How do I start a conversation with a customer?
You start trying your hand at partner business, and a customer is talking to you. Hooray! So you did everything right. You completed the tasks of finding and attracting a customer with flying colors, applied all 4 steps at the start, that we wrote about here.
Do you know exactly what you want from a customer? With each potential customer, you'll be performing the 6 actions of the classic sales funnel:
• Establishing contact
• Identifying needs
• Giving a presentation
• Working off objections
• Closing the deal (the customer invests)
• Proceeding with post-sales support (installment repayment control, secondary sales, involvement in partner business)
Afraid? Don't worry! We will perform these actions together with you.
But let's take it slow. Let's start by establishing contact with a customer without making mistakes.
Things to do when establishing contact:
1. Be considerate. Avoid familiarity and try not to touch personal or sensitive topics.
2. Be friendly. Try to adjust to the pace and even the volume of the customer's voice.
3. Use small talk techniques (a relaxed conversation about an interesting topic) and open-ended questions (with answers that go beyond "yes/no").
Things to avoid when establishing contact:
1. Invasion of personal space. If it's an offline conversation, stay a meter away from the person you're talking to and don't touch them. In other cases, just be considerate.
2. Sell! When a salesperson is too pushy, a customer feels pressure and doesn't want to buy anything on principle.
3. Talking more than a customer. Your task at this stage is to get the interlocutor to like you. So, you have to try to engage them in a conversation, to arouse interest in the conversation.
Do these tasks seem too easy to you? However, not everyone gets it right the first time, and not every customer is easy to get to the next stage.
But you are not alone! You have support and many more tips for successful partner business here.