The question “How do I get customers to choose me over the competition” is an age-old question. From the time of Cleopatra to the present business owners and sales people all wonder the same thing. Why is it that some people never have a lack of customers and others seem to struggle for every single one? Is there a magic spell or ritual that they use to “bewitch” customers? Were they just born with a special talent, or maybe they are just lucky.

 

Well, the answer is yes to all of the above. But it’s not what you think . . . There are a set of skills and actions you can take to become “one of those people.” Some people were lucky to learn them early on in life, while others weren’t exposed to them until later. The bottom line is by learning these skills and actions everyone can be one of the “lucky” ones and have customers come to them in droves.

 

The most important piece to the puzzle is you. Are you trustworthy? Are you credible? Do you live up to your word? People choose to work with people they trust. People who make them feel secure. People they know they can count on if something goes wrong. You may look great on paper, have all the experience and credentials, but if your customer doesn’t get a warm fuzzy feeling from you, he or she will go elsewhere. Remember, people claim they make decisions based on logic, when in reality they make decisions based on emotion and then justify them with logic.

 

How much time to you spend developing who you are as a person? Have you taken a good look at your level of self-confidence? Do you believe in yourself? Do you follow through on what you say? You can snow people for awhile, but deep down their gut will tell them you’re a fake. Take time to work on developing yourself. Find out who you really are and who and where you want to be.

 

So many people are operating on autopilot. They are doing what they think they should be doing or what someone else told them to do. Unfortunately, many times it is not what they truly want to do. The saddest part is that they are miserable and they have no idea why. Take the time to get to know your true self and them progress from there. Once you are true to yourself and you are doing what you like, your customers will have a higher comfort level with you and your business.

 

Make each and every customer feel special. Remember little things about them and take care of them. The more you engage with your customer and become a trusted resource the less likely they are to go elsewhere. Just remember, you’re not trying to become their best friend, just a very trusted resource.

 

This is much easier now with CRM programs and computer sales records. You can keep track of things you learn about your customer on the computer so you don’t have to keep everything in your head. For example, a Happy Birthday message is almost always welcomed by customers, even if you haven’t done business with them for awhile. This will keep you on the top of their mind when a need for your products or services comes up again.

 

Finally, stay relevant. Make sure your knowledge and skills are current with the market. Invest in extra training or read trade magazines or books. Schedule a few minutes every day to increase your knowledge base, it can be as little as 15 minutes. Just do it! This is another attribute that your customer will appreciate and will put you ahead of the competition.

Phone prospecting is often a “scary” thing for people who are in positions where this is part of their job or if they have their own home-based business and this is critical to their success. There are several very important things to take into consideration when you on talking to prospects on the phone.

 

First of all (and this is VERY important) you must be in the right mindset whether you are talking to leads you have purchased, if you are calling a client base or if you are making cold calls.

 

Go through the reasons in your mind why you are calling this prospect and what result you want from the call. It’s a good idea to make a list of pros and cons of the type of people you want in your organization or as a client. Take a piece of paper, put a line down the center and write the pros on one side and the cons on the other. Read this list often – it will become an automatic sorting tool for you, and you will not waste your time on people who do not fit your criteria. For example, a “pro” would be someone who has energy and drive. A “con” would be someone who has low energy or is unsure of what they want. Believe it or not, this is an excellent way to attract the people you want.

 

Always have a pleasant and upbeat voice when you talk to prospects. Be excited about your reason for calling. If you don’t feel particularly excited at the time, think about what made you excited when you first heard about the business you are in and what it was that made you decide to join the organization. Was it the product? Was it the income opportunity? Was it the strength of the organization? Was it the quality of the people there?

 

A smile on your face comes through the phone. When your prospect answers the phone, always greet them by their first name ? “Hi Bob” ? then introduce yourself and tell them where you’re from ? “This is Mary from DeMoines, Iowa,” or from your company name.

 

After you have introduced yourself to a prospect, don’t immediately go into your presentation. Ask them questions about themselves, what they are looking for, etc. That’s also a good sorting tool. Maybe when you learn more about them, you’ll decide they don’t fit your criteria. Believe me, you will never sell anything to anyone by blasting your opportunity without taking the time to show your prospects you are interested in them. And you should be ? they will either be someone in your organization or a client, so you need to know if they are someone you want to do business with. You’re in the driver’s seat here.

 

Work on your presentation posture. If you have a script you are working from, know it so well it rolls off your tongue. Then, use it only for reference, because you want to sound natural and not scripted. You don’t become a phone pro overnight ? you must work on your delivery until it “works” for you. It’s a good idea to get a recording device where you can record your presentation, listen to it and critique yourself. Or if you have someone you trust who will be honest with you, present your dialogue to them and have them critique you.

 

Your phone posture is critical, especially if you are talking to professionals. They want to work with someone who they feel is professional as well. In fact, this is critical regardless who you are talking to ? people respond to strength, and if you don’t develop this in your presentation, you will lose a lot of potential sales. Is this easy to develop? For some people it is, but for most everyone, you acquire this through practice, practice, practice. Don’t become discouraged; just know that when you acquire this, the world is your oyster.

 

As they say, the fortune is in the follow up! Always follow up with a prospect when you say you are going to. This makes you look professional. Life happens, so don’t be discouraged if they are not available at that time. Give them at least three opportunities to be available for a follow up. And, if you feel they are a particularly good candidate for your organization, give them a couple more calls. Schedule your follow-up calls in your calendar, either virtual or on paper.

 

When someone has missed an appointment with you, call them (or leave a voice mail) and let them know they missed the appointment, that you realize life happens, but you allotted this time for them, and you are willing to reschedule at another time. If you leave a voice message, ask them to get back with you so you can set up another appointment for them. Remember, they were interested enough to set up the first appointment. If you don’t hear from them, call them and set up the next appointment. A good way to avoid this situation is to tell them at the time you set up the appointment that you would appreciate the courtesy of a call or email if they are unable to make it.

 

 

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