Communication with customers. Psychology of communication with customers in a retail store

1 Possible forms of communication with customers
- 1.1 Individual negotiations
- 1.2 Email
- 1.3 Cold calling
- 1.4 SMS messages
- 1.5 Webinars
2 How to communicate with the client?
3 How to resist arrogance and rudeness?
4 How to maintain communication with regular customers?

The most valuable asset of any company is its customer base. No matter how in-demand products or services are, without building trusting relationships with consumers, it is almost impossible to achieve successful business development and increase profits.

Sales managers are required not only to be able to interest people in the company's activities (end product), but also to help maintain its image. It is easy to guess that it is regular buyers of goods or consumers of services who make the lion's share of purchases, thereby bringing a stable profit.

Do not forget that the increase in the number of potential customers depends on the ability to establish business communications. They need to be interested and turned into regular customers. The more loyal customers a company has, the higher its profit. To succeed, you must follow the simple rules of communication with customers and be able to competently offer effective solutions to their problems.

Possible forms of communication with customers

Consider the basic forms of communication with customers.

Individual negotiations

One of the most effective tools in promoting a company's product and increasing its customer base is individual negotiations. First of all, the sales manager should clearly define what he wants to convey to the person, and correctly draw up a clear communication plan.

The seller must be able to build a dialogue with the buyer in such a way that the latter understands that his needs will be met in full and he will receive certain benefits from cooperation with a particular company. To do this, the salesperson needs to be able to:

listen to your interlocutor, take into account his requirements and wishes;
quickly determine the characteristics of a person's personality (psychotype, cultural and social level, mood, disposition to communicate);
tune in to the wave of a potential client;
be confident when communicating;
focus on the dialogue and not be distracted by extraneous conversations.

It is known that it is the first meeting that creates the buyer's impression of the seller, and it depends on whether he agrees to cooperate with a particular company in the future. First of all, you should choose a convenient place to communicate with a person. To do this, you need to invite him for negotiations (for example, to the office of the company) and create all the conditions so that the potential client would like to return there again (of course, already as a permanent one). If the meeting takes place on the territory of the buyer, then the question is posed somewhat differently: the seller must be able to identify the needs of the interlocutor as clearly as possible and, in an unobtrusive form, offer him favorable conditions for cooperation.

In any case, it is extremely important to make it clear to the client that they show attention and respect to him, do not try to sell anything at the first meeting, then he himself will be interested in an open and constructive dialogue.

The appearance of the seller is of great importance, therefore it is necessary to observe business attire, be clean and tidy. The seller must make it clear to the interlocutor that he is interested in an honest and productive conversation. To do this, you should look into the eyes of a person during a dialogue with a certain amount of attention, while the look should be confident and open.

At the meeting, the sales manager must be the first to introduce himself and briefly inform about the company he represents. During the acquaintance, you should shake hands with a potential client, which will allow him to be disposed to further communication.

At the negotiating table, the seller should behave at ease and openly so as not to cause negative emotions. During the conversation, it is important to observe the following rules of business communication:

do not interrupt the client and listen carefully;
speak the truth about the company, product and terms of cooperation;
briefly express your thoughts;
do not speak in a bad tone about competing companies;
do not use slang expressions;
control your emotions.

When communicating with a client, it is necessary to listen carefully to what he says and remember the key points in order to avoid disagreements in the course of cooperation. As practice shows, potential consumers themselves tend to communicate with managers and management of companies to resolve a number of organizational issues. For this reason, business cards should be exchanged to coordinate contact details.

Every manager who will communicate with clients should remember that you should not embellish the quality of the product and the capabilities of the company. This will further negatively affect the reputation of the company, in addition, the buyer may refuse to cooperate.

Important: the seller is obliged to value his time and the time of a potential client. Many business people prefer when information is presented to them concisely and clearly. Therefore, before starting negotiations, you need to draw up a specific plan that will allow you to convey the essence of the commercial offer without water.

A manager must have a basic knowledge of the psychology of communication with clients in order to be able to direct negotiations in the direction he needs. The main thing that needs to be immediately highlighted during negotiations is the needs of the interlocutor, his desires, goals and existing problems. The ability to unobtrusively offer their solution and tell a person about the benefits that he will receive from cooperation with the company (purchasing a product, ordering a service) will allow the buyer to make a positive decision and close the deal.

Email

Among the tools that allow you to effectively and correctly sell the products of various companies, you should highlight the distribution of letters by e-mail. Let's make a reservation right away that this way of communicating with potential and existing customers has nothing to do with spam.

Any company can send e-mails to people who have volunteered to receive information and become subscribers to the mailing list. To do this, you need to create a special form on the website in which visitors will leave their data (mail address and name).

How to communicate with clients via email? First of all, you should know that the mailing list should contain only useful information and freebies (without offers to purchase the product at first). An exception may be cases where customers are invited to take advantage of various promotions, discounts and other commercial offers aimed at increasing sales. You can not offer the buyer "on the forehead" to purchase a product or order a service.

