Training and mentoring

As customers, we can all relate to times when we contact a company or pop into a store enquiring about a product or service.  Generally, the person answering the phone announces the company name in a friendly and professional manner. Likewise, if we are in a store the person welcomes us, each of them asking how they can help and the conversation begins.

If we know exactly what we want we tell the assistant what we need. On occasion, they may ask us a few questions to clarify further and determine the exact fit. The order is taken and the transaction completed.

However, there may be times when we are unsure about what we want, we may need more information or perhaps guidance to make the right decision. This is where the sales person moves from being the “order taker” to the “order maker”.  

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Human nature is such, that when we witness or overhear a conversation, we instinctively make assumptions. We listen to what people said and how they behaved. So, we naturally draw our own conclusions thinking we have the information.

Yet, how often do we stop and consider there may be another perspective? That we may be missing some key facts vital to the story?  That we may have misunderstood what the person actually said?  Or there may be a reason why they behaved the way they did?

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Frequently, at the beginning of my “Customer Service” training workshops I ask people, if they are likely to speak up and complain when they are unhappy with a product or service?

The answers I get vary greatly ranging from an assertive “absolutely, I am a paying customer” to the person who replies “sometimes, it depends” right through to someone who is very apprehensive to say anything at all.

What concerns me most is when people are afraid to speak up. As buyers, we are spending our hard-earned cash and deserve to be treated well. So, what is it that stops people from expressing how they feel?

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Despite our desire that life should be a steady upward line towards whatever our goals are, we learn soon enough that it’s far from a straight journey. Whether personally or professionally there are ups and downs along the way, some small and some large.

Resilience is the skill that we need to develop to stop ourselves falling deep into these potholes, to help lift ourselves up over the rim of these craters and continue to move forward.

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Over the years, many salespeople have told me one of their biggest obstacles is when they encounter the gate-keeper on reception. What do they fear that causes so much anxiety?

The fact is we will always come into contact with gatekeepers. And yes, we may be asked a number of questions and sometimes they will prevent us getting through to the decision maker.

Yet, we need to remember it’s their job to screen calls. We should accept it and be prepared to work out the best way to deal with these situations and win them over. So, how can we do this?

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