Communication with clients | Alliance of Free Entrepreneurs

All company employees, from the cleaner to the director, communicate with clients to one degree or another. And each of them forms an idea of the company. Personnel must know the basic rules and principles of communication with clients, follow ethics and master the basics of communication psychology. This is especially true in sales, where work is based on communication with clients. Of course, the quality of a product, product or service is very important, but some shortcomings can be smoothed out with the help of well-structured communication. A satisfied client will come back to you again or recommend you to his friends and acquaintances. Proper communication with customers is one of the factors for business success. In this material we will consider the main aspects of the process of communication with clients.

Psychology of communication with clients

Sales communication with clients is the main tool for attracting buyers. To properly structure the negotiation process, sellers need not only to be sociable, but also to master the basics of communication psychology.

The first impression is of great importance: further interaction directly depends on it. At the first meeting, a company employee forms an opinion not only about himself, but also creates an image of the company as a whole. Improper behavior can frighten the buyer and the company will lose profits. Therefore, you should approach each meeting responsibly and prepare.

The following tips will help you conduct successful negotiations:

Before the meeting, clearly formulate your proposal. Try to anticipate the client's possible questions so you can be prepared to answer them.

Evaluate your appearance: it should be neat and tidy, and if the company has a dress code, then comply with it.

When you meet, look your interlocutor in the eyes, offer your hand first and greet weakly, then introduce yourself first.

Do not violate a person’s personal space, keep a distance of about a meter.

Friendliness and respect for your comfort zone will put your interlocutor in a positive mood. After this, you can start a conversation.

Find out what a sales funnel is and why your business needs it

Psychological techniques for first contact

Smile

We have already stopped at this point. Smile more often, smile sincerely - your mood will involuntarily infect the client and set him in a positive mood.

“We are a statement”

“She replaced the empty “you” with a heartfelt “you” - these words of Pushkin were about love. But replace “you” with the word “we”, and replace “by letting slip” with “consciously” - and we’ll get a ready-made psychological trick. Use the phrases “you and me”, “your product”, “in our case”, and so on more actively. Let the person feel involved in your company, realize his contribution to its development, and most importantly, feel a commonality of views and interests. You are no longer just a seller and a buyer, you are partners and equal allies, driven by one goal: to provide and buy a quality service.

Intonation

Study our article about emotional marketing - it tells in detail what consumer emotions marketers play on and for what purposes. If you press on the feeling of fear (buy an anti-aging cream if you don’t want to become old and wrinkled) - talk with one intonation. If it's positive emotions - pride, for example (I was the first to have this smartphone, I'm cooler than others!) - on the other.

We recommend studying books and watching videos on voice control. This will be useful to you not only in telephone conversations, but also during public speaking. Timbre, intonation, pace of speech - all this is important. Even when you speak with a client not in person, but over the phone, voice signals are perfectly read by your interlocutor.

Personal conversations

It is clear that you will not chat with a stranger about secret things. But if you structure the conversation in such a way that the client opens up a little and tells you more about himself, this will give you an additional trump card. This could be a story about a hobby, family, or work characteristics. The main thing is not to limit yourself to standard phrases, make it clear that you fully support and understand your interlocutor .

Mirroring

This method of making first contact works best during a personal conversation. You see your interlocutor and simply copy his posture and gestures. For example, he straightened his hair - you do the same. Smiled - smile back. This is how you send a nonverbal signal to the person: look, I agree with you, I think and do the same as you. This trick really works. If a person is not very keen on making a deal or purchase, he moves away and you feel it - start mirroring. As soon as you understand that the client has relaxed, move on to the next question. And if he, in turn, starts mirroring you, that means the test has been passed and contact has been successfully established.

All this can be done during a telephone conversation or a conversation on Skype. Adapt to the pace of the client’s speech, the speed and intonation of his voice, remember his words and expressions and use them in conversation. The main thing is to show that you and your interlocutor are on the same wavelength.

Ethics of communication with clients

A polite and respectful attitude during communication is always pleasant, so the ethics of business communication with a client becomes an important assistant in building a productive conversation.

Politeness is the main component of ethics. It must be demonstrated not only through words, but also through tone of voice, manners, and actions.

It is also extremely important to show respect to the interlocutor: monitor intonation, listen carefully, show interest, answer all questions. Under no circumstances should you interrupt, be distracted, put pressure on, or insist on making a decision right now.

The conversation should be relaxed, the information should be understandable. The interlocutor needs to be given time to think. The main thing is moderation in everything.

A few more tips

Communicate as equals

Do not curry favor with the client, do not fawn - he should feel not like the king of the Universe, but your equal partner . You will have to learn this - especially if you are not a manager, but an ordinary employee. The client must respect you and value your opinion. To do this, you will have to prove yourself to be an excellent expert and show that you really understand the subject of the conversation.

