Of course, in order to sell more, there is no need to know any intimate details about the Client. It is unlikely that information about how and with whom he eats, where and with whom he sleeps will come in handy in negotiations. Although ... maybe it will come in handy. It is even possible that you - or your employees or employees - will have to eat with the Client, and even ... it is possible ... to sleep with him. IN official duties this is not prescribed, it is impossible to demand this from any of the employees. But in real life, for the sake of a strategic partnership or a really big contract, people go to great lengths. They are ready to sell their soul, and even more so the body.

However, it makes sense to do all this except for the sake of VERY, VERY BIG MONEY. Bulk small and medium deals are not worth it.

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Conduct an audit

However, you must have basic information about the Client. Information about:

• How much and in what quantities he buys.
• In what quantities could I buy in the future.
• Who are its main suppliers and competitors.
• Where would he like to invest his money in the future?
• Is he ready to open new directions in his business.

In order to sell more to the Client, his trust in us is necessary. The client must know for sure that you are on his side. That you will never offer him something that he does not need. Or for some fraction of a second it may not suit him.

And in order to win over the Client, you need to work hard. Since we all know that there are many types of Clients, and the representative system is different. To begin with, it is necessary to ask the right questions that help to talk to the client, to arouse a sense of his significance. They usually begin with the words: WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, HOW MUCH. This category also includes "Carnegie questions". They are asked based on the "grandfather Carnegie rule":

The client is indifferent to you, your business and your offers.
He is interested in HE, HIS business.
And how your suggestions can be interesting and useful
HIM and HIS business.

But when asking such questions, you must remember that they will require you to use special active listening techniques. If you know how to ask questions, but do not know how to extract information from the Client's answers, then the price for this is worthless. About the ability to listen and hear. You must remember to avoid negative, biased, selective, and indifferent listening. Beware of those moments when it seems to you that you already know what the client may say. And you - even against your will - will react to his speech in a biased and even negative way. Which is unacceptable if you want to sell successfully. You must be able to listen inclusively, openly, to let know that a person is heard in his every word.

One of the methods of active listening is the PARAPHRASE technique. Verbatim repetition of the main provisions expressed by the Client:

As far as I understand you...
- Do you think that...

The client will be pleased that you not only listened to him attentively, but are even able to quote his statements:

So, are you interested in...
- Important selection criteria for you are...
- Based on what you said, you are primarily interested in ...

It is possible using this technique, add a question to the Client's phrase:
- Did I understand you correctly that ..............?

Or you can generally put all his proposal in an interrogative form and voice it to him. At the same time, he will answer this question with even greater enthusiasm, giving more detailed answers.

You can also use clarifying questions here in order to get more accurate information:

This is very interesting, could you elaborate...
- Tell us more about...

Non-verbal accompaniment is also very important. You carefully look at the Client, from time to time letting him know with the words - “Yes, you are right, great idea!” - What are you interesting in. That you are as interested in it as he is. And most importantly - still do not try to apply everything at once in a conversation with a Client. First of all, be sincere with him.

However, no matter what method you choose, you must be able to do everything to ensure that the Client hears you. Negotiations can be conducted in different ways, but in any case, it is important to know a few rules:

1. Speak slowly, in short sentences. According to statistics, most of the adult population does not catch the meaning of a phrase if it contains more than 13 words. Or if the phrase lasts more than 6 seconds without a pause.
2. However, more experienced salespeople are especially persuasive when their speech consists of long phrases connected by conjunctions "and" and "or". Such long phrases put the client into a trance or hypnotic state.
3. Vary the volume, every 2-3 minutes.
4. Attract attention with a change in posture, a sharp movement of the hand, a question (to include the client in a dialogue), a joke.
5. Use the connection to the Client - "now we will see, think, listen, do."
6. Create moments of anticipation and stir up interest: “This will seem especially interesting to you”, “This is more important than you might think.”
7. Use elements of suggestion. Connect reality with the future - “As soon as I tell you, you will choose for yourself what you need”, “If I show you, then you will have the opportunity ....”, “Since you will already know this, you already you can..."
8. Choice without choice - "Will you pay for the order now or tomorrow, when I bring it to you?"
9. The overall impression of a negotiation is 80% determined by how we start and end our speech.
10. And again from suggestion - the method of repeating "YES". The more the Client agrees, the more he wants to agree further. Start with questions that do not bind the Client to anything, and after his affirmative answers, ask in principle important question.

And of course, when answering the question of the Client, be sure to praise this question. Say "What a timely question!" or "What an important question!"

Do not take questions as a sign of aggression against you. Don't be defensive or make excuses. If you are still not ready to answer the question, praise the Client anyway. At the same time, say that the question was asked not quite in time, and you will definitely answer it, but a little later. And later you will have the opportunity to prepare an answer to this question. Or the Client himself may forget about the question. Otherwise, this question will no longer be relevant.

Don't drag out the answer, don't turn it into another presentation. Answer according to the well-known formula "KiYa": Briefly and Clearly.

Remember the three golden rules:

1. Never forget about the Client, never let the Client forget about you.
2. Take care of your customers and they will take care of you.
3. Do not forget: whoever stopped, he immediately began to lag behind.

Remember: You have the right to make a mistake, but you do not have the right to repeat the mistake.

The best way to quickly master and implement the technology of building a sales department is to visit K. Baksht's sales management training "Sales System".

