How To Get Your Customers To Buy From You… According To Dale Carnegie
By John Sanpietro, Certified Business Coach, Stamping Is My Business!www.stampingismybusiness.com
This week marks the anniversary of the birth of Dale Carnegie. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Carnegie was one of the preeminent authors of the early 20th century, and wrote what is credited as the first self-help book, "How To Win Friends and Influence People."
If you haven't read this book yet, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Although it was first published in 1937, the advice contained in the book is still applicable today.
One of the sections of the book is entitled, "Six Ways To Make People Like You." Personally, I think a better title would be, "Six Ways To Make Your Customers Want To Do Business With You." Carnegie's list, along with my thoughts on how to apply each point to your stamping business, is listed below:
1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
It always about your customers… and the more in touch you are with them, the better you'll be able to craft solutions to meet their needs and wants. If you're really in tune with your customers, just about everything you do will be a hit! Today, we call this 'market research.' If you're not conducting your own extensive market research, you're basically shooting in the dark!
2. Smile!
Whether you're on the phone, narrating a video, conducting a class or workshop, or hosting a downline meeting, a smile REALLY comes through! You can certainly see a smile. If you think about it, you'll realize you can hear a smile. AND, you can even feel a smile. A smile infuses your business with energy and enthusiasm, which your customers respond to in a very positive way.
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
To put in more bluntly, most people don't want to hear about you or your business. They want to hear about what you or your business can do for THEM! It's the difference between talking about features (the 'what's' of your business) vs. the benefits (the 'why should I care's' of your business). Always talk in benefits!
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
If you spend too much time talking, then you're not spending enough time listening! And if you're not listening, you're not going to be as in tune with your customers as you should be (see #1). This is especially true when speaking about the business opportunity. Before you start talking about all of the great things there are to being a Demo, listen to your prospect, and try to figure out which of those things is important to THEM! Then… (see #5)
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
…put those benefits front and center! The same can be said of workshops. Some people like workshops because of the Hostess Benefits. Others like them because of the social interaction. If you know what your potential hostess is interested in, you can speak in their terms… not yours!
6. Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.
Nobody is more important than your customer. Treat them that way, and they'll continue to show their appreciation. Respect their time, value their opinions and listen to what they say. If you can do this on a regular basis, and position your business to serve their stated needs, you will be a VERY successful Demonstrator!