Many books for sales managers contain the information that people like to buy goods from people, and not from “faceless” sites. This suggests that a potential client needs some communication, getting more information about the company's products. Through e-mailing, contact is made between the seller and the potential buyer. A person should be offered to get acquainted with the features and benefits of the product, create videos with training material and show other “usefulness” that will solve his needs.

When the buyer realizes that no one is “brazenly” selling him anything and he gets a solution to his problem (“pain”), a desire to buy the product will appear. Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways to attract targeted traffic and grow the customer base of Internet companies.

Cold calls

In order to properly communicate with customers during the first telephone conversation, you should know that the main task of the seller is to obtain their contact information and information about product interest. The seller is obliged to observe the ethics of communication during the dialogue, as well as during real negotiations. It should be borne in mind that a person does not see your facial expressions and gestures, but he feels any changes in intonation well.

It is recommended to start communication with the client by phone with the computer turned on. If necessary, the manager can always clarify the information of interest through a search engine so as not to demonstrate his incompetence to the client.

The sales manager must prepare for a telephone conversation, for which it is recommended to draw up a step-by-step plan for conducting a dialogue. As in real communication, during cold calls you need to clearly and concisely convey the essence of the offer to the client.

You can not "recruit" a person in the morning and after the end of the working day. It is best to call between 10 and 17 hours during the day. Many managers prefer “cold” calls, as they allow them to feel free to speak with the interlocutor and confidently speak with them.

Despite the fact that the client does not see the seller, it is necessary to smile during the conversation. As practice shows, the interlocutor feels a change in intonation and positive emotions of the manager, which ultimately has a positive effect on the outcome of the conversation.

At the end of the conversation with the client, it will not be superfluous to announce joint agreements on further communication or cooperation. It is also necessary not to forget to thank the interlocutor for a constructive dialogue and orient him to the next contact.

SMS messages

SMS messages allow you to get a fairly large percentage of feedback from potential customers. Communication with the client base using this tool allows the manager to increase sales by:

notification of customers about upcoming promotions and discounts of the company;
invitations to webinars and training intensives;
familiarization with the company's novelties;
invitations to offline sales events (fairs, exhibitions);
offers on favorable terms of cooperation.

Important: messages cannot be sent to people who have not given their consent to the use of their mobile phone number. Newsletter is done only on the basis of customers who voluntarily left their contact details.

Webinars

Today, one of the most popular and effective ways to communicate with customers and maintain their interest in the company's activities is to conduct webinars - online classes on various topics.

Before the event, the manager collects a client base through advertising and personal appeal to people. This scheme works great in social networking communities, where information is distributed at lightning speed between users. The company creates its own public page or group, where new members will subsequently come. The manager fills the public with interesting content and periodically holds webinars, the essence of which is to provide free material.

The webinar allows you to conduct a visual demonstration of the product, talk about its advantages and benefits from using it. If a company specializes in providing services, it is necessary to select a narrow topic for classes and present this material in such a way that people want to return to online lectures again.

As practice shows, webinars that do not serve the purpose of subsequent sales of goods significantly increase the efficiency of the company and the demand for services. This happens due to the fact that a person is aware of self-care, receives valuable advice and recommendations on using the product, solving his problem, so he has a desire for close cooperation (shopping).

Also, the consumer understands the value of free material, which he can experience for himself, and realizes that when he buys a certain product, he will get much more benefit. Thus, proper communication with the client through webinars can significantly increase the number of new people and maintain the interest of regular customers (clients).

How to properly communicate with a client?

Some sellers do not know how the culture of communication with customers should develop and because of which companies lose a significant percentage of profits. There are standards and principles of negotiation that must be followed in order to get good results and increase the consumer base. Let's consider them in detail:

