Why use a tie?

There are so many ways to tie a tie. Behind each knot is a load of history and tradition. When a sales person presents themselves to their prospective and current consumers they represent not only themselves but also everyone associated with the company they work through. So the correct wearing of a tie is enhancing the body language associated with presentation of  'the tie' build on the trust factors within the traditions but worn correctly are a subliminal stimulant towards forms profitable consumer relations.

 Yes, you are using the sublinimal belief of a tie equals a person of worth instilled into many people  through out their early lives

 The info-graph included below is just one round of tie tying to look and learn from.

Source: goodideasandtips.com via Susan on LoveIt

Customer Touchpoints

What are customer touchpoints?

What makes your business stand out from the rest?  What makes you as a sales person stand out so that both people and your client base trust you anyway?

 From a customers point of view ever business has product and costs. These are givens.  But why do they allow you in the door?  What makes them want to do business with you and keep coming back or referring your service to others?

What are the little things that make customers come back?

Pleasant decor.

• Is their somewhere for the client that has to wait on your time to log into the wi-fi service?  Can they make a cuppa?  Is the music so loud that they really have to go - now! Good lighting, pleasent smells. Clean restrooms.

Appropriate storage capacities.

• A mechanics shop that has a pile of everything everywhere would make people think that their car will be done ... when it is found... later.
• Where as a mechanic shop that has everything in it';s place and a place for everything gives the first impression of a faster more through service because of streamlining and time management aspects.
• A home business that has a well looked after frontage gives the illusion that the people inside care for their things.  Therefore they will care for your business - not spreading everything around for competitors to 'take'.

Extras that cost

• Hidden fees and unclear billing statements are not something that the customers have budgeted for.  After a delay in payment to you will they really be coming back?

Buzzworthy side effects of good touchpoints

First off when people actually get something that they were not expecting they will comment on it.  Maybe not to you, but word of mouth gets around through their friends.  Especially over the internet as many customers both research the products they want to purchase before purchasing.  When they find what they are looking for a 'share or like' may occur.  Then they will tell others about what they have purchased.  Word of mouth like this is quick and does your business well.  The reverse is also true.

Valuing the customers time and energy may be a little thing that you can 'show' your business cares about.  Having small chocolates individually rapped, or biscuits in their own wrapper placed next to the refreshment stand allows freedom of choice for the customer. Having an empty plate or container means that someone has not been keeping tabs on the freebee's. It really is the  little things are something that your customers value above and beyond the basic product that they came in to purchase.

How to find out what your customers are saying about you.

• Simply - ask them.  
• Listen to what the customers have to say.  Verbally as well as on the internet.
• Listen to on--line conversations with a # and your company name straight after the #.  Anything on-line within that servers platform will come up.  Get back to these customers quickly.  Rectify the problem before word of mouth becomes a viral backlash.
• Be easily found on the net.
• Engage with customers, and other people through the forums, microblogging and commenting on their comments or feeds.
• Create focus groups.
• be active within these focus groups.
• Being proactive and bringing up topics for conversation gets your business name [and your one too] seen on the top of peoples comments.
• Remain within your focus as this will give you and your customers the direction your business is in.
• Ground braking technology input when all someone really wants is to collect a cuppa and something to eat could and will put them off returning.

Customer touchpoints are not always obvious.  The touchpoints are sensory pleasures or displeasures.  When painful or just not there another brand fill the void.  Your potential customers will simply go there.

Knowing your product

People who lie or those spreading maliciousness gossip will get caught out.  With today's internet is there really anywhere you can hide once your credibility has vanished?

Yes. People will buy from positive and credible  people.  Anything negative will tend to make those you are talking to hurray away in haste.  But once you have lied or gossiped people stay away from you in droves. Think about it : If you have lied about one thing, or gossiped about another person or business what do they think you are going to do about them?  And you really want to sell something to them.  All I can say is keep at it you may be successful.

Here's what you do.

Should you find that there has been a slip up go back and correct it.  Your reputation may suffer for a while but do not do the same things twice.  Hand the sales opportunity over to someone else before you do this again. Your reputation is the only thing that counts when selling. It is your honesty and therefore your reputation that sells to the client.