Of course, in order to sell more, there is no need to know any intimate details about the Client. It is unlikely that information about how and with whom he eats, where and with whom he sleeps will come in handy in negotiations. Although ... maybe it will come in handy. It is even possible that you - or your employees or employees - will have to eat with the Client, and even ... it is possible ... to sleep with him. This is not prescribed in official duties, it is impossible to demand this from any of the employees. But in real life, for the sake of a strategic partnership or a really big contract, people go to great lengths. They are ready to sell their soul, and even more so the body.
However, it makes sense to do all this except for the sake of VERY, VERY BIG MONEY. Bulk small and medium deals are not worth it.
However, you must have basic information about the Client. Information about:

How much and in what quantities he buys.
. In what quantities could I buy in the future.
. Who are its main suppliers and competitors.
. Where would he like to invest his money in the future?
. Is he ready to open new directions in his business.

In order to sell more to the Client, his trust in us is necessary. The client must know for sure that you are on his side. That you will never offer him something that he does not need. Or for some fraction of a second it may not suit him.
And in order to win over the Client, you need to work hard. Since we all know that there are many types of Clients, and the representative system is different. To begin with, it is necessary to ask the right questions that help to talk to the client, to arouse a sense of his significance. They usually begin with the words: WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, HOW MUCH. This category also includes "Carnegie questions". They are asked based on the "grandfather Carnegie rule":

The client is indifferent to you, your business and your offers.

He is interested in HE, HIS business.

And how your suggestions can be interesting and useful

HIM and HIS business.

But when asking such questions, you must remember that they will require you to use special active listening techniques. If you know how to ask questions, but do not know how to extract information from the Client's answers, then the price for this is worthless.
About the ability to listen and hear. You must remember to avoid negative, biased, selective, and indifferent listening. Beware of those moments when it seems to you that you already know what the client may say. And you - even against your will - will react to his speech in a biased and even negative way. Which is unacceptable if you want to sell successfully. You must be able to listen inclusively, openly, to let know that a person is heard in his every word.
One of the methods of active listening is the PARAPHRASE technique. Verbatim repetition of the main provisions expressed by the Client:
As far as I understand you...
- Do you think that...

The client will be pleased that you not only listened to him carefully, but are even able to quote his statements:
So, are you interested in...
- Important selection criteria for you are...
- Based on what you said, you are primarily interested in ...

Using this technique, you can add a question to the Client's phrase:
- Did I understand you correctly that ..............?

Or you can generally put all his proposal in an interrogative form and voice it to him. At the same time, he will answer this question with even greater enthusiasm, giving more detailed answers.
You can also use clarifying questions here in order to get more accurate information:
- That's very interesting, could you elaborate...
- Tell us more about...

Non-verbal accompaniment is also very important. You carefully look at the Client, from time to time letting him know with the words - “Yes, you are right, great idea!” - What are you interesting in. That you are as interested in it as he is. And most importantly - still do not try to apply everything at once in a conversation with a Client. First of all, be sincere with him.
However, no matter what method you choose, you must be able to do everything to ensure that the Client hears you. Negotiations can be conducted in different ways, but in any case, it is important to know a few rules:
1. Speak slowly, in short sentences. According to statistics, most of the adult population does not catch the meaning of a phrase if it contains more than 13 words. Or if the phrase lasts more than 6 seconds without a pause.

2. However, more experienced salespeople are especially persuasive when their speech consists of long phrases connected by conjunctions "and" and "or". Such long phrases put the client into a trance or hypnotic state.

3. Vary the volume, every 2-3 minutes.

4. Attract attention with a change in posture, a sharp movement of the hand, a question (to include the client in a dialogue), a joke.

5. Use the connection to the Client - "now we will see, think, listen, do."

6. Create moments of anticipation and stir up interest: “This will seem especially interesting to you”, “This is more important than you might think.”

7. Use the elements of suggestion. Connect reality with the future - “As soon as I tell you, you will choose for yourself what you need”, “If I show you, then you will have the opportunity ....”, “Since you will already know this, you already you can..."

8. Choice without choice - "Will you pay for the order now or tomorrow, when I bring it to you?"

9. The overall impression of a negotiation is 80% determined by how we start and end our speech.

10. And again from suggestion - the method of repeating "YES". The more the Client agrees, the more he wants to agree further. Start with questions that do not bind the Client to anything, and after his affirmative answers, ask a fundamentally important question.

And of course, when answering the question of the Client, be sure to praise this question. Say "What a timely question!" or "What an important question!"

Do not take questions as a sign of aggression against you. Don't be defensive or make excuses. If you are still not ready to answer the question, praise the Client anyway. At the same time, say that the question was asked not quite in time, and you will definitely answer it, but a little later. And later you will have the opportunity to prepare an answer to this question. Or the Client himself may forget about the question. Otherwise, this question will no longer be relevant.
Don't drag out the answer, don't turn it into another presentation. Answer according to the well-known formula "KiYa": Briefly and Clearly.

Remember the three golden rules:
1. Never forget about the Client, never let the Client forget about you.
2. Take care of the Clients - and they will take care of you.
3. Do not forget: who stopped, he immediately began to lag behind.

Remember: You have the right to make a mistake, but you do not have the right to repeat the mistake.

