Make the customer remember you Some books mention the importance of "image." So, as a novice salesperson, I followed the book's advice and dressed sharply, wearing a suit and tie to visit terminal customers, but it backfired. Later, through conversations with customers, I found the reason: Boss: "When you first came, you were all dressed up like a general manager, talking at length about your company and your products. Do you know what I was thinking then?" Salesperson: "What were you thinking?" Boss: "I thought you were crazy! I meet hundreds of salespeople like you every day, all saying the same things, and I'm already tired of hearing it. Besides, look at my store—it's busy all day. When do I have time to listen to your nonsense? You come in talking about your company and products without knowing a thing about me or my situation. Why would I bother listening? So, I just wanted you out so I could get back to business!" Salesperson: "Then why was your attitude better when I came again?" Boss: "Wasn't it because there were no customers then, and you helped me move the goods?" Hearing that, I suddenly woke up! He was absolutely right. Make the customer remember me? How? How can a customer remember you among the hundreds of salespeople they see? Later, I summarized a few points: 1. Dress cleanly and neatly If there is a uniform, wear it to make the customer feel you are professional and formal. Avoid wearing overly unique styles, as customers may find you unreliable. Also, don't dress like a general manager—that will immediately create distance between you and the customer, and they might even curse you behind your back after you leave. 2. Don't give long speeches A brief introduction is enough. Instead of rambling on and rushing to sell, take time to observe the customer's environment—use your eyes, remember details, and think! 3. Find opportunities to help the customer On the first visit, eliminating the sense of unfamiliarity is the top priority. The best way is not through words but through actions. In offline sales training, salespeople often ask me: How can we quickly get familiar with small store owners? What if we can't find topics to chat about? What scripts can quickly build trust? My answer is: Instead of talking nonsense, do something practical. If there's a chance, find something to help the customer with! Let the customer understand you 1. Personnel situation a/ Mom-and-pop stores The老板娘 (boss's wife): In mom-and-pop stores, the wife usually manages the money. If you build good relations with her, getting paid will be easy. Children: They are a window for emotional connection. Sometimes, complimenting the child or buying them an ice pop can instantly change the boss's attitude. Staff: The hardest to deal with in a dealership is often not the boss but the staff. Remember that! Because more work is executed by the staff. For example, when you go to collect payment, even if the boss agrees, if you have a bad relationship with the accountant, you might not get paid. If you have a bad relationship with the sales staff, even if the boss approves your product, they won't push it, and it won't sell. Eventually, you'll have to take it back to the factory, and you'll never get another chance. b/ Competitors You need to know who from competing companies has a good relationship with the boss. This isn't something you can figure out in one visit, but you must always keep it in mind, observe carefully, and ask and listen more. 2. Product situation a/ Competitive products You can see some issues with the products in the customer's environment with your eyes. When you visit a customer for the first time, they won't tell you much, so you must use your eyes. Write down what you see, and after returning, quickly find out more. If you are a frontline manager, ask your salespeople what competitors they saw. If they can't even name the competing products, you need to educate them! Recording competitors is for homework—to understand more about the situation so you have something to talk about on the next visit. Many people don't know what to say when meeting customers. Why? Because they don't understand. So, to what extent should you understand competitors?

  • Brand: Besides the products you see, also consider other products from the same manufacturer that the customer doesn't carry. Immediately ask yourself why the customer only carries this item and not others.
  • Price: Of course, not every customer gets the same purchase price. You should know the approximate market price and compare it with your own product's price. Remember, don't just look at price. Price is not the only factor!
  • Manufacturer: Also learn about the competitor's manufacturer from your company. Generally, small and medium customers don't know much about manufacturers, and they are eager to learn more. If you can share some inside information, that would be very valuable to them! (This is also a chance to show your boss that you are eager to learn and serious, haha) b/ Products related to your products You might ask: What's the use of knowing those? They have nothing to do with us; we don't sell them. Haha... That makes sense. But let me tell you a truth: any product the customer sells is related to your sales! For example, if you sell "Bull switches," but you learn about the "light bulbs" the customer sells. They seem unrelated, but they aren't. If you appropriately discuss products unrelated to yours with the customer, offer advice, and share your views, what will the customer think? He'll think: "This guy, unlike other manufacturers who only talk about their own products, actually cares about my other products and knows quite a bit. Interesting!" c/ In-store promotions and advertising Promotions and advertising help you understand what competitors are doing, but make sure it's accurate. Because many promotional materials are not updated promptly, and salespeople tend to be lazy. 3. Customer flow a/ Busy vs. quiet times When there are few customers, the boss naturally has more time to chat with you. When it's crowded, your visit is in vain—not noticing the situation is bad, but hindering their business is worse. b/ Main customer groups One of my former salespeople had been following a certain customer for a long time, and the relationship was good, but the customer never placed an order. So, I accompanied him on a visit. The customer was located on a university campus, and the copy paper was used by students to print review materials, with a profit of only a few cents per sheet, so the product grade was low. Because the salesperson didn't pay attention to the customer group, he kept pushing mid-range products, which not only failed to reduce costs but actually increased the purchase cost. No matter how good the relationship, it was useless. Many sales colleagues often overlook the customer group, leading to poor sales.

Let the customer trust you

  1. Sincerity The reason I put sincerity first is that many salespeople have scared customers. Before the purchase, everything is great; after payment, everything changes. So, a sincere salesperson is the foundation for customer recognition.
  2. Professionalism A good salesperson should be proficient in their professional field, understand all related knowledge, and have unique insights different from other peers.
  3. Consider the customer's interests Salespeople who only think about how much they can sell and how much commission they can get, regardless of whether the product suits the customer, will stuff it into the customer's warehouse. This is the most annoying behavior. There was a colleague who, to meet his quota, forced 200 boxes of copy paper on a customer who could only sell 50 boxes a month. Then, raw material prices suddenly dropped, causing huge losses for the customer. From then on, no one trusted him, and he and his products disappeared from the market!
  4. Learn to refuse You might find it strange—usually it's customers who refuse us. Refusing a business deal that comes to you? Are you crazy? Wrong! When a customer makes unreasonable demands, you must learn to refuse! Business is equal; both parties must benefit. There's no such thing as a one-sided deal. Also, refusing unreasonable requests is a sign of self-respect!
  5. Keep your word You must fulfill promises to customers. If you can't, say so clearly. Don't make empty promises. Customers remember every promise you make.
  6. Be loyal and compassionate Be loyal and compassionate to customers; don't be ungrateful. Within your principles, help whenever you can, and don't be petty. Also, when talking with customers, don't always talk business. Talk about family and emotions to build a bond beyond business. OK, if you want to quickly build trust with customers, do the above work seriously! -END- The best FMCG distributor learning platform in China Focusing on providing professional, practical, and actionable tutorials for distributors and enterprises Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get the corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent article selection | 002 Distributor market operations | 003 Terminal visit management | 004 Sales supervisor skills | 005 Sales improvement techniques | 006 Channel expansion | 007 Managing distributors | 008 Distributor development | 009 Distributor internal operations management | 010 Team management | 011 Efficient distribution techniques | 012 Sales manager's eighteen skills | 013 KA operation methods and strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brands | [Long press QR code to follow]