Adapting your sales and engagement approach

BY DOUG FLEENER

One of the ways superstar salespeople differentiate themselves from average or good salespeople is in their ability to adapt their sales and engagement approach to the customer.

Good salespeople will deliver the same quality experience throughout the day with little difference between the first and last customers of the day. Superstar salespeople deliver a quality experience but they adapt each experience to the customers themselves. They are able to quickly size up a customer and completely adjust their sales and engagement approach based on the customer's style and mannerisms. It's a real art, but it's one that can be learned.

Years ago I worked with a master salesperson. His ability to adapt to each customer was unbelievable. The result was that customers just loved him and were practically begging him to sell them things. I can't remember his name, so I'm going to call him Bob.

These are four ways Bob personalized his approach to each customer that made him a superstar salesperson.

1. Bob always got – and used – the customer's name. This is one of those things we know will make us better salespeople but we simply don't feel comfortable doing it. Or maybe we've convinced ourselves that people don't like it so we don't do it. The reason a lot of people don't like salespeople using their name is because it seems forced. This happens because salespeople are using a customer's name just for the sake of using his or her name. Bob set out to create a relationship with each customer – and if you're going to have a relationship, you should at least know the other person's name.
2. He mirrored the customer's energy level. Bob's energy level was extremely high. But when he was with customers you would only see that energy level with customers who also had high energy. He always welcomed a customer in his natural style but would ramp it down as needed based on the customer. Within minutes he would be at almost the same energy level as the customer, always remaining just a bit more energetic. He didn't just adapt how he spoke to the customer but even adjusted the speed he walked with them.
3. He personalized the pace of the experience to the customer's own pace of shopping. It's always easy to see when a customer is in a hurry, but each customer wants to shop at his own pace. Some are slow and deliberate, while others want to move the process along quickly. Observe how the customer is moving between products and how focused he is. Customers who like a quick pace are often misjudged as in a hurry or “cranky,” while customers who are slower and more deliberate are mistakenly labeled as browsers and non-buyers. The more you are aligned with your customer's desired pace, the more likely you are to complete a sale.
4. Last but not least, Bob always assumed and asked for the sale. Bob was the superstar salesperson almost every month, because he spent his time working with buyers while the rest of us were waiting on customers. The difference lies within our own thoughts and attitudes. ■

Doug Fleener is president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a Lexington retail consulting firm. He can be reached at doug@dynamicexperiencesgroup.com.

Published in Cape & Plymouth Business October 2009