When visiting clients, if you run out of topics, how to build trust and close deals? Question:

Group member: Xiao Wu, Hubei, Market Development

I would like to thank Brother Yu for his guidance. I am currently working in market development, mainly scanning commercial streets, visiting stores, and discussing cooperation with owners. I have been doing this for three months. In the morning, when I visit stores, I don't know what to bring. Since the owners are usually busy, I just greet them, and it doesn't seem effective.

Sometimes I visit around closing time, but I don't know what to talk about or how to bring up topics that interest the owners. Sometimes there are awkward silences, and it feels embarrassing. Especially when they are idle, watching news or playing games on the computer, I stand there and can't find topics to interest them.

In some visits, some owners are very nice and polite, but I just don't know what to do.

Also, at work, I have many concerns when making phone calls and dare not call them. Can you help me overcome this fear? Thank you, Brother Yu, for your guidance.

Reply from Lan Xiaoyu:

Closing deals = thorough relationship building + interest-driven. To maintain good customer relations, you need to invest in personal connections, value-added services, and material aspects.

Step 1: Chat with clients and use McCue 66 to gather client information: Their eating and dressing habits, hobbies and schedules, what car they drive, where they live, where their children go to school, where they are from, their birthdays, entrepreneurial experiences, etc. Use this intelligence to build a categorized information database and create client profiles.

Step 2: Actions speak louder than words. Clients are human, and few people refuse the warmth of a friend. When visiting clients, don't rush to talk; bring them breakfast, snacks, and cleaned fruits. While they work or relax, help them make tea or tidy up a bit. Let clients feel your sincerity and dedication.

Step 3: Start conversations with caring topics like "Try this breakfast, it's delicious" or "You look busy, have a fruit (snack) and take a break." These are thoughtful topics that show you care.

Step 4: Blessing messages + value-added services. Based on client information, send customized blessing messages and value-added service messages. The most common is weekend blessing messages. Be consistent and send them at fixed times. Let the owner form a habit and a conditioned reflex. The more you show up, the more the owner remembers you.

You can collect case studies and experiences on store operations, promotions, marketing, management, and sales, print them into a booklet, and give them to owners. Talk to them about success stories in the industry and how to increase store sales. These owners will definitely be interested.

Don't worry, every owner knows why you are here. We need to blur the sales intention first and not rush to sell. If clients haven't accepted you or trusted you, even if you talk eloquently, it won't have any effect. Only when they want to talk to you, or when you talk about topics that interest them and help them make money, even a glass of water can lead to a day-long conversation.

Use the "Four Techniques for Thorough Relationship Building in Sales" to seriously build customer relationships and turn clients into your friends, buddies, and "brothers." When one day an owner starts to care about whether you are single and tries to set you up, or wants to recruit you to work for them, you have succeeded.

Source: Lan Xiaoyu The 3rd (CFIC) China FMCG + Internet Conference will be held in Chongqing in November 2017. The conference will closely focus on the theme "New Forces, New Ecology" and invite 1000+ distributors, 500+ brand owners, 200+ B2B platform founders, and 100+ investment and financing institutions to explore new chapters of cross-industry integration! Core topics of this conference:

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