How to Build Customer Relationships that Last
What makes a sales person good at their job? Some might say they have a high close rate. Others might say a good sales person knows how to reel in big customers. Yet others might say a good sales person can “sell ice to Eskimos,” meaning they can persuade customers to buy things even when they don’t need them.
The truth is that none of these things define a good salesperson. Rather, a good salesperson is defined by the health and length of the relationships they develop.
Whether it’s car sales, after market sales, or service, a good sales person is going to work to build a relationship with a customer rather than simply sell them something. In other words: A good salesperson knows that relationships mater to the long-term health of the business. When a customer has a relationship with a business, they will buy from that business over and over again.
If you’re striving to develop a best-in-class salesforce, building relationships need to be a top priority. Here are a few tips to help you build relationships that last.
Treat Customers Like Humans
Customers, like anyone else, want to be treated like real human beings and not just a number. They want salespeople to listen to their needs, and they want those needs addressed. In other words, they want personalized attention rather than cookie-cutter services.
While this might seem obvious, it doesn’t always come across naturally when engaging customers. For example, a salesperson should be regularly communicating with prospects and customers with personalized messaging. Not just when trying to close a sale, but after the sale and at other times throughout the year.
Focus on Engagement
In marketing and sales, a lot of emphasis is placed on developing and closing leads. But oftentimes, those leads need to be nurtured before actually converting to a paying customer.
Lead nurturing is a form of moving potential buyers through the sales process. Generally speaking, those steps are:
1. Awareness
2. Interest
3. Intent
4. Consideration
5. Decision
By the time a customer comes to a salesperson, though, they’re likely already at least at step 2 or 3. That not only means a salesperson needs to work quickly to build rapport, but also that they need to focus on engaging the customer. That includes measuring things like responses to messages (text or email), but also engagement with social media and video.
Create an Experience They’ll Remember
People always remember how you make them feel, and creating a warm, welcoming experience will go a long way to help customer remember your dealership. In today’s fast-paced world where customers have access to more information than ever before, it’s essential to create memorable experiences both in the showroom and online.
Creating personalized videos is a key method for creating an experience they won’t forget. Delivered right to their phone or inbox, personalized videos can make the customer feel listened to and will ultimately build trust that the customer is shopping at the right place.
Want to learn more about how video can help you build long-lasting customer relationships? We can help! Schedule a demo with one of our video specialists to see how VentaVid can help you grow your business, one relationship at a time.
