Why every client is your Valentine

This may sound a bit strange and you may feel uncomfortable, but every sale is like a seduction. As business owners, we make introductions, pursue courtships, and look forward to consummation ... the sale.

As in any love affair, reason is usually thrown out the window.

You think that’s a bit rash? 

In any sales process emotion comes to the fore. Logic, whilst important, is not just all that is required for you to win over your prospects bank account.

You must first win over their hearts.

Ok so “love” is not the right word?

Regardless of what word you do choose, you need to interact at an emotional level to communicate what it is that you can do for them.

So here’s a few heartfelt topics for you to consider.

Show them that you really care

This is not about sales, this is about engaging your prospect at a level that they are interested in.

• Talk about what interests them.
• Acknowledge their feelings about this interest.

Say I offer insurance products and services. If I’m the awkward type then I’ll talk about the products I offer and how I service you.

But if I was an empathetic type of person I’d chat about your future and what an accident, illness or death could mean to your family.

I’d go on and discuss the hopes of a liveable future, and the corresponding fears of poverty, deprivation, and loss of comfort.

By showing empathy with your prospects' concerns, you earn their ears.

‘Me, me, me'  … NOT!

You’re going out on your first date with someone, and all that person talked about was their career, their achievements, their ideas, and so on. Without leaving you room for a word edgewise.

Now take almost any topic, from abrasion control coatings to zoo maintenance, and conduct a Web search for businesses in those areas. Now visit their home pages, the virtual reception areas of their virtual businesses.

And what do you get?

Our vision, our philosophies, our time in the industry, our qualifications, our awards … me, me, me look at me!

I recon I’d be leaving before the entrée was served.

So what’s the alternative?

Create comfort and attract interest by speaking to the issues, the problems, the fears, and the passion that applies to the area being discussed. Doing this demonstrates that you have a strong grasp of the issues at hand and that in doing so you truly are interested in them.

Make a commitment

Ok this is serious stuff here … a commitment! Before the other party will say yes, you have to articulate your commitment.  

In business your commitment is a guarantee. Quite simply your money back, no questions asked, the problem fixed at no cost.

To be blunt I figure that, like me, you don't like risk. That biggest obstacle to any sale is the customer's nagging fear that they'll be cheated, won't get what they want, and will look or feel foolish … in addition to being out of pocket.
 
So create a parachute, a safety net, that'll make them feel secure. When there's a clear way out, in makes it easier to take the alternate path to a purchase. Write a clear, simple guarantee and be sure it's prominently displayed in your marketing materials.

Bring the ring

Diamonds are forever is more than just a movie name or a marketing slogan. A diamond ring is a physical statement about an intangible feeling, may be not forever but still another tangible sign of affection and commitment.

So the next challenge is to make your product or service as tangible or as physical as that diamond ring.

Creating a precise picture ensures you introduce your product into the prospect's thinking. If you can help your prospects see, feel, taste, smell, or in some way imagine themself experiencing your product, you're more than halfway to the sale.

Using vague words such as "commitment," "excellence," and "quality" is death. Use specific, concrete (and, wherever possible, sensual) descriptions to bring your offer to life. But conversely steer clear of words like “wonderful” or “beautiful”.

Respect them in the morning

If so much of our profit comes with repeat sales, then why do so many of us make so little effort to communicate with our customers after the sale?

A thing such as a simple “thank you” letter is a good place to start. Then, depending on the nature of your business, you may want to consider a newsletter, email updates and other tactics with a similar goal: staying in touch, saying you care, keeping your customers in your loop.

Love doesn't have to hurt
It's really not that difficult to build better relationships with customers.

Caring, sharing, protecting, guiding and keeping the lines of communication open … that's the heart of the matter.