The goal of most salespeople is to call on senior-level executives. However, rarely is the sales person’s first point of contact in a large organization with the CEO, CFO or CIO. Usually, salespeople call at a much lower level initially. To short cut the amount of time it takes to penetrate more deeply into an organization, wise sales professionals turn their customer contacts into evangelists. At every customer interaction, they remember to:
- Keep the message simple
- Create memory hooks
- Deliver it passionately
Keep Message Simple
A mistake that a lot of salespeople make is to tell their clients everything they possible know about their product or service. Instead of feeling impressed, listeners often feel confused and overwhelmed, particularly if the explanation has been technical in nature. People only care about their own interests. A better approach is to keep the message simple. Less is more. Three well-supported key points that provide a solution to the customer’s problems are ideal. In fact, there is research to back up the notion that people remember best in groups of three. With a simple message, the speaker’s points stand out, and customers can repeat what they have heard to others higher in the organization. If you want to turn your listeners into evangelists, remember the Rule of Three.
Memory Hooks
People have short attention spans. They are often preoccupied with things in their personal or business lives. People who want to sell their ideas to others have to make their listeners pay attention to them. Personal stories, customer examples, and analogies can make a listener remember a speaker’s point years later. For example, a large corporation interested in growing their global markets while saving costs would be very impressed by the way IP Telephony has saved millions of dollars for a similar-sized corporation over a five-year span. Without memory hooks, listeners forget fifty to seventy percent of what they have heard in a matter of days. If a listener can’t remember what was said because none of the points stood out, there is no way a salesperson will penetrate deeper into the organization through this particular contact.
Deliver with Passion
When a speaker is passionate, it is contagious. Customers automatically listen more attentively. Their questions suddenly become about application, delivery, and implementation. In fact, listeners who are excited by a speaker almost immediately share what they have heard so that others in their organization can also reap the benefits of this terrific product or service. Speakers who are passionate maintain sustained eye contact with each individual. They use powerful gestures and facial animation to help their listeners understand the importance of what they are saying. Their voice is also strong and compelling.
“To preach the gospel” related to your product or service to others on a higher level, remember three things with every client contact:
- Keep the message simple
- Make it memorable
- Deliver it passionately
If client contacts understand the message, see its relevance, and remember what they have heard, they most certainly will tell others in the organization. They will not hesitate to act as a reference.
Additional Articles about ‘Create Customer Evangelists’ from Impact Communications
Deconstructing What Charismatic Speakers Do
What It Takes to be a Master Speaker
Tips for Technical Presentations
Presentations Communication Skills Training from Impact Communications
Selling Your Ideas and Motivating Others with Effective Communication Skills
Technical Presentations that S.C.O.R.E.
Meaningful and Memorable Messages
One-On-One Consultation or Team Consultation
Continue the Conversation and Communication
Have something to add to this article? Comment below in the “Comment” box or directly on Twitter.
Keep this article with you, download a PDF version of this article.
Impact Communications, Inc. consults with individuals and businesses to improve their presentation and telephone communication skills. It is not what you know but how you communicate it that makes a difference. When you have to have impact, phone (847) 438-4480 or visit our website, www.ImpactCommunicationsInc.com.
Impact Communications, Inc. was established in 1998. It is a national presentation communication skills and telephone communication skills training company that excels at defining and developing the core elements of effective business communication. With presentation communication skills training, telephone communications skills training, every encounter can be an efficient and lucid transmission of information.
Recent Post Comments