Question answer. Clients often send company managers (especially at the initial stages of cooperation) e-mails containing a large number of various questions. It is very important to study them, arrange them in the order in which they were received, and give an exhaustive answer to each of them.
Quick specific answer. One of the basic rules of communication with clients says that a person should receive a specific answer to a question of interest to him as quickly as possible. It is considered good manners if the customer receives the information he needs no later than 2 hours after sending his letter. If for a number of reasons the manager cannot immediately respond to it, it is necessary to inform the client of the time when his request will be satisfied.
Demonstration of competence. The seller must understand that the client is not at all obliged to understand the characteristics of the company's product and the various features of cooperation. The manager must show his competence, tell the person about the details of the work, and, if necessary, sort everything out several times. For example, a potential customer is interested in what benefits he will receive from opening a self-service car wash franchise. The franchisor's sales specialist should explain to the potential franchisee that he will be provided with all kinds of assistance in building a business, conducting advertising campaigns, attracting customers and solving organizational issues, visitors to his enterprise will be able to relax while washing their cars, receive some discount for constant service and even buy coffee to go. Thus, customers will be satisfied with the quality of service and begin to recommend the service to their friends, while the profit of the enterprise will become stable.
My client is my friend. Do not be too zealous with the use of a business style of communication. Sometimes officialdom is extremely tiring for both interlocutors, as a result, you may not achieve the desired result. This rule suggests that you need to learn in time to move from a business style of negotiating to an informal one. It is enough to imagine that the client is a good friend with whom you can easily discuss exciting issues. Of course, we are not talking about familiarity and disregard for a person, but healthy humor and friendliness will not be superfluous.
The real value of the product. When during the negotiations the client is interested in the price of the product, it is necessary to justify it. This is especially true of enterprises providing various services. It often happens that managers do not agree on some points, as a result, an inflated price is obtained. Be sure to specify the terms of the service, since the client has every right to know what to expect from cooperation with the company and what to pay money for.
Maintaining constant contact with the client. The manager must remember that communication with customers should not consist only in ordering a product and checking payment for its implementation. It is necessary to call the person, inform him about the results of the promotion of the application, and also solve any organizational issues. If the client asks to perform any work in relation to cooperation, you should satisfy his request (naturally, if this does not run counter to the interests of the company) and provide him with a report on the results.
Professional problem solving. It often happens that the order cannot be fulfilled for a number of reasons. In no case should a client, especially if it is a large customer, even be aware of possible failures in the company's work. It must be remembered that the result is important to him and he is not interested in the reasons why the application may remain unfulfilled. A professional manager will always find a way out of the current situation in order to maintain relations with the client, because if the customer finds out about the difficulties in the company's work, he may simply refuse further cooperation.

When communicating with the buyer, the seller must be able to tune in to his wave and anticipate the interlocutor's train of thought. You need to try to understand the potential client, know his needs and be able to offer what he needs in time. Professionals always try to look at the problems of clients through their eyes. This allows you to quickly find effective mechanisms for solving and concluding transactions.

How to resist arrogance and rudeness?

The arrogance and rudeness of customers, unfortunately, are quite common phenomena that interfere with a constructive dialogue and a deal. We will give several recommendations that will help the seller understand how to negotiate with aggressive people.

First of all, during a conversation with a person, you should maintain a polite attitude towards him and a smile on your face. This allows you to neutralize aggression and direct communication in the right direction. At the same time, it is extremely important to remain calm and listen carefully to the client.

It is important to learn how to ask unobtrusive questions that will allow you to understand the reason for a person’s rude behavior. Often, rudeness and aggression on the part of the client arise due to the fact that he was deceived, treated unnecessarily, or he was left dissatisfied with the quality of service (service, product) in another organization.

To neutralize the inappropriate behavior of the client, no matter how strange it may sound, you need to apologize to him, and also convince him of full agreement with him. To do this, it is enough for the seller to tell the person that he is sorry about the cause of his frustration, as well as about the bad experience with the company with which the incident occurred. Such behavior will allow the client to understand that they listen carefully, sympathize, treat the problem with understanding and are ready to provide support. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the seller should not admit his guilt (if it simply does not exist), this may affect the image.

It happens that rude customers insult their interlocutor. A professional will never allow himself to get personal and say obscene things about his opponent. When communicating with an aggressive person, it is unacceptable to raise your voice and give free rein to your emotions, as this will lead to abuse and disruption of the deal.

To avoid this, you should keep a neutral tone during the conversation, breathe evenly and be calm. Don't interrupt the client. He should be made clear that such behavior and rudeness do not bother you. You need to listen carefully to what the interlocutor says. This will allow you to quickly identify the cause of aggression and resolve the trouble that has arisen.

The manager of the company must make an effort to neutralize the overtly rude behavior of the client. Do not comment negatively on his behavior. In this case, it must be said that the interlocutor is valuable as a person (or his decency is valuable). After that, it is worth offering cooperation to the client and making it clear to him that this is important for the company.

How to keep in touch with regular customers?

Regular customers of the company, as we already know, bring most of the profits, willingly purchase new products, and also inform their friends and acquaintances about it. They are, in fact, a free channel to attract new consumers who buy goods (order services) on the recommendation.

Why is it worth making an effort to retain loyal customers? The fact is that new customers, if they are satisfied with the quality of the product, will purchase it and, most likely, will want to buy something else. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to find out what exactly attracted a new buyer and why he decided to make a repeat order. As practice shows, companies spend many times more money and effort on attracting potential customers compared to maintaining good relationships with regular partners.

To collect contacts, you can offer customers, for example, "discount" cards (for free) in exchange for their addresses and phone numbers. Within a very short period of time, a large number of people will gather with whom you need to constantly work and stir up their interest.

The success of any organization offering products or services is directly dependent on how staff communicate with customers. Starting from the first minute of a telephone conversation and ending with the moment when the customer leaves the company's office. During the dialogue between the employee and the consumer, every word and gesture is the components of a successful transaction.