Konstantin Baksht, Marina Kaznovskaya,
experts of the company "Capital-Consulting"

From this article you will learn:

• What you need to know about the right communication with the client
• How to turn customer communication into your company's golden fund
• What are the best ways to communicate with customers?
• What not to do when communicating with a client

Today, business relationships between people around the world are built mainly on trade. It can be not only the sale of goods, but also services, copyrights, etc. Thus, our society is divided into buyers and sellers who are in constant interaction with each other. And the success of all commercial transactions depends on how high-quality this cooperation will be, how competent communication with customers will be. Of course, this is not the only criterion for success. trading business First of all, the quality of the product or service itself is important. But many shortcomings can be compensated for with the right communication. A buyer who is satisfied with the service will definitely return to you again, and will not go to competitors. And, on the contrary, if your staff is not attentive enough to visitors or is rude, the buyer will no longer step over the threshold of your store, no matter how high the quality of the goods. This article will touch upon all the nuances of interaction with consumers, give examples of proper communication, consider phrases that should not be used, and also analyze various techniques that are successful from the point of view of psychology. The article will help you build a competent sequence when communicating with a client and attract new customers.

How to establish good communication with clients

Regardless of how the communication with the client is built - via telephone or personal contact - it is the first impression that plays a fundamental role and ultimately affects the outcome of the conversation. Here it is important to follow a number of rules, as well as adhere to the sequence of stages when interacting with the consumer. The most important rule is the direction of the conversation in the direction you need and the conduct of the interlocutor. It is necessary not only to be able to tell him about the advantages of your product and service and about the benefits of cooperation with you, but also to ask in time the right questions in order to identify the needs and preferences of the client.
Communication should be open and friendly: do not raise your voice, argue, put pressure on the buyer, impose your product on him, be overly intrusive. But it is important to be the leader of the conversation and be able to keep everything under control. It is important to conduct a dialogue, involving the interlocutor in communication, and not just speak a memorized boring speech. You need to interest him in your product or service, as well as gain confidence and arrange for interaction with you.
How to properly clarify customer objections? Find out in the training program

How to behave during a conversation

The correct line of behavior of the staff plays a big role. The probability of a purchase will increase significantly if the cooperation between the manager and the client is successful. It is important to show due and at the same time unobtrusive attention to the buyer, showing him that you are interested in making him satisfied. To do this, you need to be able to arrange the interlocutor, using a smile and a friendly tone. Emotionality in communication is also very important: the buyer will not show interest in either you or the product if you speak in a monotone. If during the conversation you use the right emotions, this will help to interest the interlocutor and make the dialogue more lively and relaxed.
Every salesperson needs to have good diction. It is important not only to know what exactly needs to be said to the buyer, but also to be able to clearly and correctly do it. The manager should not have speech impediments. The buyer should see a real professional in front of him, who knows how to talk about the product, answer all questions of interest, with whom it is pleasant to have a conversation. Nobody is interested in an insecure employee who does not know how to connect two words. When communicating with a client, it is also important to get to know him and in the future to address him by name. Such psychological reception helps to position the interlocutor, giving communication a more personal character. It is very important to listen to the buyer and in no case interrupt him, but at the same time direct the conversation in the right direction if he starts to move away from the main topic.

How to talk about a product or service

Often there are difficulties in communicating with a sales client at the very first stage of the conversation - he is initially not interested in hearing about the product. How to present your product or service to the customer in a profitable way? The main task is to interest him in the product and draw attention to your company. People are very fond of promotions and special offers, and this can not be used to attract new customers, as well as retain existing ones. During communication with the consumer, tell about ongoing promotions, explain all the benefits of buying this particular product, interest in a novelty that has recently entered the market. Find out the needs and interests of the client in order to offer the right product for him, meeting all his wishes and requirements.
Once you've decided on the buyer's requirements, focus his attention solely on the details that interest him. There is no need to overload the interlocutor with an excessive amount of information in which he will only get confused. It will be sufficient during communication to correctly place accents and describe the product precisely according to the parameters that are of interest to the client. The final stage- work out all the objections of a potential buyer, thereby dispelling his doubts, and encourage him to make a purchase. Even if the consumer, after communicating with you, refused to purchase a product or pay for a service, you need to maintain goodwill and courtesy towards him. Then there is a very high probability that the visitor will come to you in the future, remembering your professionalism and desire to help with the choice. Thus, following the correct sequence of stages when communicating with a client is very important if you want to grow your business.

Simple rules of communication with the client

There are many examples of successful sales when a person just went to a store just for the sake of interest, and after talking with an employee trading floor went out with a purchase. It speaks of professionalism and high level salesperson training. Many consumers need to be encouraged to make a purchase. To do this, specialists in the field of trade and psychology have developed a number of rules. If sales managers follow them, the company's turnover will definitely increase.

1. Customer orientation. The most important thing when communicating with a client is to convince him that you are pursuing his interests, and not yours, and really want to help him. This will instill confidence in the buyer and help win him over. Openness and goodwill are one of the main keys to success. You need to be especially careful in those moments when the visitor himself asks you questions. Answers should be as informative and detailed as possible. You need to show that the buyer is important to you, and you are ready to answer all his questions. Indifferent, dry remarks will leave a bad impression on the quality of service.

There are several ways to show your interest:

• when talking with the buyer, your attention should be focused only on him. You can not be distracted by extraneous matters;
• communication should be emotionally colored. It is important that the interlocutor sees a living person in front of him, and not a robot;
• during communication, you need to look the interlocutor in the eyes;
• it is important to have a dialogue, encouraging the client not only to listen, but also to speak;
• it is necessary to give as much valuable information about the product as possible for the buyer, but at the same time make sure not to overload it with unnecessary information.

