Whether it’s a phone call from someone you know or a video chat with a familiar person, the cloistering of society has opened the door for real time communication. We all now need live acknowledgement that we are important enough to spend exclusive time with.
There has never been a better time to reach out to your customers and clients to just check in on them. Now is your chance to show them that you really do care for them as human beings and understand what they are going through. From a business standpoint, this is a great opportunity to bond with them and reinforce customer loyalty.
This is probably not a time for cold calls, but it is the perfect time for “warm” calls. Your customers will appreciate that you take the time to basically say, “Yes, you are my customer, but I wanted to check in, one person to another, to see how you are doing,” and that’s all! No sales pitch, just good vibes.
This simple real time message says, “We are all in this together. And I really do have your best interests at heart.” In other words, “I am a real human being, too!” That sentiment will go a long way to give them a reason to do business with you that is far beyond the features and benefits of what you offer from a mercantile standpoint.
As businesses scramble to go online, the ones we’ve seen that seem to be having the best results are the ones where the model is relationship selling. This model incorporates a few basic factors that are built upon and reinforced by real time interaction. A typical scenario may include a business that had walk-in customers before the shutdown. Then came the shutdown, but instead of ceasing business, they went to a personal sales representative model, using an ancient form of communication, the telephone.
At first the caller just calls and thanks the customer for their past business and introduces themselves as being the customer’s personal sales representative. They may also ask how often the customer would like a call. Surprisingly, many folks who are familiar with the business and have shopped there often say, “weekly.” Also, the caller ascertains the best time to call. The goal is to establish a relation of familiarity with the customer so the next time the representative calls the customer recognizes the caller.
The next call is all about keeping the customer in product and taking orders. It’s like a personal shopper devoted to one product, which may be yours! These businesses haven’t just gone online, they have incorporated personalized attention in real time. Telephone sales direct to consumers are much more compelling than sterile web sites or email campaigns that are blasted out indiscriminately. Telephone calls from a familiar person are customized specifically for the customer!
Of course, we are not advocating robocalls or spam here. The calls are made by your own people to customers who are already familiar with your products. And they are not made any time of the day. They are made at the convenience of your customers, at the intervals they specify, and by the same person they recognize.
We hope more businesses will discover the benefits of providing their customers with personalized attention during this crisis … and beyond!
