Establishing contact with a client: rules, mistakes and secret techniques

Issues discussed in the material:

How important is it to establish contact with the client?
Establishing contact with the client: stages preceding the dialogue
10 mandatory rules for establishing contact with a client
Secret techniques for establishing contact with a client
Establishing contact with a client: examples of mistakes

Establishing contact with a client is a mandatory and constant stage of any sales. If this step is completed successfully, the client can already be considered “warmed up”, and therefore 50% ready to buy. All that remains is to delicately but persistently lead to a positive decision.

But this is only in theory. The modern buyer is very demanding, and the methods of classical advertising will not interest him, but the methods of simple car funnels will cause a condescending grin. But we know the recipes for competently establishing contact with a client and are ready to share them with you in this article.

How important is it to establish contact with the client?

Establishing contact with a client is the first stage of the sales process. There are five of them in total. If you miss the first one, there is practically no chance of expecting a favorable development of events. Sales are built, among other things, on good relationships between buyer and seller.

It is very important that the first impression of the sales manager is positive, this will give an impetus to the client developing a good attitude towards him. And, on the contrary, if the first impression is bad, it will not be so easy to turn the situation around in the future. In sales, a negative opinion of a salesperson is tantamount to losing a customer.

The salesperson must be familiar with how to establish contact with the client. The phrases he pronounces must be clearly thought out, all actions, facial expressions and gestures must be brought to the point of automatism. Getting through the client's distrust and his desire to get rid of the annoying salesman is one of the most difficult tasks of a sales manager.

Globally, the goal of establishing contact with a client is to sell him a product or service. It always needs to be broken down into several small tasks, the implementation of which will systematically achieve the plan. What does a sales manager usually encounter when offering help to a client? Firstly, with distrust. People look at salespeople as employees who need to sell something at all costs, while the opinions and feelings of the client are not particularly taken into account. As a result, they try to avoid the help of the seller and do everything on their own, just so as not to be deceived and buy something completely unnecessary. It is this first resistance that the manager must overcome in order to successfully conclude a deal in the future.

So, what will be the tasks at this stage:

attract attention, initiate a conversation;
provide your name, indicate your position in the company and explain the purpose for which you are contacting the client;
to interest, create a reason for communication;
Ask a Question.

The ideal completion of the first stage of sales is to arouse the client's sympathy and establish contact. If you gently attracted attention to yourself, interested the client, and even liked him, it will be much easier to move on.

Read other articles on the topic of communication with the client

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Interaction with clients: basic methods and rules

Stage four - pitfalls

The fourth stage begins when the process of establishing business contact has dragged on for several days. With close proximity, partners will begin to notice that they know incomplete information about each other. You can find out the truth about these “pitfalls” only by acting as an initiator. For example, it seemed to you that the person with you was not direct and open enough. Ask him a provocative question and carefully analyze his reaction. This method will quickly dispel all possible doubts.

Establishing contact with the client: stages preceding the dialogue

Establishing the first contact with the client occurs after several important points have been worked out. Let's look at what any sales manager needs to pay attention to.

Working sales script

The use of a script assumes that the manager acts strictly according to instructions, without deviating from a pre-planned course. He pronounces the phrases that are prescribed for a specific stage of the sale. All possible questions and objections must be calculated, and answers to them prepared and rehearsed. Almost any sales process assumes that the client will express doubts, refuse help and evade communication - this is normal. The main thing for a manager is to have options for action in all cases.

Expert commentary

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One of the strategies for competent seller behavior is to try to unite the client and the company in your speech, not to contrast them with phrases like “with us”, “at our enterprise”, etc. Establishing contact with a client also involves forming a kind of mental connection.

The script should not contain phrases and words that can be abandoned without losing the meaning and quality of communication. On the contrary, it should include so-called strong words and trigger words. You need to know what it is and use it wisely.

Intonation, Emotions, Charisma

Of course, if you repeat a memorized script like a robot or read it from a piece of paper, you will get nothing but irritation in response and establishing contact will fail. A good manager knows his text by heart and does not experience stress, trying to remember how to behave in a given situation. The seller, like an actor on stage, is emotional and charismatic. You can’t tell from a good manager that he is pronouncing a text that has long been known to him.

The client should experience pleasure from communicating with the seller. And to do this, he must present himself as a confident, pleasant, calm and friendly person. Not everyone can boast of such a set of qualities; few people are salespeople from God, which means you need to work on self-presentation and train to behave correctly with clients.

Interaction with clients: basic methods and rules

Basic methods and rules

More details

It is unlikely that at least one working script is written the first time. As a rule, they are constantly corrected and supplemented in the process of communication with customers. The script combines correctly chosen words and an emotional component. The manager must be involved in the sales process. When starting communication with clients, it is important to discard negativity and turn on all your charm.