Communication between employees and customers is usually one-on-one.
Is it worth doing everything the way the customer says, or is it better to stick to your point of view, to insist on your own? Is the customer really always right? Such questions often torment heads of departments, project- and sales-managers.

In order for communication with the client to become more effective and bring the desired results, experts recommend adhering to certain rules.

Rules for communicating with clients

1. Speak to the customer in his language.

The main task of the manager is to become a link between the mind of the client and reality. For example, you need to clearly explain that it is not so easy to be in the first place in the search results. This requires time, efforts of specialists and, of course, money.

Possessing practical and theoretical knowledge, it is necessary to explain to the client in a language that is understandable to him (best of all, with pictures), how everything is connected, what depends on what, what results should be expected. Otherwise, the customer will feel like an ignoramus, get angry with you for this and go to competitors. Or maybe even decide that he does not need this service yet.

2. Don't stoop to the client's level.

Regardless of how he behaves (does not skimp on obscene expressions or, on the contrary, is silent and modestly agrees with you in everything), you need to keep the style of the company.

It is not appropriate for a specialist, a professional in his field, to be rude in response and furiously prove his case. Speak to the client in his language, but do not lose your dignity.

3. Beauty is the result of both financial and labor costs.

It is best to immediately stipulate that unreal beauty costs money. The essence of this unreality is that for its realization there is nothing from which one can start, there is no material base.

Therefore, if you hear from the customer: “I have not yet decided what exactly I want, but you must make everything beautiful,” immediately get ready for possible problems. People who operate in general terms (modern, bright, solid, catchy, etc.) will reject all options, as they are not ideal. But the ideal is impossible to achieve ...

4. Trite and bad are two different things.

Often, clients are interested in what other services, in addition to standard ones, can you offer?

The question is relevant and often correct. However, chasing new products, do not forget about the basic tools. After all, they give about 60% of successful results. Various non-standard solutions, as a rule, bring a short-term surge in sales. And that's only 10% of the time.

5. Let them order where they want.

When communicating with customers, the issue of price competition is especially acute. Even if your prices are quite reasonable, you may hear something like: "I thought it would cost so much ... But I saw others cheaper ...".

Do not immediately slander competitors, nervously hang up or reduce the price. If the client is confident in the quality and terms of the service that is offered to him for less money, say that with such success he should save on his health as well.

This approach confuses customers. At first, they are silent for several minutes, and then they try to understand why yours is more expensive? Here it is important not to scold competitors, but to make the client doubt the adequacy and quality of their services. Any reasonable person will understand that free cheese is only in a mousetrap.

6. Let the client know that the work you've done is worth the money you're asking.

Most customers are sure that everything is very simple to implement, and you just want to extract more money from them.

“There is nothing to do here! For a couple of hours of work ... ". In this case, you need to make it clear to the client that you are working seriously, and not just pulling money from customers. Namely, this is the impression that a client can get if you often and easily change the terms of cooperation and prices.

7. Give the client a chance to think about your offer.

Don't pressure him or demand that he give you an answer right away. The customer may begin to resist and act "on the contrary." Give him time to think and try to leave a good impression of your company. In 1-2 days after the first conversation, you can call back to find out at what stage your proposal is being considered.

8. Think about the benefit of the customer.

Give good advice and, no matter how strange it may sound, try to save his money if possible.

9. Specify in advance all the terms of cooperation.

It is advisable to immediately discuss with the client the question of what exactly he gets for his money, and also at what stage your cooperation ends. This is a rather subtle point.

In the process of working on an order, be prepared to make changes and edits, so their approximate scale and quantity must be agreed in advance. After the project has been handed over, and the customer has checked and accepted it, the contractor has nothing to do with it.

Often, customers are interested in support. Here it is important to clarify what exactly is meant: technical support, professional or moral?

For example, when ordering a website, the customer asks for technical support. What does he mean by this? Hosting, domain, changes to the site in the form of new sections or posting articles? Or maybe he meant redesign? Such points should be clarified before the start of cooperation.

10. The client is not always right.

If the customer asks for a certain service, it means that he cannot perform it on his own. Therefore, when a client asks to implement some of his crazy ideas, weigh the pros and cons and reasonably explain why you think this idea is not entirely successful. Why spray like that? If the customer's idea is bad, the result will be negative (or not at all). And for this he will blame no one else but you, since it was you who "spoiled everything." And this can tarnish the reputation of your company. Therefore, considering the next non-standard project, think about the fact that it can bring you both a stunning success and a loud fall.

Of course, these are not universal rules for all occasions. The main role is still played by an individual approach. However, the general principles should be followed.

The subtleties of conducting a business conversation

The ability to communicate with the customer is not limited to one sociability. The conversation should be structured in such a way that it results in the purchase of a product or order of a service. According to scientific research, the exchange of information in the process of communication is carried out in three directions:

Gestures, facial expressions, movements, posture, voice intonation - all this plays an important role when communicating with a client. If the manager leans slightly forward during the conversation, and his face expresses complicity, the client feels caring for himself.