There will be times that you are asked a question by the client, other times when you think that there is a product or service that may be just what the client needs. The client has outlined what they want, you have spent time listening, you know that time is money... effectively your money.  STOP right here.  Allow the customer to hear you out.  Make a follow up time so that you can find out further information with regard to what the customer wants.  Will it suit their needs expressed as it is , be tailor made for the clients needs? or even not suit at all.  Now YOU get back to the client and let them know.  Even arrange to bring in the expert in that field.

The reason is easy :-  T.R.U.S.T.

Where do I sign.

When people are swayed to change their habits, ideas or principles, something has occurred to trigger this action flow.  Often people sow seeds that make another person uncomfortable, causing inner turmoil or conflict. When this sowing is done with positive regard for the other persons situation the result is called "Cognitive Dissonance".

People that have good sales technique often use cognitive dissonance as a central component to many forms of persuasion.  The challenge of changing beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours of the client starts when the sales person knows their product, but listens to what the client is actually asking for.  The sales person then tailors what they have to offer into what the client wishes to hear.

Dissonance basically means holding two conflicting thoughts at the same time. By the sales person fully listening to the client, then tailor making their presentation to meet the needs analysis 'he' has done as the client has explained their situation, the sales person has just done three very important steps.

Where are the tomato plants

1. The sales person has got the client to explain why they actually want the product that the sales person is selling.
2. The client passively wants it but is also trying to self explain away the fears from not having it.
3. Now the clients inability to rationalize and explain the conflict between wanting and not having it causes a need for the void to be filled. 

In effect the client has just tilled the soil, fertilized it, grabbed a hand full of seeds and is in the process of sowing those seeds.  The sales person just has to assist the client with the choice of seeds or transplanting actual plants for a quicker harvest time.

At this point the client has had to

1. Change their behaviours from a 'no' situation to a 'I must have' situation. Using the seed situation the client has gone from believing the soil would benefit from being left alone for another year, into planting cheery tomatoes.
2. Needs to justify their behaviour by changing the conflicting cognition. Cherry tomatoes are more productive than asparagus as the crop will be more immediate.
3. Then the client will justify their behaviour by adding new cognitions. Next year I will companion plant with...

In effect, what has happened is that the client has just talked themselves into signing on the bottom line.

Exit with appreciated thanks

Are you scared of making yourself to raw or of having your trust smashed? What happens when you refer someone on  and there is a much up.  Things just did not work out, ended up messy, with painful repercussions and complicated outcomes?

When  a salesperson approaches someone in the visited building that salesman is asking the other person to represent them. In effect to trust them, make a complimentary judgement and then refer them higher up. Your network of people has increased.  The referrer has opened the door to you.  All this work so why would you want to have it slammed behind you?

That same salesman wants, and needs, to make a good impression in order to better the commission chance - correct?

Here is the crunch. Often people approach someone , they refer them on, consequently the referrer gts trampled on if the sales person attitude rubs the boss the wrong way, or simply offers a good product at the wrong time.

As the sales person disappears out the door the referrer does not even get a good bye or a thank you.

Take time to make a good impression on the way in.  remember that it is not the way in you are remembered for but your exit.  Spend that time personally saying your thanks.  Leave the referer a card as a complimentary thank you please remember me ticket into your  next call back.  The time you spend leaving the place you have enetered makes for a more relaxed acceptance for when you do a follow up.  The relaxed attmosphere rather than the chilled 'over there' nod has already marked you in their bosses eyes.

Thirty seconds spend in acknowldegement when leaving gains you miles and minutes when you finally pitch your wears to the boss.

The way to go

"Create your own path in life and make sure you stick to it is something to live by".

As a mantra self repeating this every day will be useless.  There is not defining edge to the saying.  Nothing to hang onto while pulling your self up from the tumbles of life.

Take time to make significant points through your life where things can be measures, progress measured from.  While the mantra becomes a platform for leaping off in blind faith having an open mantra is not the way to go .