Try to communicate with the buyer in the most understandable language for him. No need to delve into professional terminology that a person does not understand. If we are talking, for example, about a blender, it is not necessary to say that its power is 1500 watts. This information may be completely useless to the client. It would be much better if you list the main products that you can grind with it. So you talk about technical specifications goods, but they will be clear not only to you, but also to the buyer.

1. Don't stoop to the level of the client. At first glance, this is rather strange advice, because the first rule says that you need to speak with the buyer in his language. This is undeniable. This rule created only to warn you against the possibility of a conflict brewing when communicating with a client. The contingent of buyers is completely different, and not all of them are able to communicate adequately, allowing themselves to use profanity and rudeness. It is in these cases that one cannot become like ill-mannered people and respond with aggression. It is important to be able to remain calm and find the strength to always be polite and friendly. The reputation of the company you work for depends on it.
2. The client is always right. It has long been a beaten and memorized rule by all sales managers. But it is not entirely correct. Every salesperson understands that the customer is actually right in very rare cases. Most potential buyers do not know what they really want and understand your store's products much worse than you. It is you who is the owner of the store, not the client, and it is you who are in charge here, because everything that happens to him depends on you: whether he can find the product he needs, whether he leaves with the purchase. But in no case should the buyer know this. He must believe that only he is right.
3. Don't insist. When offering your product or service, do not go too far and do not be too intrusive. There is no need to put pressure on the buyer, forcing him to make a choice and make a purchase right now, if it is noticeable that he is not ready to do this. A person should not get the impression that you imposed a product that he did not need at all.
4. Don't get lost. If we are not talking about a one-time sale, but long-term cooperation (regular deliveries of goods, construction, major project etc.), a very important rule of communication with the company's customers is to always be in touch. Firstly, the customer may want to know how the work is progressing and at what stage of the process, whether everything is going according to plan and whether he should be worried. Secondly, the client may want to make some amendments to the original project plan. Keeping in touch is in your best interest. If the customer remains dissatisfied with the result of the work on which you spent more than one day, it will be much more difficult to fix everything than if checks and adjustments were made in intermediate stages.

These five communication rules will help you not only find the right approach and win over the conversation of any buyer, but also bring him to the conclusion of the transaction.

The main generally accepted standards of communication with the client

Every self-respecting organization necessarily develops internal regulations and standards for communication with the company's customers. They are aimed at properly establishing a dialogue with the buyer and building a competent sequence of stages of communication with him. This article will describe the main standards, on the basis of which you can develop your own regulations.
1. Emotional attitude and openness to the client. Employees of the trading floor or sales office should look so that the visitor wants to contact them. Here we are not talking about the external data of the staff, which, by the way, is also important, but about the image of a friendly manager who is ready to advise and help. Salespeople, of course, are people too and have the right to be in a bad mood, but this should in no way affect communication with customers. A bad mood should be left at home or on the street, and at the workplace the employee should be with a friendly smile, and not scare away visitors with a sour expression on his face.
2. The client does not have to wait. There is hardly a person who dreams of sitting in line for an hour or two. Waiting is painful for anyone. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your customer service is built in such a way that there are as few waiting visitors as possible. If there are such people, you need to show maximum care for those who are waiting for their turn. First you need to apologize to the person and clarify how long he will be served. Often this is important, because, perhaps, at this time he will be able to solve some of his other affairs. It is also necessary to entertain the guest with something if he is waiting for his turn in the hall: it can be magazines, catalogs, tea, coffee. The most important thing is that a situation does not arise: the visitor came in, and you did not pay attention to him, because you were busy. It is important to meet the client and let him know that he will definitely be served.
3. Be able to conduct a dialogue. To win over the interlocutor and impress him, you need to not only be tactful with him, but also in relation to your competitors. You should not compare your product with someone else's, pointing out the disadvantages of others and your own advantages. It is unlikely that you will inspire confidence if you discuss competitors. Also, do not engage in excessive self-promotion: it will look like boasting and exaggerating existing virtues.
It is better to avoid long monologues, lengthy descriptions and explanations. It is worth remembering the main characteristics and advantages of a particular product and conveying the very essence to the buyer without overloading him with unnecessary information. If you talk too much and for a long time, then, firstly, you can easily get confused yourself, and secondly, quickly tire the client. So that the visitor does not get tired of listening to you, you need to communicate with him in the form of a dialogue, ask questions, and involve him in the conversation.
4. Be able to hear and listen. These concepts, similar to each other, are somewhat different, because listening and hearing are different things, and a true professional in trading and in communicating with clients should know these differences. Listening is the ability to demonstrate to the interlocutor that you are listening. There is a special technique of active listening that everyone can master: you need to make eye contact, nod, do not interrupt.
The ability to hear is the ability not only to listen to a person, but also to understand everything that he wanted to convey to you. It is often very difficult to understand the buyer during communication with him. Many factors play a role here: people see the same things differently, a person does not always have sufficient knowledge to correctly express his thoughts and wishes. In such cases, you need to be able to unobtrusively get to the bottom of the truth, ask leading questions, find out as many details and details as possible. Sometimes it’s enough just to put yourself in the place of your interlocutor and look at the question through his eyes. When you master the ability to hear people, you can not only quickly help the buyer solve his problem, but you can easily manipulate him, which is useful for the seller.
5. Address the client by name. How to win over an interlocutor with just one word? Say his name. A banal truth that has huge success in communicating with a client. When you address a person by name, a more comfortable, inviting and trusting atmosphere is created for him, and the importance of this particular buyer for you is also emphasized.
6. Don't lie. Your reputation will be completely undermined if you are caught lying. Never exaggerate the merits of the product and do not say what is not really there. Even a small lie can cause irreparable harm and lead to a loss of trust on the part of the client.
7. Always do a little more than is required. Very simple, but at the same time effective technique. Exceeding consumer expectations is easy enough. You need to give him a little more attention, provide an additional, even the most insignificant, service, pleasantly surprise him, and he will become your regular customer. The more you do for the buyer in the form of some kind of additional bonus, the more you will get in return. He will be more willing and with great interest to talk with you about further cooperation if you charm him with your special attitude.