In addition, unhurried gestures, soft and calm posture demonstrate openness towards the customer. The manifestation of aggression is considered unacceptable. Burning eyes, clenched teeth, arms folded on the chest, chin pushed forward - all this repels the buyer from ordering a product or service.

38% of the information in the process of conversation carries intonation and voice. According to experts in the technique of speech, when communicating with customers, a low voice is preferable. It sounds nicer and is easier to hear. If the voice is completely devoid of intonation, then the speech sounds monotonous and the listener cannot fully perceive everything that is said. You can express your sincerity, interest and confidence in what has been said using the volume of your voice. It is important not to overdo it here, as too loud, as well as too slow speech can cause irritation. A fast pace of speech is also not appropriate in a conversation with a client, since the customer's attention will be focused not on the content of the conversation, but on the speed of speech. Clear pronunciation, rich vocabulary, good diction, professional terminology are the best helpers of a confident business person. Slurred speech, vague wording sound unconvincing and create the illusion of carelessness.

You can attract the attention of the client and influence his opinion using some techniques:

Elderly clients (over 60) react positively to words related to cost: economical, cheap, price-quality, guaranteed, etc.

To attract clients 40-60 years old, everything related to health will be good helpers: eco-friendly, natural, safe, clean, authentic, reliable, proven, etc.;

Clients aged 25-40 respond well to the concepts of "attractiveness", "success" and everything connected with them: prestigious, popular, independent, status.

Young people under 25 attach particular importance to such words as: entertaining, cheerful, stylish, progressive, modern.

However, effective communication is not only about being able to speak. It is important to be able to listen. This is another key point that requires active work.

An attentive listener is one who can understand hidden hints and catch the general mood of the customer. When talking with a client, the manager can comment on the client's statements, voice his hidden thoughts. This approach is called reflective listening. It helps to clarify the wishes of the customer, concentrating on his emotions.

Another form of active listening is paraphrasing by summarizing, interpreting, and verbatim reproducing what has been said. These techniques facilitate communication, give it a trusting character. As a result, the client becomes receptive to advice and tends to purchase a product or service.

And in conclusion, a short video about how clients communicate with performers. It draws an analogy between everyday situations and ordering IT services (web design, website promotion, etc.).

This video is sure to make you smile. Or maybe in one of the situations you recognize yourself or one of your clients.

Service in different branches of service provision provides for special approaches to customers. There are both general rules of official communication and specialized methods of business communication. As practice shows, following the recommendations from psychologists and marketers in this area helps to increase the efficiency of the organization, as well as create a positive image for it in the market for the provision of certain services. At the same time, the rules of communication with clients also provide for the observance of basic norms of behavior, which are determined by ethical considerations and general ideas about morality.

How to establish communication with the client?

In the very first seconds of the conversation, you should let the interlocutor know what his time will be spent on. Irrelevant phrases are desirable to be omitted, even if they are planned to be used as a means of positioning a potential client. Politeness is important, but overuse of courtesy can create a negative impression. Standard with clients also exclude attempts to get a quick response from the client with consent to something. It is necessary to be sympathetic to his right to refuse and also adequately respond without changing. Even if a particular client is lost forever, a negative impression of the company will remain and may affect the image in the future.

The beginning of the dialogue should be as informative and comfortable as possible. It is advisable to briefly but clearly talk about the goals of the conversation, the intentions on the part of the employee and explain how exactly this contact can be useful. The individual approach also matters. For example, the rules of communication with a client of a manicure master provide for the initial construction of a confidential dialogue. Specialists in this field work directly with the human body, so in this case one cannot do without a hint of sincerity. So-called, for example, should not be used.

General principles of business dialogue

After the acquaintance and the first introductory information, no less responsibility is imposed on the employee. Even if the client has directly expressed his interest, you should not relax. Communication should be built in the style of a friendly conversation, but without serious deviations on topics not related to the company's offer. At the same time, you should not overload the client with an excessive amount of data. If you have to specify a wide list of questions within the framework of one conversation, you need to systematize them initially, as required by the basic rules. Communication with the client should be initially thought out and prepared. It is recommended to prepare lists of questions in advance, or at least keep them in mind, discussing them in doses during the conversation. But it's also not worth asking them in a continuous stream. After each question, you can make small pauses, include correct jokes, or shift attention to less complex aspects of the topic under discussion. The client should feel comfortable, but at the same time not fall out of participation in the discussion.

The role of emotions in the process of communication

There are different points of view on how and whether a manager should be emotional at all. The technique of cold calling has already been mentioned, the very idea of which is based on the complete exclusion of this aspect. In other words, the employee is required to dryly, correctly and relatively quickly inform the client and, if necessary, obtain the necessary information from him. But such calls do not at all exclude the formal observance of the rules of communication with phrases of gratitude, apology and a corresponding farewell.

