It’s no secret that people buy from those to whom they can relate. Rapport solidifies the connection with your clients; one idea is to keep a mental note of one or two details about your customer and then bring them up in a later conversation. Remembering little details will reinforce your interest in your customers and make them feel less like a dollar sign. Asking open-ended questions is another good tip to allow customers to explain what they want or need, plus it minimizes the chance you’ll assume and be wrong.
This article provides tips and information to help businesses forge a better connection with their customers. The author describes as “The Art of Courtship” and the other is “The Art of Listening” and stresses that these are key to a successful client relationship. Let’s start with “The Art of Courtship” which compares selling to dating. In a nutshell, the author suggests that you work hard to impress your customers and hope they do the same in return. The more you can woo them with your top-notch services, the longer they’ll do business with your company and better yet, spread the word to possible prospects.
The Art of Listening points out that there’s nothing more detrimental to a client relationship than feeling ignored in a conversation. It’s not only considerate but also very important to actually listen to the response when you ask customers a question. In fact, this article states that small businesses have a bigger advantage in connecting with their clients because they have more of a face-to-face relationship than larger companies usually do. On the same note, we all know it’s easier and quicker to email a potential client. But it’s far more meaningful and effective to be creative and attempt a direct connection when pursuing future customers. Overall, you never want your client to feel rushed or swindled. So take your time and be patient. This will make your customer feel confident that he or she made the right decision and you will feel great about developing a lasting relationship with the most important person to your business.