Sequential stages of communication with the client

Stage 1. "Making contact" or "Establishing contact"

Any sale or transaction is impossible without this stage.
Purpose: to attract the attention of a potential buyer to yourself and arrange for further communication.
Before moving on to identifying the needs of the client, it is recommended to resort to communicating with him on abstract topics. There are a number of methods for establishing contact with the visitor. You can offer tea, coffee, make a couple of compliments, etc.
It is very easy to understand whether it was possible to establish contact with the buyer by his actions. If he actively enters into communication, positively responds to the words and actions of the seller, behaves at ease and relaxed, we can conclude that the connection has been established. If the client is tense, tense, avoids communication, answers questions dryly and briefly, looks away - this indicates that contact could not be established. In this case, the stage of making contact should be given more attention, using various techniques.

Stage 2. Identification of needs

Purpose: to identify the preferences and wishes of the client.
The more accurately the manager can identify the preferences of the buyer, the more favorable he will be able to present the product, which as a result will lead to a purchase.
To find out the needs of the client, the manager must use the correct sequence when communicating with him, be able to ask the right questions, listen and understand the interlocutor.

Stage 3. Presentation

Purpose: to offer exactly what the buyer needs, based on his needs, identified in the second stage of communication.
When presenting a product or service, the main thing is to convey to the client the benefits of purchasing the product. It is important not to confuse the concepts of "benefit" and "advantage" here.
Advantage- this is the benefit of this particular product in comparison with analogues. Anyone who purchases this product will benefit from this.
Benefit- this is such a feature or characteristic of the product that is able to satisfy the specific need of this particular buyer.
Thus, knowing all the needs identified during communication with the visitor, it remains only to correctly present exactly the product, which, according to its characteristics, corresponds to the wishes of the client. It turns out that any product parameters can become beneficial for a particular client.

Stage 4. Dealing with objections

Purpose: to dispel the buyer's doubts about the quality of the product or its compliance with the requirements, as well as the need to purchase.
The better the previous stages of interaction with the client are worked out, the fewer objections will follow. Perhaps the manager will conduct all communication so correctly that he will not encounter objections at all.
Often objections are related to the fact that:

• not all customer needs have been identified;
• weak contact was initially established, and not enough time was devoted to communication with the client;
• the presentation was not informative and could not give a full description of the product, and thus answer all the questions of the buyer.

Every manager who wants to achieve success in sales should try to minimize the number of objections, because their excess is a signal of a poorly done customer interaction.
It will not always be possible to completely avoid objections, so you need to learn how to respond to them correctly and take appropriate measures.
Clearly follow the scheme of work with objections:

• listen to the objection of the buyer;
• smooth out his emotions by using phrases of understanding (“I understand your indignation”, “Yes, I agree that it’s unpleasant ...”, “I understand how it is ...”, “I understand you”);
• get the necessary clarifications through leading questions;
• offer an alternative solution to the problem.

Stage 5. Completion of the transaction

Purpose: to bring the buyer to the purchase and confirm the correctness of his decision.
At the stage of completion of the transaction, you need to make sure that the client is ready to make a purchase. The manager can judge this by his behavior:

• the client has already formed a positive opinion about the product;
• he agrees with the words of the manager;
• directly says that he is ready to purchase goods or conclude a contract for the provision of services;
• Interested in details.

Deal completion methods:

• compliment method ("You did right choice»);
• a method that sets a certain time frame (“If you make a purchase within three days, you will be given a 20% discount”);
• a win-win alternative (“Send measurers to you tomorrow or on Friday?”).

The turnover of the company directly depends on the professionalism of the customer service manager. The more skills and techniques he has, the more sales he can eventually make. Therefore, it is important to constantly train your staff and improve the skills of employees, send them to training sessions and lectures, develop and motivate them.

Psychology of communication with a client: effective methods of working with a difficult consumer

It is thanks to difficult customers that you can quickly identify and eliminate the shortcomings of your company, because such visitors will rush to point them out to you. The principle of working with such customers is to neutralize the pressure they exert, and not ignore them, and at the same time be able to convert them into the status of loyal customers.

• Rudeness, aggressiveness of the client.

When communicating with a client, you should never imitate him if he behaves unworthily. In response to rudeness, abuse, disrespectful statements and gestures, he should see only your friendliness and calmness. You can not let the interlocutor piss you off.
Rudeness is used when there are no other ways to prove one's case or defend one's interests. When a person has tried all the other methods, used all the arguments and lost patience, he begins to be rude. Therefore, such harshness does not express the strength of the interlocutor, but only indicates his helplessness.
When communicating with these buyers, it is important to give them the opportunity to let off steam and show that you are ready to solve the problem. You need to listen to the client without interrupting him. It will be right to discard all emotions and, not paying attention to the presentation of information, get to the heart of the matter. To do this, you need to show the interlocutor that you are ready to listen to him calmly, no matter how much he swears, that you do not intend to argue, but want to help solve the problem.
In the case when a scandal occurs in front of other visitors, try to take the client away as soon as possible in order to continue communication in private or as far as possible from strangers.