But the same rules of communication in a beauty salon with clients exclude such a technique. And not only because of the need to build trusting relationships, albeit on a business basis. Long-term relationships with business partners and customers are more fruitful if employees show their human qualities. Open and sincere expression of emotions wins you over and puts people in a more positive mood. Another thing is that such manifestations must be controlled and not conflict with the interests of the company providing its services to the client.

Phone conversation features

The specificity of telephone conversations also implies its own characteristics. When starting a conversation, it is not recommended to use phrases like "You are worried about ..." or "You are worried about ...". Although outwardly harmless, they initially create a negative stylistic connotation, which should be avoided. Next, you need to introduce yourself from the company and immediately get down to business. When making incoming calls, the rules for communicating with customers by phone also do not recommend picking up the phone after the first signal. An instant response may mean that the manager is either impatiently waiting for this call, or is inactive. Even if the actual situation is different, it is desirable to give the client the opposite impression of busyness, that is, to answer after the second call. In the future, the course of the dialogue should be built with an emphasis on the correct intonation. As experts note, the tone and manner in a telephone conversation are sometimes more important than its content.

Rules for communicating with older clients

This is a special category of people, which also requires a special approach. A feature of an elderly person in terms of participation in a business dialogue is a violation of attention and concentration. That is, on the part of the manager, a greater share of patience will be required. But there are also positive aspects. In particular, in such dialogues, the percentage of conflict-generating phrases is minimal, which also guarantees comfort for the employee himself. One way or another, a reminder of the rules for communicating with older clients recommends more thoroughly forming a trusting contact with a person and explaining to him in detail the nuances of the offer. It is desirable to minimize manifestations of insincere emotions. Although they may seem true from the outside, it is the elderly who often reveal them, which becomes a barrier to further interaction.

Nuances of communication by e-mail

Electronic correspondence as such greatly simplifies the manager's tasks. Of course, much depends on the format and conditions in which the dialogue is conducted, but the absence of the need to hold the client's attention and stir up his interest in this case is facilitated. However, the text itself should be as informative, useful and at the same time not too dry as possible. For example, the rules for communicating with customers by e-mail indicate the need for a small summarizing part of the letter. That is, at the very end there should be a reminder of what step or decision is expected from the addressee.

What can and cannot be said?

Experienced managers almost at the level of reflexes exclude unwanted manifestations in manners, speech style and statements from the process of communication with clients. In particular, the rules and standards of communication between staff and clients strictly prohibit criticism of their actions under any pretext. On the contrary, employees need to demonstrate an extremely positive attitude, and problematic nuances and situations are resolved by a senior manager or supervisor.

Also, in communication with the client, the absence of indifference is welcomed. This can be expressed, for example, in the desire to anticipate his desire or plans. That is, the employee offers suitable services in advance, which have not yet been discussed, but they may well follow. In this context, the rules of communication with a manicure master's client can be expressed in the provision of an expanded range of services that will organically complement the existing list of a completed offer. So, along with a traditional manicure, a visitor may need a SPA session. Clients are more willing to agree to additional services when offers come from an employee.

How to end a dialogue correctly?

As already noted, it is desirable to end conversations with a brief reminder of what decision will be expected from the client. In this sense, the rules for communicating with clients in a hotel, for example, require the manager to remind the client about the location of the establishment, opening hours and visiting hours. But in any case, the potential client should have a favorable impression. This applies not so much to his interest, but to his emotional sediment, which should be positive.

Conclusion

In recent years, experts have noted a tendency to simplify the rules of communication in business. The fact is that the strict rules of communication with clients make the process of conversation more difficult, and often make it stereotyped and repulsive. Therefore, more and more often they rely on more open, sincere and, again, emotional dialogues, which allow to reduce the distance between a company representative and a client. Another thing is that this style of behavior requires considerable experience, and brings good results only in certain areas of service.

Modern business is built on the fact that customers purchase those goods or services that are offered by the company. Communication with clients is the main link when a client contacts a company and when he concludes an agreement with it. Here you should follow certain techniques, rules, etiquette, which are based on human psychology at the time of making an important decision.

Since communication with the client aims to encourage the consumer to purchase the product and decide whether he will agree to the offer, this contact can be:

Short or long.
Spontaneous or planned.
One-time or with further cooperation.

It is necessary to talk about the methods of influence and effective contact of the company with the client when it is clearly clear what services / products it provides and in what conditions events unfold.

What is customer communication?

When a person communicates with people in everyday situations, he does not particularly think about the intonation of his voice, the phrases that he utters, the mood that he shows. A person chooses with whom to communicate and how to talk to them. When it comes to work and professional skills, then it becomes important how a person can achieve his goal through communication with clients.

Communication with customers is a purposeful interaction that involves certain etiquette and rules of communication and requires the achievement of a set goal. The seller does not just communicate with customers. He wants to establish contact with them, win over his products, sell them to them and, possibly, get regular customers.

