follow these questions up with immediate facts that serve the subject. Ex: “This insurance policy protects your family in the case of a tragedy, and also creates an investment tool to make the good times even better.” Once a person sees that you’re on the same wavelength, they relax some of their defenses. Feeling understood helps people build relationships. Prospects stop resisting and start problem solving, which means buying.

Keeping Management Happy (And Off Your Back!) In 2 Emails

All managers have expectations, and you need to keep your manager happy.  In sales, this happiness is often measured daily or weekly.  Some managers tell your right out what their expectations are.  Others hint around it.  Still others say nothing, and hope for good numbers.  It is important to understand what the expectations are, because they will keep you from trying to reinvent the wheel.  No matter what your manager's style is, get clear on the expectations, and adjust when they change.

Most management expectations are built on history in your market, and they’ve discovered which ratios and activities yield the desired results.  Do as they ask.  Eventually, you may discover that management isn’t as married to each activity as much as it is to hitting their numbers, and you can change tactics to get there.  Maybe you’ll discover that the only thing that works is following their formula.  The point is, the decisions you make about how to plan your work need to take management expectations into consideration, and meet their needs.  If you don’t meet their needs, you will be replaced.  It’s harsh, but it’s true.

 

A very effective tool for spending time efficiently is to keep management in the loop is to write the broad strokes of your plan for the week in a simple email, and send it to your manager.  “I have follow ups with A, B, and C companies for sales calls.  X, Y and Z have closing appointments scheduled.  I’ll be cold-calling in Bergen County in the mid-week.”  Send it on Friday night or Monday morning.  No, telling her in a quick moment in the hallway isn’t enough!  If your manager has specific expectations, you’ve told her the highlights of how you’re planning to meet them.  If your manager has no expectations, she knows what you’re doing.  And when your manager wants you to focus in a different area, she’ll write back or tell you.  You’ll know before you blow your time on the wrong stuff.

This approach also seems to keep micro-managers off your back.  Just remember to send a follow-up email at the end of the week explaining your accomplishments.  If something went badly, admit it, and indicate how you plan to remedy the situation.  This should not be in the same email as the “Plan” email!  Identify each with the specific dates they cover so you can quickly reference them over time.  Ex: “X and Y closed as expected.  The contracts are in fulfillment.  Z is shopping the competition, and has concerns about the sales agreement.  Another meeting is scheduled next week.   Cold calls yielded 6 follow-up calls in Bergen County.  Company A was a one call close, and the contract is on your desk!  B scheduled a presentation for Monday morning.  C has a closing appointment with us Tuesday.”  This simple summary shows your boss what your piece of her team is doing, and helps her make effective management decisions. 

All of this communication creates a paper (email) trail that will be helpful to you at review time, as it will be easy for you and your manager to quantify your efforts and your results.  You'll also be able to look back and see patterns emerge around certain sales approaches and subsequent success or failure. All this in two emails a week!  Get writing!  

How To Keep Your Team Motivated

It's a long-standing concern in every business: how do you keep your employees motivated to be creative and effective, day in, and day out?  It's not hard, but it is a recipe.  Like any recipe, without any of the ingredients it won't work out.

INGREDIENTS

AUTONOMY: Employees list autonomy as the top wish in their work lives, and it's what managers

fear the most.  When employees make their own decisions without going up the chain of command, they feel respected and empowered.  They also make mistakes, which make managers aggravated, and more likely to micromanage.  Where ever possible, step back and let your team make their own decisions.  If you have educated them thoroughly on the goals of the department and the company, their creativity and effectiveness will flourish.

POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT: Employees with positive relationships with co-workers are more productive, and remain in jobs substantially longer than those who list their workplace as "challenging" or list co-workers as "difficult."  A positive tone starts at the top.  Do not complain, whine, gossip, or lose your temper at work.  When others are doing it, shut it down.  Greet people with a smile, and use their name.  It works.

TRUST IN MANAGEMENT: If your managers to treat employees fairly, ask them to perform only professional duties, and take an interest in each employee's goals, trust will be built.  Each member of the organization wants to be recognized as a human being, and a quality professional.  Transparency in management and decision-making show employees that management means what they say, and does what they say. Avoid secrecy whenever possible.

