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Welcome to the October 2010 Reality Check – Hope you’ve had a great summer!

We are currently in the middle of a nationwide tour for a large retailer, and enjoying the varying service levels of these islands

Get The End of Your Question Right - Jeremy writes

“So, tell me what you are looking for?” An easy enough sentence to trot out, as wide as a barn door and allowing a considerable opportunity for unspecific ramblings from some customers or perhaps a grunt from others.

Let’s change it to, “So, tell me what you are looking for this weekend?” ‘Gosh, erm, yes, it is the weekend and maybe I do actually want to get this purchase cracked this weekend.’

“So tell me what are you looking for this winter?”

‘Now hang on, it isn’t winter yet is it? Right I better take this a bit more seriously...’

If it were, the season might dictate the quality, thickness, warmth factor or weight of the clothing product I’m buying. Or if it is a service, the time it is delivered, I may not want it dropped off in the dark at eight o’ clock in the evening.

So rather than just getting the meat of your sentence well cooked, work on the ending. You can get a Mother to raise her eyes and look into the distance when you ask about her child’s next bicycle with the two words, “this year” at the end of the question. She’ll realise that yes, their child’s years are passing and that their interests and biking needs are changing. ‘This’ is a good first word to choose as it will make the prospect more precise and sets up a much more satisfactory ‘sales focused’ conversation.

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Sell Additional Purchases Fast or You’ll Lose Them

A good amount of our lessons in selling are found through our experiences in various eateries. As Bob and I tour around a fair bit we get to sample quick lightbites and heavyweight dinners between towns and cities. And unlike solo trainers we are lucky enough not to have to read during dinner.

You don’t go out to a restaurant to read a book, unless you are wealthy, single, bored, or yes, a solo trainer!

In Edinburgh airport at The Gathering, I ordered a dessert. Bob says it is due to attending public school and my time spent institutionalised there that leads me and other public school boys to have to round off a meal, however small, with a

sweet. Jam roly poly and sticky toffee pudding helped us bond like soldiers in the Naffi or should I say, officers in the mess. This affectation, among many others, together with a slightly ruddy complexion are the two remaining hand-overs I retain after years at the academically prestigious, 3rd tier public school, Shiplake College.

The waitress took what seemed like an age to return with my dropped scone and then glided by the table to say, “anything else?” again. ‘No’ I said, ‘can I have the bill, if you’ve rung the scone through the till please can you take it off.’

The moment had gone, it was not needed and this weaning off puds is a good thing!

You have the best chance to sell additional things to your customers at the point of purchase. Indian Restaurants know this, so add rice, naan, side dishes and as much as possible up front. They do this as either no -one buys their frozen desserts or they buy them in and the profit is less so they don’t push them! When was the last time you had a curry, a dessert and a coffee?

Back to the point, add more with speed at the time of buying, consider all accessories as natural additions and ask with an upward inflection. And enjoy an upward spike in your sales graph.

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The Emerging Customer Service Culture

We are currently putting the finishing touches to a Free Subscribers Guide to the future of customer service. The guide looks at people types in customer services, the new types of language that should be used, 10 pitfalls to avoid, 10 tips and ideas and 3 predictions for the next 10 years. We will be selling this guide for £1.87 on our web site, and you dear newsletter subscriber can have a free copy simply by registering with ann@realitytrain.co.uk – drop her an email and as soon as it’s finished you’ll get an advance copy by email.

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Reality in Cyprus

As you read this we are on our way to speak at an International Sales Conference for some top performers of a major client in sunny Cyprus. Tough gig. And one which will allow us to add to our library of training films and podcasts. For those of you who haven’t yet checked out our videos on You Tube now is your chance go to RealityTrainingTV and see if some of those videos can give you some immediate and free inspiration.

Thanks for reading

Bob & Jeremy

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