Communication at work requires certain knowledge. Here it doesn’t matter what mood the employee is in, what he thinks about other people, how he relates to the world, etc. He must do his job, respectively, his communication must be specially structured so that the seller eventually achieves the goal.

The task - to conclude a deal with a client - is perhaps the most important for both an ordinary employee and a businessman himself. If the customer has agreed to purchase your company's product or service, then you will make a profit. But it is for this purpose that all organizations and firms are created - to sell and make a profit.

How to close a deal with a client? This is sometimes difficult to do, because customers are picky, and the competition of your product or service in the market is high. The client can turn to other sellers of the same product or service, but who will give him different terms of cooperation: a lower price, acceptable forms of payment, delivery, etc. To make a deal with a client and make him a regular consumer, you need not just sell him its products, but also take into account its interests and wishes.

The client does not close the deal. Why? Perhaps he doubts something. Perhaps he is dissatisfied with some clauses of the contract, they are inconvenient for him or do not correspond to his capabilities. Sometimes clients are simply not ready to make the final decision. And quite often, the one with whom you want to make a deal would like to bring some of his proposals to the clauses of the contract that you will fulfill.

In all cases, you need to talk to the client if it is important for you to close a deal with him. Talk frankly about what your partner doesn't like or doubts about. Let him speak his mind so you can make concessions. If the client needs to think, then ask what you can do on your part so that he makes a decision in your favor. Don't be afraid to be open. Do not be categorical and strict. You should not forcefully "shove" your product or service to the client. If you want to make a deal and make your client a regular consumer, then you need to be interested in his opinion, wishes, conditions.

This will allow you not only to make all the desired customers your consumers, but also to look at your product or service, contract clauses, conditions, etc. from a different point of view. If you have just started making deals, then you probably have points where there are restrictions or rigid limits. And clients, if you take into account their wishes, will help you expand them, soften them and make them more attractive to them.

Psychology of communication with clients

The seller is a job where each of its representatives wants to have as many customers as possible. Communication becomes the only tool that can influence the opinions and wishes of consumers. That is why communication techniques that take into account the psychology of people become important here:

Put yourself in the place of the buyer in order to understand how you can interest him in your product.
Allow a person to get acquainted with the product even before he buys it. That's why shop assistants shouldn't immediately fly up to customers who have just entered the building, but have not yet had time to look around and understand what they might want.
To allow a person to immediately understand what he can get and at what price, if we are talking about a service. Here you need to immediately communicate with the client, who already knows what he wants, but has not yet decided where exactly he will get it.
Watch your facial expressions, gestures and intonation. That's why at home you need to practice in front of the mirror and look at yourself from the side in order to change what customers see and, perhaps, repel them.
The comfort of the environment. Where the client is, it should be comfortable and everything should correspond to the theme of the products sold.
The appearance of the seller. Here the human factor plays a role. The seller must be appropriately dressed. For example, if he sells meat behind the counter, then he should not be dressed in a strict business suit. He must also have a certain communication style. If special terms are used, then the seller must immediately explain them to the client so that he understands what he is being told about.
Direct eye contact. You should not embarrass the client, however, you need to monitor his reactions. When he speaks, be sure to look into his eyes.
Shake hands during greetings and farewells. It should be as strong as the client squeezes his hand. This will show that you are on an equal footing.
Name. Be sure to introduce yourself and ask the name of the client. Although this step is mandatory, it should be understood that at first the client is not interested in getting to know you. Most likely, he will listen to your name, so if he asks him to remind you of his name, do not be offended by this.
Politeness. It is imperative that the seller’s speech contain elementary words of politeness: “please”, “thank you”, “allow me”, etc. But they should not be used too often.
Top position. Although you have shown the client that you are on an equal footing, during communication, try to take a position from above, dominant, but in such a way that it is not felt.

Rules for communicating with clients

To achieve this goal, a manager or seller must adhere to some rules for communicating with customers:

Listen to the wishes and needs of the client. If you want to sell something, it should solve the problems with which the person came to you.
Listen to all objections and be able to deal with them.
Speak the same language that the client uses.
Describe the positive aspects of the product. If a customer asks about a product's shortcomings, it's best to be honest and talk about them - this is necessary to establish a long-term relationship based on trust.
The seller must thoroughly know everything about his product. He must be able to answer any question of the client.
The seller must be a professional who knows how to be different. You should adapt to the client: be businesslike for a business person, and simple for a simple person.

There are companies that provide ongoing services to clients. Here, complaints become inevitable, from which no firm can escape. There will always be customers who break something or cannot use the purchased products. Here it becomes important how the manager behaves when dealing with a client who complains.

Not far off is the hour when the most sought-after profession in the service and sales sectors will be the customer complaints manager, or director of customer focus. In simple terms, this specialty can be called "director of hospitality and comfort." What is this profession and why is it needed?