Non-verbal

By connecting nonverbal methods of communication, we make communication more lively and emotionally fulfilling. Establishing contact with a client involves the inclusion of personal charisma, and if the manager is tense and constrained, demonstrating it will be problematic. Active (but appropriate to the situation) facial expressions and gestures will make speech more expressive and attract the attention of buyers. This is especially important during live communication. If you are not a very emotional person, it may make sense to work in cold sales. Establishing contact with a client over the phone will not require the development of non-verbal communication methods.

Seller's appearance

Quite often, sales managers neglect the need to look good and lose a lot. Obviously, a neat appearance is an integral part of competent self-presentation. Even the best salesperson can alienate customers by walking around in wrinkled clothes and dirty shoes. The expression “you meet people by their clothes” exists for a reason. It is not at all necessary to dress in expensive stores and put on all the best at once. It's enough to be neat.

Secret techniques for establishing contact with a client

A salesperson who knows his business well reads his interlocutor all the time, trying to understand which way of establishing contact with him will be more productive. Let's list the most effective techniques for establishing contact with a client.

The forty second rule

There is an opinion that the interlocutor forms an opinion about you during the first 30-40 seconds of the conversation. That is, the seller has literally half a minute to make a good impression on the client. As mentioned above, reputation will be primarily affected by appearance, then by a positive attitude, manner of speaking, and nonverbal actions.

Pay attention to what the client says

You need to listen carefully to your interlocutor, periodically asking leading and clarifying questions. It is important to demonstrate sincere interest in the client’s problem and a desire to solve it. In this case, he will be able to trust and open up, and further communication will flow easier.

Ask questions to better understand the client's point of view and needs

Here are some questions to establish contact with the client: “Am I correct in understanding that the size of this equipment is too large for your premises?” or “Tell me, is a device with such power really enough for you?” Firstly, this can show that you are attentive to the needs of the interlocutor, and secondly, this will prevent you from making mistakes when choosing a product that may not be suitable later.

Try to avoid a dry formal tone

Of course, managers work in different settings - from the sales floor of an electronics store to the meeting room of a large company. However, live natural dialogue will always help establish contact with the client. If the situation allows, you can joke and generally avoid formalities.

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More details

Give compliments

People always appreciate compliments. Try to find out more about the person and when you meet, demonstrate your awareness of his successes. Or, for example, compliment his beautifully decorated office. The main thing is that the compliment is sincere and does not look like an attempt to please.

Remember small talk

A small conversation will help remove unnecessary tension, defuse the situation, and tune in to the conversation. This is one of the ways to establish contact with your interlocutor.

Non-verbal communication

Facial expressions, gestures, body position - all this can enhance the emotional component of our speech, making the dialogue more lively and natural.

Offer to examine the product from all sides

Sometimes managers are asked to find out in advance which channel of information perception (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile) is best developed in the client, and to work with him. However, this is often not possible, so try to use all channels. You can offer to carefully examine the product, touch it, if necessary, and smell it.

Non-verbal communication

Nonverbal communication plays an important role. Psychologists call it hidden dialogue. The way a person behaves during a conversation can reveal a lot. For example, if he sits with his hands folded, he is most likely closed or hiding something. An open, relaxed posture indicates his readiness to communicate.

You should be wary if a person is nervous. This may indicate that he is not confident in himself or is hiding something. The following signals will be helpful: if the interlocutor begins to finger something in his hands, for example, actively fiddling with a clothing button or a teaspoon.

You need to carefully examine your facial expression. It’s a huge plus if a person has a friendly smile on his face. This is a sign that he is committed to productive communication.

Establishing contact with a client: examples of mistakes

Invasion of personal space
It is physically better to be at a distance of 80 cm - 1 meter from the client; coming too close is unacceptable - it is at least unpleasant, and at maximum it can cause panic, irritation and a desire to leave as quickly as possible.
Coldness, condescension or, on the contrary, ingratiation.
Any extremes should be avoided. A friendly, friendly tone and communication on equal terms is the right strategy for a good seller.
Too much attention
A manager who cannot be avoided, who presses the client with his persistence, will not arouse the desire to cooperate.
Talk incessantly
“Talk less, listen more” is the motto of a good salesman.

Let's summarize. It takes a lot of effort to sell something. The first thing a manager should do is establish contact with the client. Until contact has been established, it is simply pointless to hope for fruitful cooperation. It is important to create a good first impression of yourself; a neat appearance, friendliness, positive attitude, manner of speech, etc. will work for this. You should convey positivity and a desire to help, be attentive to the client’s words, but not overdo it with persistence, try to communicate as equals and not try to sell your product solely for the sake of making quick money. By following these rules, you can win the client’s favor and subsequently conclude a profitable deal.

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