APPRECIATION: Celebrate little things, like improvement on filing timely paperwork, successfully overcoming a brutal deadline, or no absences for a week after the flu tears through the office. Recognizing these moments reminds everyone that work gets done by people working together.  If there is nothing to celebrate, bring in lunch for the team to thank them for working hard in a tough environment, and sit with them while they relax and eat.  If the whole team needs to step up their performance, institute a meaningful reward for the "most improved performance."  Talk about the achievements publicly in glowing terms, and manage failures quietly in private.

FAIR COMPENSATION:  If your organization docks pay for a variety of "infractions," multiple studies show this destroys both trust and morale.  Find another way to enforce your rules.  Pay your people as well as you can and remain competitive.  Once you've helped develop their skills, you don't want them moving on to the competition for a paycheck!  Now your investment is working against you!

COMMON CAUSE:  Share successes with the entire team.  If you sign a big contract, increase your profit margin, grow your company, or any other good news, let everyone know that their teamwork was integral to the achievement of the goal.  

If you work in an environment where all of these ingredients are present, you're probably happy to go to work every day.  If you don't, you're probably looking to change jobs.  What are your employees thinking?

The 5 "E"s Will Close More Business

Quite often I mention how important it is to have an agenda for every client interaction.  The five "E"s are a great example.  They are the groundwork for every client interaction, and after each meeting, I write down the notes relating to them. There is no script, but there is always a plan.

Energize yourself, your presentation, your materials, and because of that, your meeting.  You don't need cheerleader-level spunk, but it needs to be clear that you're happy to meet with your client, and that you're paying close attention to the conversation.  Don't ask your client to repeat themselves if you can possibly avoid it!

Encourage the client to share long and short term goals for themselves or their company (depending on which is the customer.)  Goals are why people buy. They want a hole, not a drill. Make sure you know what their goals are, because it tells you what to sell them, and how.

Educate the client about how your product will meet their goals.  If your product makes beautiful holes quickly, talk about holes.  Talk about product reliability in terms of "security in hole-making for years to come." Answer questions about the product, but don't drone on
like an infomercial!  The client cares about reaching their goal, and moving on to the next one.

Engage the customer on a human level by dropping the jargon as much as possible.  Say "hassle" instead of "impediment," or any other opportunity to humanize the conversation.  Talk to people like they're people. Jargon is necessary in most businesses some of the time. Humanity is necessary all of the time.

Empower your customer to reach their goals by supplying only the right products, always at the right price.  If you over-sell, you will probably not earn repeat business.  Your client will have an unrealistic impression of the cost and complexity of your solution.  If you under-sell, your customer won't reach their goal.  And if you overcharge, they will find out at some point.  Not only will repeat business be in jeopardy, your reputation may be as well.

You Say You're In A Slump?

In sales, like all things, our performance is inconsistent.  Even the best, most solid of us have times where we perform below normal, and even the worst of us sometimes perform magnificently.  What gives?  Luck.  Really!

Let's think about the biggest reason it might not be your fault: statistics. Every time you flip a fair coin, the chance of it coming up heads is 50%, because that's the number of possible outcomes, or 1 over 2.  (You'll never get both results from a single flip.)  If you flip 5 heads in a row, the chance you'll flip a heads on your next toss is still 1 in 2, because the coin still has two sides.  (There is a human tendency to think the results of the previous flips will change the odds, but it really doesn't work that way!  Learn more here: The Gambler's Fallacy.)  How can that help us in sales?

Statistics tell us that stretches of positive outcomes and stretches of negative outcomes will happen.  The reason this is good news is that if you haven't closed much lately, the odds are reset to normal every time we knock on a prospect's door. You're no more likely to have a negative outcome if you're in a "slump" than if you were on a "winning streak" if all other things are equal.  It's just like the coin flips - the previous sales call has no effect on the next sales call.  (We're still assuming you are not suddenly less capable and talented, you're just in an unusual patch of bad luck.)

But sometimes it's hard not to let self-doubt creep in.  After several unsuccessful sales calls in a row, we begin to dread adding another failed sale to the list.  What's a nervous sales pro to do?  Snap out of it!  Dread will put you an a frame of mind that "primes" you to expect defeat.  Your language and tone of voice change, and your customer will quickly lose confidence in you and the product. If you psych yourself out, you will be the problem.

Instead, run through a checklist of the information you need to convey before you meet with your customer.  Review any goals the customer is trying to achieve.  If you don't know their goals, make sure you plan to learn them.  Doing this will remind you that you do, in fact know what you're doing, and are properly prepared.  Then, go into your meeting with confidence that you can help your customer achieve their goals by buying your product.

