When it comes to sales, I’ve always been a firm believer that the customer is not always right. Instead, I think the customer is often wrong and should be treated as such. However, once I hit a period in my career where I felt like my sales were stuck in a rut and nothing was changing.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Building genuine relationships can lead to increased sales. |
| Positive interactions and empathy create a more pleasant customer experience. |
| Actively listening to customers’ needs and concerns can help tailor solutions. |
| Providing excellent customer service fosters loyalty and repeat business. |
| Going the extra mile and showing kindness can set your brand apart from competitors. |
Put Yourself In The Other Person’s Shoes
If a potential customer is hesitant to purchase your product or service, it’s not enough to simply tell them what great things are going to happen once they do. You need to understand why the person is resisting and offer them solutions that meet their needs.
For example, if someone says, “I’m worried about paying for this,” you could suggest a payment plan that takes away their financial concerns.
Or if they say, “I’d like more information,” you could provide an easy way for them to get it by sending them emails with helpful tips and videos detailing how exactly your product works.
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Showing Empathy Creates Trust
Empathy is one of the best ways to build trust with a customer. By showing empathy through your actions and words, you can communicate that they are not alone in their experience.
The best way to show empathy is by listening actively and acknowledging how the customer feels.
Ask questions like “How do you feel about this?” or “Is it okay that this happened?” Acknowledge their feelings by saying something like “I get it that must be scary for you! I’m so sorry this had to happen today.”
Be sure to take time to understand their situation before offering help you don’t want them feeling like they’re being rushed into making a decision because the salesperson has already decided how things will go down.
Take some time together discussing possible solutions so everyone involved understands where everyone else stands on the issue at hand.
Trust Leads To Action
Trust is not something that can be forced, or purchased. It has to be earned and developed over time, in a series of actions that reflect your values as a person. For example:
If someone is rude to me, I will be nice back. Most people want to be treated well, so if you respond politely when someone treats you poorly it’s a sign of trustworthiness.
This sets the stage for future interactions between you two because they know that at least one thing about you isn’t fake (your kindness).
If you’re consistently kind and honest with them (not just when it’s convenient), it will build trust over time because they’ll see how genuine this quality is in your character!
If someone trusts me enough to ask for my help/advice/input on something important in their lives I’m happy to provide it as long as I have an hour or two available each week.
Because helping others grow professionally has always been extremely rewarding for me even though sometimes leads don’t convert into sales immediately which doesn’t matter much.
Since they’re still coming back often enough anyway so now we’re talking about building relationships here instead which ultimately leads back around again into what I was saying before–you see where I’m going with this?
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So, Start With Empathy And End With A Question
The first step in building a relationship is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s a key ingredient in building trust, which leads to a better relationship.
Empathy is also the first step in building a sales relationship. When you’re trying to close a sale, it helps if your prospect feels like you’re on their side! So start with empathy and end with a question: “How do you think this problem could be solved?”
Don’t Be Afraid Of Rejection
Being nice is a great way to help people. But it’s not the only way.
Rejection, silence, failure, and success are all part of the journey in business. Don’t let them stop you from moving forward.
Change is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it has to be scary in fact, it should be exciting! Be open to new opportunities and experiences because they can lead you down unexpected paths that may lead you closer to your goal than before.
The unknown future can be frightening sometimes, but remember: we’re all just here for a short time on this rock floating in space—so why not make the most of it with friends and family?
Don’t Be Afraid Of Silence
People will often respond to a question with a pause, but that’s not the same thing as a “no.” If you ask an open-ended question, the customer may just want more time to think about his or her answer. It’s OK for them to reflect; let them do it in their own time.
You can also use silence as a chance to gather your thoughts and come up with another possible solution or idea it’s all part of being a good listener!
This can be especially helpful when you’re on the phone or talking face-to-face with someone who needs your help solving problems related to their job duties at work or home life issues such as when their spouse isn’t happy with something they did around the house (or both).
Another way I’ve found helpful is by starting conversations by empathizing first before asking any questions even if those questions are meant more like statements rather than actual inquiries into someone else’s feelings/thoughts/opinions:
“I understand how frustrating this situation has been for you.” Or maybe even just saying something like “I’m sorry.”