• Softness, shyness.

There are types of people who themselves will not make contact, because they are shy, do not want to be distracted, or are very shy by nature. When communicating with a manager with such clients, he needs to show as much gentleness as possible: no pressure, more smiles, encouraging remarks, pushing for a decision. Such a buyer needs to be led and guided, helped to make a choice and at the same time be very tactful and unobtrusive.

• Client indecisiveness.

Do not confuse indecisive people with soft ones. Indecisive customers are mainly those who are afraid of making a mistake, and therefore cannot decide on a choice or decide whether they need a purchase in principle. Such buyers will constantly question the already decision, clarify the details, seek advice again and again. It is difficult for them to stop their choice on one thing. They will rush between various models one product and will not be able to select the one that suits them, because they will doubt that it is the best one. When communicating with such clients, you need to deliberately narrow the circle of choices. You shouldn't offer them six options at once, it's enough to focus their attention on two, and only in the case when they refuse these options, offer two others. This way you will help buyers make the right choice, and the purchase will not be delayed for several days.
Such clients also cannot be pressured and rushed. In no case do not show that you are tired of their indecision, but on the contrary, try to encourage and support their desire to make the right choice. During communication with the buyer, you need to instill confidence in him, dispelling his every doubt.
To push an indecisive person to make a purchase, it is often not enough just to present the product correctly. Nessesary to use additional tools. In this case, you need to point out the limited quantity of this product, the upcoming price increase, or something else that will let the buyer understand that you should not delay the purchase, but you need to hurry up with the decision.
More intermediate fixes - more chances to agree on the whole. So that the client does not change his mind in the future, say that work on the agreed issues is already underway. Sometimes this is done on purpose so that the buyer will no longer return to this. It’s better for him to get scared and refuse altogether than to deal with his doubts endlessly, wasting time and not being sure that the deal will take place.

• Familiarity.

There is a category of visitors who themselves are fluent in the techniques of communicating with people and methods of manipulating them. They will act overly friendly, trying to arouse your sympathy and thereby achieve a special location for themselves, in the hope of receiving some kind of personal bonuses. The task of the manager during communication with such clients is to show that he is also friendly and ready to cooperate, but adhere to business style communication, demonstrating professionalism and seriousness.

• Talkativeness.

As in life, at work you can often encounter a chatty client. It is quite difficult to have a dialogue with such a person. Nevertheless, you need to try to focus his attention on your proposal and control the communication process. Here you need to have time to correctly insert your remarks into long monologues during pauses, without interrupting the interlocutor.
Ask leading questions that bring the buyer back to the topic of conversation, draw his attention to the product. Do not try to say more than the interlocutor, strive to say the most important thing. Your task is not to talk to the client, but to convey the essence to him.

• Silence of the client.

You can contrast a talker with a silent visitor. The difficulty in communicating with such clients lies in the fact that sometimes it is not easy to understand the reaction of a person to your words. Here it is important not to go into a long monologue, but to involve the interlocutor in a dialogue, asking his opinion and encouraging him to communicate. It is best to give information in portions, constantly monitoring the reaction of the buyer.
It is necessary to ask as many questions as possible, revealing the needs of a person, and in those rare moments when he speaks, listen carefully to him. The Echo method will work great here. Its essence is to repeat the last words of the interlocutor.

• Demonstration of competence.

This buyer is well versed in your product and is familiar with its properties and characteristics. He will hasten to demonstrate his knowledge during communication, considering this a dignity and superiority. You need to be tactful and not try to compete with him, proving that you are more aware. Give him the opportunity to show off his knowledge. Try to keep a casual conversation, ask questions and be an attentive listener.
If the buyer expresses his personal opinion about a particular product, specify what exactly it is based on. To do this, use the following questions: “Why did you decide so?”, “What is the reason for this?”. Try to translate the buyer's personal attitude towards the product into a set of specific arguments. It will be much easier to respond to them than to try to convince the interlocutor.
If during communication with the client you notice that he is mistaken, you do not need to directly point out the error and try to correct him immediately, as this can become a cause of dispute. Remember that your task is to sell a product, not to impose your opinion.

What rules dictate the ethics of communication with clients

Professional ethics of communication with clients includes the following rules:

• always be able to put yourself in the place of the buyer and in no case allow him to be treated in such a way that you would not like to receive in your address;
• in case of an ethical violation, immediately correct it as soon as it has been identified;
• compliance with the tolerance of the company's employees to the moral principles, customs and traditions of other organizations and the surrounding world as a whole;
• have your own opinion, but understand that it is not the only one that has the right to exist;
• freedom that does not restrict the freedom of others;
• ethical service behavior of an employee, which leads to the development of the organization from a moral point of view;
• when communicating with a client, pressure on him or the manifestation of his superiority in the behavior of the manager is not allowed;
• everyone possible ways find a compromise and avoid conflict;
• the employee not only himself must behave correctly from the point of view of ethics, but also encourage the client to do so;
• avoid criticism of the interlocutor.

