Forming a Great First Impression

Every Chef knows that how the food looks is as important as how it tastes.

LIkewise, you may be prepared to sell a service, but does your customer see preparation in your delivery? Or, does your customer see a wreck of a website or a nervous person sitting in front of them.

In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcom Gladwell confirms years of research into first impressions and then takes it one step further. He says our decisions occur much faster - instantaneously or in less than two seconds.

In Gladwell's research, he finds we do this whenever we meet a new person, or when we have to make sense of something quickly or encounter a novel situation. "Snap judgments are, first of all, enormously quick: they rely on the thinnest slices of experience. They are also unconscious."

When we meet a person, our primal instincts are hard at work trying to gauge if this person is a threat or not. We are unsure how to interact with them. We don't know their temperament and basically we want to figure out if they will hurt us or help us.

Our minds act with lightning speed, calling upon all of our senses during any first encounter. We listen to the timber and tone of the stranger's voice. Our eyes focus on movement and other non-verbal cues and our noses try to detect any foreign or threatening smells.

While our brains are busy sorting through all the input the other person's brain is doing the exact same thing. In the case of the web-based sale, emerging systems track customer movement and make recommendations to the administrator.

Although it sounds like a joke, that last sensory input (smell), may be the final frontier of the online experience. It's hard to imagine, but sooner or later, scent will become part of the online experience. I just hope it's not a two-way technology...

Learning About Commitment, the hard way

My first job out of college was with IBM. After training, I was assigned to small business (underscore) and office products. Our area was affectionately known around the office as the "THUMP' district: tattoos, hustlers, undercover, mob, pimps.

I could not imagine any of my potential clients on the south side of town using a typewriter for something remotely related to legitimate work. It was not an easy market.

Before getting THUMP'd, I had fantasies of casually selling $4 million computers to well-heeled executives while teeing off the 9th hole. Instead, I was trying to convince struggling business owners to buy a Selectric III typewriter or slap down $5,000+ to be the first on their block to own a personal computer.

I had some lean days. In fact, I had many, many lean days. After one of those days, my manager took me aside and spent an afternoon helping me understand how to turn my luck around.

"Russ, don't waste your talent with people who don't appreciate you, or spend another day with a company that looks like death eating a cracker." Don had a deep southern accent that flavored all of his down-home expressions. "Just thank them for their time, make a sale if you can, and then commit yourself to the next prospect who can appreciate what you have to offer."

He added another thought that meant the world to me.

"I'm committed to your success - that's why I hired you. Stop in anytime. I'll be glad to go over your progress anytime you want."

It was only later when I got back to my desk that I laughed out loud thinking about his "death eating a cracker" homily. In the end, I was successful, even in that crappy territory. Only much later in life did I realize the two important lessons he had shown me:

1. People respond when someone is truly committed to their success. Through his dedication to me, and my dedication to my territory (and not my products), I was able to create loyal customers who trusted me, regardless of where I worked or what I sold. Through commitment, we both gained success, and my manager gained my respect and lifelong appreciation.

2. We "sell" ourselves everyday, no matter what we do for work. Through our words, actions, and body language, we either invite others to participate with us to achieve great success, or push them away, causing us to work even harder to stay afloat.

Stop getting THUMP'd. Commit yourself to others, and to your customer's success.

A $5 success story

Food for thought... Why isn't every great idea that generates positive change an immediate success? What does it take for others to adopt a new behavior? When we see a successful project or person, do we appreciate the string of failures (or rejection) leading up to it?

In 2004, Stuart Frankel owned two small sandwich shops at a hospital. He came up with an idea to sell his sandwiches for $5 during off hours - $1 below corporate recommended pricing. Sales rose by double digits.

Frankel ceaselessly championed the idea to Subway's corporate leadership amid widespread skepticism and rejection (this wasn't created by corporate leaders…). The franchise board also rejected the idea (Too risky! Labor costs will explode! Profit margins will erode!)

But a few other franchise owners picked up on Frankel's idea and tried it for themselves in locations ranging from Washington to Chicago. The idea yielded positive results. Finally, three years later, the Subway board voted to support the idea.

Subway brought in its ad agency. A national campaign was launched on March 23, 2008. Sales shot up 25% on average. Within weeks, 3,600 videos of people performing the ad's jingle appeared on YouTube. Here's a short sample...

Copycat offers ultimately emerged. Boston Market offers 11 meals for $5. Domino's sells sandwiches for $4.99. KFC has $5 combo meals. T.G.I. Friday's now has $5 sandwiches. It's a $5 value menu explosion.

Meanwhile, back at Subway, the campaign represents $4 billion in additional sales. All this, from a frequently rejected idea created and championed ceaselessly by one man.

Engaged Customers Buy Experiences… and then buy again

Selling products effectively involves learning about customers, learning background information on the products, and then putting that information together to educate customers. What the staff says -- through words, tone of voice, body language and overall energy -- speaks volumes to the customer.

Let's start selling the experience, instead of just selling the products.

Selling The Moment, Tip No. 1: Prepare for Customer Challenges

To be an effective salesperson, pretend you are the customer. What challenges am I facing today? What items will I find in this store? What items will I avoid because I don't know how to use them? What items will I not find, and when are more expected to arrive? Have at least two specific products in mind when you're helping a customer who's looking for recommendations.

Selling The Moment, Tip No. 2: Engage your Customer

I follow Ritz Carlton's advice: "Always offer a warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest's name, if and when possible." In other words, extend yourself, ask questions. Get customers talking, and then actively listening to what they say. Hint: the opening line, "Can I help you?" almost always engenders the reply, "No, I'm just looking,"It's always much better is to ask open-ended questions. In addition to the words that come out of your mouth, you need to engage the customer with action. Come out from behind the case and stand facing with the guest so that you can look at products together.

Selling The Moment, Tip No. 3: Taste Drive Performances

Samples, low-risk demonstrations and hands-on workshops let a customer buy the experience, not the product. "I see you're here looking at olive oils. Would you like to try a slice of our olive loaf made with this very oil? Now, what questions can I answer for you about olive oils?" At worst, you've educated the customer about a product. At best, you've introduced them to a new favorite. When making suggestions, keep your tone of voice helpful and always follow the customer's lead. If they are responding positively to your suggestions, and want to play along, let them! If not, take a step back and ask more questions.

Selling The Moment, Tip No. 4: Be a Champion

Customers want confirmation that they made a good purchase (especially if it's a gift). One of the best ways to validate product selections by giving short but meaningful "testimonials." Stories and factoids provided during the initial interaction significantly increases the chances that they will purchase the product. "Mmmm. Pecan raisin bread. Did you know there's over half a pound of pecans and raisins in every loaf?" or "We import this olive oil direct from Italy, so it's an exclusive."