December 13, 2011 The First 30 Seconds
There are a lot of possible situations when a sales representative might greet a customer. It could be in a store, at the street or in their offices. And it is in the latter situation when a simple “Hi, good afternoon” could become complex, as this is right when your body starts to speak before you do.
It is not surprising then that companies spend a lot of money on sales techniques training programmes for their employees; personally, I have been in a couple of those seminars and workshops. They’ll tell you that, usually, a meeting with a customer could last up to 1 hour (rarely two), and a well-trained sales person would know what to do to take advantage of every minute. For now, let’s talk about the first seconds.
Imagine for a moment that you are the sales representative. It is extremely important to make a good first-impression in order to have a successful meeting with a customer. Usually, you only have 30 seconds to do it; that is, the time it takes to walk from the door to the customer’s desk and shake his/her hand.
source: http://www.soyentrepreneur.com/reglas-de-protocolo-para-vender.html
But even before entering the office a quick check is required: are your shoes clean? Is your forehead sweating? What about your breath? All these are signals sent to the customer; thus, avoiding use the wrong ones is a good start.
You’re standing in front of the customer. A bit of emotional management is required here, take a deep breath, or do anything that prevents you from revealing signs of stress like sweaty hands, redness on your face or neck, touching your hair excessively (mainly women), among others. The aim of every sales representative is to look confident. Though you might find it difficult, depending on the situation.
Now, how to use your hands? There are different kinds of handshakes.
The informal is more often used with friends or acquaintances, it could be too strong or too soft and might include kissing; this should be avoided with a customer because it reflects low levels of formality. The political is a handshake that shows a certain level of intimacy and “caring”. It requires both hands, your right hand shakes the right hand of the other person, and your left hand is positioned either over the other person’s right hand, or on his/her shoulder; this could be used with a customer but not on a first appointment. The professional is the most commonly used on business meetings, it reflects high levels of formality and confidence; it requires eye contact, a smile on your face, a firm handshake (not too strong) and, when this is a first appointment, you must say your name and professional position while holding the other person’s hand, this increases the attention levels.
Of course, cultural differences should be considered for an international environment. If, however, you have no intentions to become a sales representative, and already kind of knew all this information, it is always good to remember the tacit knowledge that is hidden in your mind.
May this be a proof that not only factory workers require specialised hand-skills.