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Ask Questions That Make It Easy For The Customer To Say Yes
When you’re selling to a customer, your goal is to get them motivated to buy.
To do that, you have to ask questions that are easy for them to answer. The first step is asking questions that are easy for the customer to say yes or no because they don’t require any thought at all. These are called “yes” or “no” questions.
An example would be: You want a cheeseburger? Yes or no? In this case, it’s clear what the options are and there’s nothing else you can really say besides “yes” or “no.”
Now let’s take this one step further and consider the opposite type of question which we’ll call an “easy maybe.” For example: Do you like burgers? Maybe!
This question allows people who might not be sure about whether or not they want something without having them commit either way; so if someone says maybe, then that means they’re open-minded about it but haven’t decided yet.
To get better results with these types of questions (especially if yours aren’t already), try asking things like where do most people go when they need electronics repaired?
Be Nice To Strangers
You’ve probably heard the phrase “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This is true in all areas of life, including sales.
If you are friendly and polite with people who don’t know you, they will be more likely to buy from you or help you get whatever it is that you need from them later on down the road (if they can).
Look people in the eye when you talk to them. This will make them feel like they are being listened to by someone who cares about what they have to say.
Be polite even if someone doesn’t give your pitch enough attention or respect as an entrepreneur or salesperson trying their best out there in today’s marketplace place where everyone needs money (but not necessarily yours). Your attitude matters most!
Be Nice To People You Know
Be nice to people you know. I’m talking about your friends, family and co-workers. And even your boss (if they’re not an asshole).
Be nice to your customers. This one is pretty self-explanatory: if you don’t have customers, then there’s no way for you to make any sales at all!
If someone walks into a store looking for something that they might be interested in buying and the employee doesn’t greet them.
Or offer assistance when asked, chances are good that customer will walk right back out again without making a purchase and probably tell all their friends how rude the store was as well!
Be nice to competitors. People love doing business with companies that are easygoing and friendly even if those companies are competitors.
Because it gives them an incentive not only work harder but also be more creative themselves so they can win over new customers from time-to-time.”
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Be Nice To Your Competition
Be nice to your competition. There is a reason why this commandment is at the top of the list, it’s because it’s something that most people are already inclined to do, but they might not be doing it as often as they should.
This can be because they feel threatened by their competition or they just don’t want to help them out. But what you don’t realize is that helping out your competitor helps you too!
The more goodwill you have with them, the more likely they will be willing to help you when needed or refer customers to you when appropriate.
I used to think there was no advantage in being nice to my competitors – but boy was I wrong!
When I started showing some respect and appreciation towards other businesses, I quickly realized how much goodwill could come back my way if we were on friendly terms with each other.
Be Nice To Your Customers
This is a big one. Customers are people too, and they’re not always right. Even when they are wrong, you need to be nice to them anyway. You also need to remember that even if you think a customer is being mean or unreasonable, they might still have their reasons for acting that way.
Let me give two examples:
A customer calls up and says he wants to return his product because it doesn’t work properly. He can’t explain why it doesn’t work properly, but he wants his money back anyway.
A customer calls up and asks if we have a product in stock that we don’t actually have in stock (but another department does). The reason she bought our product was because it was cheaper than the other department’s version of the same thing!
Be Nicely Critical
This can be difficult for some people, but you’ll find that it gets easier with practice. If someone asks you for feedback about their work or something they’ve done, don’t be afraid to say yes or no or even “I don’t know” if the answer isn’t immediately obvious to you.
This is a great way to make sure that people feel heard and valued in your business relationships without making them uncomfortable by being too critical (which can often be counterproductive).
Be Nice When Things Go Wrong
If you’re a sales manager, your first instinct when something goes wrong is to blame the customer. You might think, “Well, why didn’t they just do what I told them?” Or perhaps you think, “It must be because of this new product/process/tool/process.”
No matter what happens in the sale process – whether it be that a customer isn’t buying or a customer has complained about their experience your job is not to blame the customer, or even yourself (though sometimes it can feel like an easy way out).
