"I'm a People Person" part 2

"I'm a people person!"

If you're going to say you're a people person, then notice things about your prospects and react accordingly.

- If you're in a retail store and your prospect comes in with her toddler to look at dishwashers, say "hi" to the toddler, find out his name, and give him some crayons and a coloring book or a stuffed animal to play with. Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospect the attention she deserves.

- If you're selling in a customer's home and the prospect announced, "We just moved in yesterday," don't go right to the closets you're there to design. Talk about the customer's new home (if you're a homeowner, do you remember how excited you were the day after you moved into your home?). Ask questions such as, "How did the closing go?" or "What's your favorite feature of your new home?" or "How did you find this home?" Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospect the attention he craves.

- If you've a financial planner and you have a couple in your office who mentions their trip to Greece last year, stop what you're doing and ask about their trip. "What did you like most about Greece?" "Was this your first time in Greece?" "I've always wanted to go to Greece; how would you recommend I plan a trip to Greece?" Don't just say you're a people person, truly be one, and give your prospects the attention they want.

Don't just pitch your product. Treat your human prospects humanly. That's the way to be a "people person."

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Comments

[Brad]

Skip, this is some of the best advice you can give any sales person. When my wife and I bought our house our agent was awesome. he was not selling most of the time. He was watching my family and I interact with a potential house and then pointing out good and bad points like did you see your daughter going up and down those steep stairs or did you notice how much time Kristi spent checking out that master suite?

It was valuable to me and built a lot of trust in our relationship and I have since referred a lot of business to him because of this.

-Brad