When interacting with clients, do not:

• throw mud at competitors. You should not discuss competitors and speak badly about them, even if this is true. If the client himself asks your opinion about a particular company, the review about it should be as neutral as possible, and it would be most correct to refer to your ignorance of how competitors are doing. The client's opinion about third-party organizations should be formed without your participation;
• use slang. Often, employees communicate with each other and understand each other perfectly, but from the outside it seems that they speak foreign language. It will be difficult for the visitor to understand you and correctly navigate in your terms. Therefore, communication with customers must be conducted in a language they understand. Sometimes it is even better to show visually what you are trying to convey to the interlocutor;
• let your emotions rule you. No matter how difficult the interlocutor is, no matter how he tries to piss you off, your main rule is to be calm. All of us, of course, are living people and have the right to emotions, but not a client manager. In response to any of their actions, the consumer should see only your goodwill and no irritability or aggression.

What should be the communication with the client on the phone

When communicating with a client on the phone, intonation plays the most important role. The impression of the conversation is formed in the first 20 seconds of communication. During the same time, the person decides whether he wants to continue the dialogue with you. Therefore, you need to monitor how you present information: your voice must be confident and your speech clear.
Structure telephone conversation something like this:
Preparing for a conversation:

The phone call itself:

There are many techniques for communicating with customers over the phone. One of them is based on identifying the interlocutor's main sense organ for the perception of information. The fact is that for the knowledge of the world around us we all use hearing, sight, touch, kinesthetics, smell. But each person has a leading way of perceiving the world, by identifying which one can easily interest the client. You can determine the leading modality based on a conversation with him.
Examples of client statements indicating the predominance of one or another way of perceiving the world:

• visual: "This looks attractive", "Such a description seems vague to me", "I see it this way ...", "Let's try to shed light on this problem";
• auditory:“I heard you”, “Everything is not in time”, “It sounds like a good idea”, “I just can’t tune in to what you are saying”;
• kinesthetic (motor, motor):“Try to weigh everything well”, “I feel that I can do it”, “He gives off warmth”, “This is a very slippery situation”;
• olfactory:“It would be great to try it well”, “I just smelled like a solution.”

For many people, the priority way of obtaining information is visual, and this is easy to understand by the use of verbs that define visualization: “see”, “imagine”, “seem”, “observe”, “see”, “decorate”, “looks”, etc. e. Such people perceive what they see better than what they hear. They prefer to watch rather than listen to descriptions, even the most detailed ones. During communication, customers will record important points: they are very fond of visual examples, draw up an action plan, take notes.
Auditory orientation is inherent in a much smaller number of people. When communicating with such consumers, you will hear verbs related to hearing: “heard”, “sounds”, “pronounced”, “cracks”, “squeaks”, etc. These interlocutors have a good auditory memory and are able to remember most of the conversation without any notes and notes on paper. Such people like to communicate, but are also easily distracted by extraneous sounds.
A very small group of people are guided by the kinesthetic style of communication. They often use verbs when speaking: “I build”, “I create”, “I use”, etc. Such people need to constantly be on the move, it is difficult for them to sit in one place. They show expression in communication, actively using facial expressions and gestures.

How to establish online communication with customers

It is necessary to join the circle of your target audience and make contact with it. To do this, they use various thematic blogs, pages to which a person must subscribe, all kinds of mailing lists and subscriptions. Create a team of like-minded people and actively communicate with their leaders.
Use your data, prepare for meetings together with your team:

• select a few of the most important this moment questions (three to five);
• check out the profiles of your interlocutor in social networks;
• make a psychological portrait of a person, indicate on paper your assumptions about him;
• decide what exactly is important for you to get from a person and how to build communication with a client.

Communication via e-mail:

• Seamless grip. If there is a need to replace the manager who leads a particular client (vacation, sick leave, load sharing), this replacement should occur unnoticed by the consumer. To do this, the new manager must familiarize himself with all the nuances of the transaction. In this he is obliged to help the previous employee, who is aware of all the cases. He must transfer all related materials on this buyer and tell as much as possible about the details of the work done and future work with him.
• Can't change email subject. During correspondence, the subject of the letter should remain the same as it was originally. Then the client and you will have the opportunity to filter this particular correspondence from among other letters. If you change the subject even a little, the letter will not get into the filter and will be lost. If some correspondence has come to a logical conclusion, and it becomes necessary to continue communication with the consumer on other issues, the conversation is assigned a new topic.
• Talking theme. The topic should be structured in such a way as to convey the essence of the entire conversation.
• Reply All. In the case when several interlocutors participate in the correspondence, it is necessary to use the “Reply to all” function in response to letters so that all participants in the conversation are involved in it and are aware of what is happening.
• SummaryAndcall to action. At the end of each of your letters, summarize and remind you what result you want to achieve. This is how you program the client's actions to achieve your goals.
• Resume after skype chat. After the end of communication with the client via Skype, it would be right to send him a letter, which will describe the essence of the conversation and sum up the results. Thus, you will be sure that no one will forget what was said.
• The last word. Always try to complete the communication with you. To do this, it is enough to use the phrases at the end of communication: “Thank you for your cooperation!”, “Thank you for your time!”, “Have a nice day!”.

Classic phrases for communicating with clients for all occasions

1. Incoming call (external/internal).

• Greeting (external):"Good afternoon / morning / evening, company (name), position, department, name, I'm listening to you."
• Greeting (internal):"Good afternoon / morning / evening, position, department, name, I'm listening to you."
• Excluded phrases:“How can I be useful”, “I’m listening”, “You got it”, “(company name) is listening”, “Hello”, “At the device”.

