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Coach’s Corner: 6 things salespeople shouldn’t do
Taking cell phone calls and texting in front of customers are two of the “never ever” scenarios Pat Henneberry outlines in the latest Coach’s Corner.
Pat Henneberry is vice president of global learning and development at Hearts On Fire. She also is founder of The Jewelry Coach, a sales training community for jewelers. Reach her at pat@thejewelrycoach.com.
Technology can be a useful tool. It connects people with their family and friends, and helps us easily find places and items we desire.
But in the sales process it also can be distracting, sometimes making customers feel that a salesperson is not giving them their full attention.
Outlined below are six things sales people should “never ever” do, three of which involve smartphones and/or social media and another that involves one of the subjects that you should never bring up at the dinner table--politics.
1) Never ever: Look at your cell phone or take a call with a customer.
If you are going through a family emergency--let’s say, for example, you just learned your children’s car pool has been disrupted and your kids soon will be standing out on a street corner by themselves--then let a colleague know that you will need help with your customer.
I would also be very transparent with your customer and let them know the truth--that you might need to take a call soon. Let them know it will take 30 seconds. We are all human and I am sure they will understand.
2) Never ever: Text in front of a customer.
Your customers can text as much as they like. Most likely, if they are a Millennial they are tweeting about their experience with you, looking up the brand you are showing them or using a social network site to see if any of their friends like that brand.
3) Never ever: Not answer a customer’s question.
This doesn’t mean you answer every question even if you don’t know the correct answer. It means if you want credibility, and if you want to build trust, let your customer know you don’t know the answer but you will find out.
Look it up together if you have the time and you know it would be easy. If it’s a more detailed question, give them a time you will get back with them with the answer.
4) Never ever: Talk politics with a customer, even if you are 100 percent sure they are totally on the same page.
Even then, it’s a bad idea. There could be other customers in the store who can hear your conversation who don’t agree with your views and you could upset them.
5) Never ever: Vent on your Facebook page or any social media venue.
If you invite a customer into your social networking world, you need to be very careful what you say.
I know it’s “your” site and if they are there they better be prepared to see anything … no! That’s not how it rolls when you are in sales and representing a store.
The quickest way to lose a customer, or a friend for that matter, is to use your social networking sites as a place to vent. Save it for the bar with your close friends.
No one ever said, ‘I can’t wait to go onto Facebook to read angry vents about subjects.”
6) Never ever: Let failure enter into your mind.
Redefine everything as a “learning experience” and then focus on finding out how to get a better result. You will have tough days, you will make mistakes. My dad use to say “the person who makes no mistakes does nothing.” Just hang in there and keep learning.
Make it the best sales day ever!
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