Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Hi islandchik39,

Hope you're having a great day!

OK LET'S BE REAL HONEST HERE...
talking to total strangers is an extremely challenging situation especially if you do not have a strong working background doing this. It's already extremely difficult doing it if you work often with strangers.

MY FIRST RULE TOWARD A SUCCESSFUL...
beginning with any human being is to...

***BE GENIUNE***...
now being genuine is something that's quite foreign to most people's life experiences. Yes, that's right! Most people are use to "putting on", trying to "act genuine" i.e. as in acting like an actor or actress that's trying to be genuine.

When meeting total strangers the degree of how well you leverage relationships will all depend on how genuine you truly are. So be genuine. And strangers will warm-up to you much quicker. Eventually they'll tell you so much more about themselves that you may have to say that's too much information :-)


MY 2ND RULE IS SERVE THE CUSTOMER WITH PASSION...BE LOVING...
it's never out of fashion to serve the customer with passion. When you give anyone a high degree of passion this brings the warm fuzzy feelings that inspire people to tell you more.

The truth is most people have not received genuine passionate SERVICE. It's been a long time since they met someone who has a ---smile in their voice--- and the love of service in their heart like you. So don't forget to give them what they hardly ever receive during the customer transaction. Lot's of passion and lot's of love from people who are into giving you (the customer) what you NEED.

But when they finally experience the customer passion evangelistic experience they just overflow with excitement. It's very spiritually uplifting in a way that the mind, body, soul experience all aligns itself when the great servant type experience is manifested.


MY 3RD RULE IS GAIN TRUST THROUGH YOUR BODY LANGUAGE...IT SAYS MORE THAN YOUR WORDS...
when you're talking about a first meeting watch your body language. Is it saying you are worthy of me telling you the truth? Can you be trusted with the truth and does your body language say you can?

A great deal of the time people lie when you ask them questions and they truly don't trust you. So gaining trust can happen much quicker when you are aware of what your body language is telepathing to your customers. So take a lesson in NLP or get a set of tapes so that you can at least self educate yourself on the science of NLP and what our body language truly says about you. It becomes the biggest first level of communication.


YOUR ACTIONS SPEAK SO LOUDLY I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU'RE SAYING...so again what are you communicating through the actions of your body language. Rehearse, review and practice this one over again and again. Practice it until you know what your physiology is saying in every position you assume.

And please don't forget to have a smile on the inside because whatever you have on the inside radiates to the outside. Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world...what comes from the heart reaches the heart...Remember our only real problem in life is our failure to be "MORE Creative" than we’ve ever been. If you “Invent” your opportunity YOU WILL most definitely create your future. Just know that I'm here for you if you need my help. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)

Lots of great advise going on around here...
One other thing.. If you are just surveying them... let people know that you are not selling. The many many poor sales jobs done has turned people off to selling.

If you are selling, tell them early on, don't lie or waste a lot of time then get to the sales pitch.

After 16 years of working with the public, one will eventually start thinking like a chair. 'What do chairs think about?" you might be asking......I'll tell you: 'Here comes another @$$'.

The whole trick of dealing with the public is to put your own daily personal feeling aside, and do the job. Dealing with peaople is likely one of the most demanding jobs because all it takes is one Chair to set you off for the rest of the day. That one chair can ruin every conversation you will have there after, until your mood improves. Master yourself, and you master the public.

You've already been given some great advise how to open a conversation. Smiling sure helps. Overtime, you will be able to read body language, exressions, and eyes of the other person, and you will know exactly when to move in for a discussion, or when to cut bait and move onto the next customer. You do not want to offend, and you do not want to force the conversation. Guests will appreciate your tact and skill, and you will have a better day for it. Master reading the other person and reacting accordingly. Match body language to sync your presentation to the guest, it puts them at ease and makes them more receptive to what you have to say. When the guest is relaxed, ask your questions. Stick to the program, get your answers, express your gratitude, and move on. If they resist, make two weak attempts, if not interested, express your gratitude, and move on.

The soft sell works. There is always a next time...so don't be worried if you get a lot of folks shutting your down before you get your questions out. Its just a numbers game.

Darcy Moen
Customer Loyalty Network

Here's how I would approach your situation:

IN YOUR MIND REMEMBER: the door to door salesman always remembers that for every one hundred doors that are slammed in his face, ten will open and two or more will buy.

It is simply therefore a numbers game.

Discipline yourself before you even begin to remember this one element and you will be hugely successful, eventually.

Smiling is very important - but so is listening...

IF-THEN scenarios work extremely well on most people: "If I was to take less than 60 seconds of your time and you would guarantee to learn something you don't know right at this minute, would you take a moment and chat with me?"

Then I'd move on to the most important subject in the whole world to each and every person you stop: THEM. Something like:

"Oh, I see you're all dressed up handsome-like in that suit - are you on the way to a meeting?" or "Oh, I see that you are ready for the pool, I won't take but a second of your time"

Ask a few questions that will get them talking like:

a) Where are you from?

b) What do you do there?

c) Is this your first time at the hotel?

d) What are you liking about the hotel?

Then start in with the info you need to actually grab. If they've talked the entire time, you'll need to make your pitch quick, brief and with the tranquility and precision of a brain surgeon!

Remember: talk slower than they talk. Talking speed is a dead-giveaway of a sales person. They comprehend at the same rate as they talk - so focus intently at first at how fast they talk: keep up to the speed but NOT FASTER - they will not believe you if you speak too fast.

If they cross their arms at you, you're failing. Immediately stop your questions and go back to their participation questions...very very important.

The minute they look at their watch, let them go - they're gone already!

If they aren't looking at you and are gazing with that blurried eye thing, you're losing them and are just about to fail...quickly get back on their favorite subject: themselves.


Prepare a series of questions that everyone likes to talk about and memorize those questions - they'll bring you back when you're failing.

And remember, you will fail - it's the most important part of learning how to sell. No failure - no learning.

Good luck and remember - 2 out of 100...