Still feeling a little nervous?  Play your stereo loudly and sing along to an upbeat song.  Studies show this increases mood and confidence, even if you're a lousy singer! Remember how well you did in closing a few difficult deals, and how good you are at helping customers achieve their goals.  Positive visualizations and self-talk are also backed by science as mood-lifters and performance-enhancers.  Calm down, cheer up, and go get 'em!

If your slump is, in fact due to some problem on your part, it will become clear soon enough.  Each sale will break down in the same place, or you'll be defeated by the same objection over and over. That problem is easier to fix - you can pinpoint the problem and train yourself accordingly!

Selling Against A Lower Price: How To Win The Sale

"I can get it from XYZ Corp for 8% less.  Can you meet their price?"  We hear it far more often than we'd like.  What's a sales pro to do?

Your manager would say, "You haven't adequately sold the value of the product."  To some extent that's true (it helps them meet their goals), but we all know there are some people who will always buy on price, no matter what. What do you say to them?

"I never worry about my competitor's lower price; they must know what their stuff is worth.  What my product is worth is $X.  My product meets your goals of  A and B.  How many would you like?"  With this response, the competition is minimized, and you're back on track.  There is nothing your customer can say to this approach that will shake your explanation of the price differential.  All you need to do is take the order.  They may talk about budget, giving you an opportunity to discuss payment arrangements.  Don't sell on price.  You'll lose.

When your customer makes your competitor a topic of conversation, you need to change the focus back to your customer's goals and how your product helps to achieve them.  You're not an expert on the competitor, and even if by some chance you are, it isn't what you need to discuss to sell your product.  Nobody's goal is to have a 1/4" drill bit - the goal is to have 1/4" hole.  Stop talking about the tool, and start talking about the goal.

This "They must know what their stuff is worth" approach can easily be overdone and beaten to death.  When you say it, say it once, clearly, and then drop it.  You're not bad-mouthing with this approach, you're stating a fact.  If you are perceived as talking trash about the competition, your reputation and your sales are quickly going to be in trouble. Keep the focus on achieving goals, and close our sale. 

Drunk, Yelling Mexican Men Are...

Before the Stomach Bug

My husband and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon. It was great, at first.  Then Dave came down with a stomach bug which made him feverish, nauseated, and weak.  I stayed with him all day until he finally fell into a peaceful sleep at about 10:15pm, and then went to the restaurant in the hotel.  It was closed.  I hadn't eaten all day because Dave was sick, and I was starved!  A helpful desk clerk mentioned that the bar/cafe across the square was open.

The square was quiet.  Two men shared a park bench with a radio.  I walked over to the cafe, went in, and ordered in broken Spanish.  Before my food came, a very drunk Mexican man tried to buy me a beer.  I couldn't understand his words, but I got the gist from his hand gestures.  He was well dressed, and a happy drunk, but I found it unsettling.  Maybe I'd take that food to go.  His friend came over and apologized in English, and also offered to buy me a drink.  Where was my food?! 15 minutes passed.

The noise level in the cafe grew.  It had floor-to-ceiling windows that opened on to the street.  I looked out on to the square to see it had suddenly filled with young men waving flags and shouting. Then men in the restaurant also started shouting.  I realized I was the only woman in the place.  I was very uncomfortable, and seriously considering leaving without my food, but I was no more excited about crossing the square alone.

The gentleman who had spoken in English to me earlier came over again.  "Miss, you are afraid, no? Be calm.  Our favorite soccer team has won the championship just now.  We are celebrating!  Have a beer!"  

I laughed at myself.  I looked out at the square, and now saw a community celebrating a soccer win. Young men hoisted flags high and circled the square on motorbikes, girlfriends clinging to them in the rear seat.  The young men were all wearing some version of the soccer uniform.  The men in the cafe were toasting, dancing, and buying one another drinks. And my waiter was celebrating with them.  It was wonderful!  I'm delighted to have seen it.

Drunk, yelling Mexican men are great.  I had a blast watching the celebration. I was sorry Dave missed it.  I also realized how silly it was of me to assume I was in danger.Watching them dance and drink, wave flags and ride motorbikes, I realized how important it is to understand what is being communicated to you.  I vowed to become a better listener and communicator.  And I think of that night when I'm working. Things are not always as they seem, and they are often much, much better! I need to ask the right questions, and listen carefully to the answers.  There could be something to celebrate!

The Square In The Daytime