Thus, the level of service in public places is one of the main priorities and tasks of these establishments. You can’t please all customers, so you need specialists who will skillfully and cost-effectively resolve any troubles. That's what a customer complaints manager, or director of customer focus, is for. These specialists will play an important role in ensuring that there are fewer negative reviews about their level of service on the Internet and simply on the lips of people, which, accordingly, will increase the number of visitors to a particular public institution.

Learn the science of hospitality and comfort, settling issues, and reducing other people's dissatisfaction. This will allow you to become in demand in the labor market in the future.

Ethics in dealing with clients

Each person is pleased when they communicate with him kindly and respectfully, which should not depend on what question he turned to the seller or manager. Even regular customers need attention. Ethics involves polite communication with customers when the following rules are observed:

Showing respect.
Understanding the wishes or motives of the client's request.
No raised tone.
Maintaining calmness in a stressful situation.
Ability to listen to customers to the end.
No interruptions.
The ability to find a solution in any situation.

How do you end up communicating with customers?

We will not say that the client is right in everything and always. Let's pay attention to the fact that the client also requires respect and understanding of his desires, which is why he turns to a company that can solve them. Here it is necessary to understand that each client has his own mood. But it has nothing to do with the personality of the seller, but is directed only at the product or service that the company offers.

Ivan Kobelev, head of the customer support department of the 1PS.RU Service, spoke about how to improve the conversion of the sales department by 2 times by correcting only 8 errors in the telephone conversations of managers.

It will increase the conversion of your site and bring you new customers. But, it is very important to understand that the result, whether you close the deal or not, depends very much on the managers of your sales department.

Huge efforts and budgets are spent on website promotion and advertising.

And, when there is literally a phone call before the transaction, the sale does not occur or occurs only in 15% of cases.
Why is that? Why is this place in the sales funnel considered the narrowest and most vulnerable in many companies?
Most often the reason is in the manager. Especially if it is a young specialist who does not have sufficient experience and knowledge.

Rule 1. “I don't recognize you in makeup. Who are you?"

Often inexperienced specialists begin a telephone conversation with the words:
"Hello. Company "X", you left us a request. Tell…"
As a rule, the user leaves an application for more than one company and not only for one particular topic. That is why it is so important to correctly say who you are, where you are from and for what specific reason you are calling, so that your potential client understands this immediately.
Otherwise, you start wasting time and customer loyalty.
Therefore, make sure that managers address by name and introduce themselves as clearly as possible:
“Hello, Ivan. My name is Peter, the company "Peretyazhka". We do furniture repair. Today you left an application for a sofa upholstery in 1985 on our website divan.rf.
And they continued to clarify until the client says: “Yes, yes, I remember.”

Rule 2. "Politeness costs nothing, but brings a lot"

Any conversation should start with the phrase:
"Are you comfortable talking now?"
If you do not ask such a question, then after 3-4 minutes the client can tell about it himself and ask to call back, then he will have to repeat everything again.
Politeness, respect for the client's time and saving your own is the key to high sales.
This rule does not always apply to cold calls, this type of conversation should be considered individually, depending on the type of business.

Rule 3. "Remember that for a person the sound of his name is the sweetest and most important sound of human speech"

The name of a person is a word that makes you pay attention to the one who calls him.
A person begins to listen and perceive information better. Just call the client by name more often - this will save you from having to repeat the same information several times in a row. And who doesn't like being addressed by their first name?

Rule 4

Rule 5. "Exceed expectations"

Rule 6. "The customer is always right"

The main rule for posing the question is: if the client answers “not right or wrong”, then the manager asked the question incorrectly.
A competent employee asks questions in detail and as clearly as possible, without using terminology that is incomprehensible to the client.
Don't ask:
“What form of capture would you like to put on the site?”
It's better to ask:
“Alexander, tell me how it is more convenient for you: to immediately receive calls from clients or first to receive some information about the client, and then call him? If you call yourself, it makes sense to add a form to the site with the "Submit request" button.

Rule 7. "Understanding is the beginning of agreement"

If there is even a little doubt about whether you understand the client correctly, it is better to ask again. To do this, a good manager at the beginning or at the end of the phrase adds “do I understand correctly?”.
For example:
Client: “The main thing is that I want the apartment to be clean.”
Manager: "Ivan, that is, you need to install windows with increased protection against dust, dirt, noise, which are easy to clean, but not necessarily snow-white, do I understand correctly?"

At the end of the conversation, a competent manager will definitely ask:
"Do you have any questions?"
Because they can be, but for some reason the client may not set them. And with such a question, we will push the client to ask his own.
If you do not answer the question, several more may arise against its background that will interfere with the transaction. Or competitors will answer this question to the client, and the client will go to them.
At first glance, the advice may seem primitive, and everyone may think that this is elementary.
Yes, this is elementary, but, unfortunately, many managers do not pay attention to simple rules. Make sure they are not your managers.