2. Outgoing call to a new client.

• "Good afternoon/morning/evening, my name is (name), I am (position/department) of the company (name)."
• “Tell me, please, who can I talk to about organizing staff training?”
• “Tell me, please, who is in charge of purchasing in your company?”

3. Outgoing call to the current client.

• Excluded phrases:“Did you recognize me?”, “Can I disturb you?”, “You are calling”, “Sorry for disturbing you.”

4. Outgoing call to an old client who needs to be returned.

• “Good afternoon / morning / evening, my name is (name), I am (position / department) company (name), can I speak with (full name)?”. If necessary, you can clarify what you are talking about.
• “Good afternoon / morning / evening, my name is (name), I am (position / department) company (name). Are you comfortable talking now?
• In case of a positive answer:"Thank you! We have already cooperated with you (what kind of cooperation, exactly), we would like to continue cooperation. Tell me, please, are you interested in (clarification)?
• Excluded phrases: “Calling you”, “Worrying you”.
• If the answer is negative:“When can I call you back so that it’s convenient for you (specify time and date)?”.

5. The client came to the office.

• Unknown client, greeting:"Good afternoon / morning / evening, (come in / sit down)", "I'm listening to you."
• Excluded phrases:“Whom are you?”, “Man!”, “Woman!”, “Who do you want?”; Phrases not recommended:“Is there anything to help you?”, “Are you looking for something / someone?”.
• Familiar:“Good afternoon / morning / evening, (come in / sit down)”, “Good to see you.”

6. Meeting at the client's office.

• Unknown client:“Good afternoon / morning / evening, my name is (name), I am (position / department) company (name), can I meet with (full name)?” If necessary, clarify on what issue.
• Familiar client: Good afternoon / morning / evening, First name / Last name / Patronymic of the client, glad to see you ”(you can make a compliment).

7. End the conversation.

• By phone or in person:“It was a pleasure to talk with you! Good luck, have a great day/week/weekend!” etc.

Work at the second stage of the company's development also differs in a different approach to sales. After starting a startup, you got regular customers - a valuable asset, but what difference does it make? changing circuit diagram work with them and tasks. The main tasks are: gaining customer loyalty and commitment to your company's products, securing your company with the client as a permanent supplier, i.e. retention of customers in the category of “regular customers”. One of the new tools for solving this problem is a customer database. This base cannot appear “at the behest of the pike” or at the behest of the chief. The salesperson needs to put into his head the importance of the most complete information about the client and explain how to collect it. I will note the difference between information collected about potential customers and information about regular customers, i.e. customers who have made repeat purchases. In the first case, we analyze internal information about our product and services, who may need them to solve what problems, etc. In the second case, when we have found customers who appreciate your product and services, we need information that will help keep them.

So, what information about the client is needed and where to get it from?

1. Company name, address, directions, telephone, post office, etc.
2. Bank details.
3. firm size, financial stability, customer potential.
4. The structure of the company. Ways and terms of passage of decisions. Bill payment system.
5. Head: full name, age, marital status, date and place of birth, marital status, whether he is the owner of the company or is employed in it, previous places of work, titles and awards, attitude towards military service, living conditions, inclinations, weaknesses and other helpful information to maintain relationships.
6. A contact person with whom your firm has a direct working relationship. His level of influence, attitude to his work, firm, character, weaknesses, strengths, range of interests, personal problems, hobbies, addictions, lifestyle, where does the fan or not, etc. How strong are personal interests in relation to state ones?
7. Other people involved in making the decisions you need. Information about them is similar to the previous persons.
8. Centers and forces of influence on the adoption of the decisions you need. Whose opinions can influence? Who can and is ready to influence in your favor, and who is opposed to you?
9. The problems your product or service solves. What makes a client stay in a relationship with you?
10. competitors and substitutes.
11. With what frequency does the client purchase products and is he ready to do so in the future?

This list is non-exhaustive. It is constantly updated with information and its volume largely depends on the value for you. this client, on how tenaciously you are determined to hold it. Essential Tool to maintain relationships with clients computer programs CRM (Client Relationships Management). They are issued as independent programs and as applications to accounting and warehouse programs. There are many of them, but you need to buy it only in conjunction with your warehouse program, since it fixes shipments and much more.

Last week I was on a business trip in the Southern Federal District. For two days I traveled around the region, visiting potential business clients and potential business partners. I needed to assess the situation in the B2B market with small and medium businesses, which continues to shrink. With manufacturers everywhere - trouble, with merchants the same - make ends meet. The dollar exchange rate once again robbed business and the population. But that's not what this is about.

By studying the business of clients, both permanent and potential in real “field conditions”, you draw important conclusions about both their business and the general market situation. The fact is that customers who regularly buy your product and are enrolled by you as regular customers may one day not apply and not buy anything else. However, they will not send you any notifications. Therefore, it is necessary not only to collect information about customers “paper”, but also “live”. You should be interested in how your customers use your product, how it helps them in their business, how important and valuable it is to them, what is happening in their business?

It is possible that they need something to suggest, something to help, maybe they are blinkered and do not correctly make assessments and build their opinion, maybe they live in old stereotypes. Maybe they need to change the assortment, and you should participate in this? This work is not for managers, this work is for a business organizer and it is necessary to do it periodically. By the way, this also applies to competitors, as well as to manufacturers and suppliers of substitutes (substitutes).

I'll finish it later, I'm going to bed.