How are you greeting customers?

The first step to making people comfortable is the greeting. It sounds simple, but go out today and keep track of how many people say hello to you when you walk into their business.  Greeting customers effectively is the start of and the set up for closing a deal and a positive customer experience.  This is the key focus of Grant Cardone’s Strategy of the Week for September 15th, 2016.

You probably don’t feel comfortable when you go into a dentist office for the first time or a lawyer’s office.  What about when you go to a party and don’t know anyone? It’s human nature to feel more comfortable with the familiar. A customer in your store or office is a lot like taking someone into your home.  When greeting customers, first, you have to make them comfortable, introduce them, and then handle their fears. Unless this person visits you everyday they won’t be in their comfort zone. Even if you were in their home, they’d be a little uncomfortable. People are “guarded” when they meet new people.

When a person is guarded you can’t get on common ground. You have to assure your customer, address their fears and beliefs, and put them at ease. Remember that you are not in the product business, you are in the people business. A “guarded” customer to me indicates a good thing—not a bad thing—because the more guarded a customer shows they are likely a buyer.

The only way to put people at ease is to know what is going on with them. Here are 4 simple steps to keep in mind as you greet each new customer…