In Dale Carnegie's famous book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" he espouses many great habits for sales professionals. If utilized, two of these easy actions will help you go above the call of duty and be remembered by the referral sources/customers on which you call. Being remembered will help to build relationships and great relationships can translate to sales.
Action #1: "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
You already know the name of the referral source, but do you know the names of all the people in his or her office? I had a sales rep who referred to the office staff as the "little people". To him, they simply weren't important. They were another obstacle to getting to the physician. What a disservice! If you can't take the time to even learn and use the receptionist's name, why would she go out of her way to help you see the physician? Most people wear name tags, so make note of their name and USE IT. If name tags aren't present-ASK. Then make sure to write it down. Keep track of such information in your customer call notes (where you would also have notes on the best time/day, office hours, sales data, and any other pre-call and post-call data). Then the next time you are in the office, flash your dazzling smile and greet everyone BY NAME.
Action #2 "Become genuinely interested in other people."
Common ground builds bridges between strangers. To find common ground, ask questions, be observant, show genuine interest in the customer. (And this includes all the "little people"!) This interest can be professional and personal.
On the professional side: become familiar with the challenges your referral source faces. Are there products or services that your company offers that can help alleviate some of these challenges? What have you observed in other offices that might be of interest to a customer? One best practice I observed was a unique system of sample storage and organization. I was able to share it with an office manager who implemented it in one of their satellite offices. My genuine interest in an office's challenge led to a solution.
On the personal side: when you take a genuine personal interest in someone, the business relationship can become a friendship. Friends take care of friends. Enough said.
Going above the call of duty is easy. You simply have to want to do it.
We would welcome you comments or questions on this or any topic relating to your job. Email Kristen@teamatworkcoaching.com
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