Having a Sticky Introduction Will Help You Make a Better Connection

When introducing yourself to a new contact, use as few words as possible to say what you do. Make sure your introduction is short, to the point and not “all about you.” You’ll be much more memorable than if you ramble on and on. And if your new contact wants to know more, let them ask.

Consider this example:

I work while the girls are in school as an esthetician. An esthetician is a Licensed Skin Therapist. I love the work, and that I have total control over my hours.

Yuck. Why even bother to introduce yourself as an esthetician? Most people don’t know what that is so it’s a waste of words. Then you have to take the additional step to explain that an esthetician is a Licensed Skin Therapist. This action could cause eyes to glaze over and ears to shut so the rest of your message is missed.

And frankly, who cares that you work while the “girls are in school.” I know it sounds harsh, but your prospects won’t care. Loving your work and having the ability to control your own hours is good too, but not in an introduction.

Here’s a better way:

A good technique is to use the ‘do you know’ approach. For example, “Do you know how hard it is for most people to manage their time? Well, I help them do that.” See the difference? Practice it until it rolls right off your lips. Make it sound natural, not pitchy and you’ll have more success.

When developing your introduction, use emotional trigger words to make sure you help the person think of how they or someone they know could use what you have to sell. You’ll make a better impression and have a greater likelihood of stickiness in the person’s mind.

If you are struggling with the whole “face-to-face networking thing,” my short tips book 99 Nuggets to Power Up Your Schmooze-Ability can help you.

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Are You Measuring the Right Thing?

Would you consider a marketing tactic a success if it didn’t ultimately put money in your bank account?

Consider this. You place an ad in the newspaper. One thousand people read the ad. And you consider it a success even though no one bought your product or service. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

Well that’s exactly what many companies — who measure search marketing with number of clicks or top search engine ranking — are doing. And it’s a good way to dump a lot of money with little return quickly.

We get what we measure.

Measuring click volume or positioning doesn’t tie into business goals. Sure they may ultimately create a sale to impact the bottom line, but how often does it happen and what is the percent of the conversion. It’s the return on investment that’s important. Not just the activity taking place.

Now if you were to measure the number of people who took an action like signing up for your email list or making a purchase, that would make sense. Take a look at what you are measuring and make sure it’s the right thing.

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Are Your Frontline Associates Killing Your Business?

You can’t be everywhere at once. That means you will have to depend on others to serve your customers. And that doesn’t always work out so great.

The customer experience is an important part of generating repeat business. A good experience with your staff means a customer will more than likely return again and again. A not so good experience means customers will likely look for an alternative.

Frontline associates — the person who actually touches the customer — are the interface between your company and your customers. You need to make sure that is functioning well. A good experience means bigger profits for you.

In his new book, The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business, customer relationship management expert, Richard R. Shapiro, founder and president of The Center For Client Retention, details how businesses like yours can improve their customer service — and boost their profits. Here are three tips he offers up to help you do just that.

1. Engage Customers.

Providing good customer service does not automatically result in repeat business; a relationship needs to be established. Relationships can be created by making an excellent first impression, by smiling and being friendly, letting the customer know the associate’s name even if it is on their badge, asking the customer for their name and having a dialog with a customer that communicates to them that the frontline associate sees them as a person first, a customer second. The retention journey must start with an engaged consumer, otherwise the business is focusing on today instead of leveraging the consumer encounter to generate business for tomorrow.

2. Express Customer & Associate Appreciation.

In most retail transactions, consumers feel that their business is not appreciated. Most frontline associates act robotically or indifferent. Even when they say the words “thank you”, the customer is left with an empty feeling. Expressing customer appreciation in a meaningful manner conveys that the customer’s business is welcomed, important and appreciated. Customers do not like to feel their business is being taken for granted and if it is, they will make their purchases at another establishment. Equally as important is having companies demonstrate the same appreciation to those associates who appreciate their customers. It’s a two-way street.

3. Provide Hassle-Free Experiences.

Too many companies have rules in place whereby customers feel it is a hassle to do business with them. Companies such as Zappos and Nordstrom have built their reputations on easy return policies. Companies should use the return process as a way to build or start a customer relationship, not to make the process so difficult for the customer that they make the decision never to return. Every company needs policies and procedures in place, but organizations should ensure that the policies not deter the customer from returning tomorrow.

See anything you can improve in your business? Here are 10 ways to provide the best customer service every day of the year. What other ideas do you have?

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