Instead of blaming others for failures in your business or blaming yourself for failures in yourself and your team’s performance, focus on figuring out why things went wrong and how they can be fixed.
Be Nicer About Yourself
You are your own worst critic, and that’s a good thing. You care. You want to improve yourself and be the best you can be. This is one reason why you should never take it personally when your friends stop returning your texts or calls they probably just need some space!
However, if you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere with someone who used to be friendly but has started avoiding being around you lately, there are a few things that might help:
First of all, try not to obsess over what they think about you as much as possible. It will only make things worse if they do stop hanging out with you because then all of this self-doubt will just spiral out into an ugly mess of feelings in your head (which is where self-doubt lives).
Instead, focus on making new friends who appreciate your company for the amazing human being that we know (and care about) for yourself!
Be Nicer To Sales People
When you’re nice, salespeople are happier. And when they’re happy, they make more sales for you. It’s a simple equation: If you want to sell more stuff, be nice to the people who do it for you. Here’s why:
They are your customers. There’s a reason that most businesses put customer service at the top of their priorities list because if customers feel like jerks talked down to or like they’re being hustled, they won’t come back and buy from you again.
They are your competition. In addition to being part of your customer base, many salespeople work at companies whose brands compete directly with yours in terms of products or services offered;
This means that when one company invests in developing its brand and stand-out value proposition (as well as how it treats employees).
These improvements can benefit both companies equally while still aligning with different strategies (and sometimes even different audiences).
They are also employees who might be friends outside work hours and therefore deserve respect just like anyone else would need from anyone else he knows on any level whatsoever!
Even if he doesn’t personally care about what happens during his day job then after hours because he hates everything about this place already anyway…but then again maybe those feelings could change over time? Who knows!
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Conclusion
I hope this post has shown you how doing the right thing can benefit your business. Remember, customer service is a key element to attracting and retaining customers, so start getting it right today.
It takes more than just saying the right words you need to do what you say you’re going to do. Most importantly of all though, be honest with yourself about your company’s strengths and weaknesses before addressing them with potential clients or customers:
If something isn’t working, don’t try to hide behind excuses or blame others for your own mistakes!
Overall I feel like my scores from running these functions are pretty high, but I am interested in seeing how they compare with actual content written by humans. If the human-written content did not get 100% similarity scores then that would be of interest as well.
I also would like to see if we can quantify how much better one algorithm is at generating headlines vs another (language modeling alone seems more effective than seq2seq models).
It would also be interesting to see which headline styles are best suited for certain kinds of content (blogs vs articles) and whether a model could learn those rules itself rather than having it hard coded into the system.
Another question which came up while thinking about this project is whether there’s any difference between titles generated by GPT-2 117M vs 345M aside from length: does larger size equate better quality or just longer output? Does using 115M make sense given its smaller size?
What are some practical considerations for deciding when one should use different sized models? This might inform future decisions about which model sizes make sense in real-world applications where speed matters as well as quality (e.g., generating headlines on demand).
We have reached our conclusion! Thank you very much for reading along this far – I hope it was an interesting journey for
Further Reading
Proven Strategies to Increase Sales of Your Product: Explore effective sales strategies to boost your product’s performance.
Increase Sales Online: Tips and Techniques: Discover actionable tips and techniques to enhance online sales for your business.
Career Advice: Increasing Sales: Gain insights into how to develop your career path by improving sales skills.
FAQs
How can I improve my product’s sales performance?
Enhancing your product’s sales performance requires a combination of effective marketing strategies, understanding customer needs, and providing exceptional customer service.
What are some techniques for increasing online sales?
To increase online sales, you can focus on optimizing your website for conversions, implementing targeted advertising campaigns, and offering compelling incentives for online shoppers.
How can I develop my sales skills for career growth?
Investing in your sales skills involves continuous learning, networking, and seeking mentorship opportunities to develop a comprehensive understanding of sales strategies and customer interactions.
What role does customer engagement play in sales growth?
Customer engagement is crucial for sales growth, as it builds trust and loyalty, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
How do I create an effective sales pitch?
Crafting an effective sales pitch involves understanding your audience’s needs, highlighting the value your product or service offers, and addressing any objections or concerns they may have.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.