Give compliments

Do you think these are mutually exclusive paragraphs? But no. We do not encourage you to use rude flattery - the standard phrases “You have good taste,” “You have an impressive portfolio on your website,” and so on are quite enough. The person will be pleased, and you will reduce the distance with the client and win him over.

Chat on unrelated topics

For example, about events in the world . Or the market situation in the area your client represents . Or about news from the same sphere - those that he knows for sure. Such conversations will quickly move you from the rank of a talking head to a full-fledged partner who understands the situation and is ready to give expert advice.

Mention an expert

A real expert in the field of sales or a person whom your interlocutor knows for sure. For example, the president. Or the head of a federal company. There is a risk, of course, that it is with this expert that your counterpart has a personal score - then a reference to him will be inappropriate and will only cause irritation. Correct the situation immediately by changing the tone and direction of the conversation.

Refer to a quote from a great man

Your interlocutor definitely has no personal accounts with Socrates, Newton or Pushkin. People love quotes - it brings them closer to the great and seems to give them a piece of wisdom. Stock up on such sayings for all occasions and use them in conversation. Don’t take too hackneyed quotes - it’s better to include something similar and not hackneyed. This will earn you the reputation of being a skilled communicator and earning the respect of your client.

And most importantly: remember that making contact for the first time is not everything. Customers need to be tamed and attracted so that they become permanent . One client for life is better than a dozen one-time ones. Good luck in business!

Rules and principles of communication with the client

There are basic rules that should be followed in communication, regardless of the company’s field of activity:

Show an individual approach, focus on the client’s needs. The buyer should feel cared for, a desire to help, and not just sell.

Speak to the client in a language that he understands so that the interlocutor does not doubt his competence. The ability to speak correctly with clients will save time on explaining terms, and thereby allow you to talk more about the benefits of the offer.

Maintain a businesslike nature of communication: do not be late for meetings, answer calls and letters in a timely manner, take work issues and requests seriously.

Maintain an impeccable appearance not only at the first meeting.

The principle “the customer is always right” is a very reasonable one, but you need to remember that there are exceptions to every rule. It is better to refuse manipulative clients, because they will not only waste your time and nerves, but can also damage your reputation.

First conversation algorithm

In general, every large company writes scripts for this case . We also advise you to adopt this step-by-step algorithm and teach it to your managers. It doesn’t matter what form this dialogue will take - by phone, chat or in person.

Step 1. Tune in to the conversation

In a personal meeting, it’s simple: psychologically tune in to the conversation, smile, take an open pose (no crossed arms, no clamped limbs). This will subconsciously endear the client to you. A smile, by the way, works even during a telephone conversation. It has been verified that if you simply stretch your lips, even without feeling particularly positive, the brain reads this signal and begins to truly rejoice. And a person who smiles involuntarily conveys his mood to his interlocutor. And when two people are positive, the conversation will be easier and more friendly.

Step 2. Say hello and introduce yourself

The first phrase in a conversation is greeting. Many companies have greeting standards, for example: “Pearl Dentistry, Anna, I’m listening to you.” Such phrases fly out automatically from employees: we bet anything that administrator Anna answers personal calls in the same way on her legal day off.

In principle, this is the correct approach: the name of the company is spoken out so that the person is exactly sure where he ended up . A simple “Hello” or “Yes” forces a person to ask again: is this dentistry? Is this such and such a store? This wastes the time of both the caller and the company’s employees. The name of the employee must also be mentioned: for many clients it is easier to contact a specific Anna, rather than a faceless “girl”. This approach humanizes the employee and adds customer loyalty. Refusing a specific Anna and not making an order is also more difficult than sending the nameless employee at the other end of the line to hell.

The same thing works in the opposite direction. Ask what the client's name is, and henceforth call him that way. For example, if a client doesn’t give his middle name, you don’t have to ask, it means he’s used to it this way and not any other way. And vice versa: if you present yourself in full, meet his expectations.

Step 3. Ask a question

After introducing yourself, ask the key dialogue question. Don't be shy: after all, the person called or texted you first. So he needs something. The question is what? Find out this. The scripts can contain several answer options: “Are you looking for a specific product?”, “What did you want?”, “How did you find out about us?” and so on. Avoid neutral questions (“How can I help you?” - everyone has long been tired of this) and questions that can be answered with the word “no” (“Can I help you?”). The best questions are those that cannot be answered in monosyllables. For example, the question “How did you hear about us?” motivates the caller or writer to give a detailed answer. Let him speak - you can catch on to the thread and pull it further. Word for word - and the conversation will begin.

Step 4. Get the person interested

It’s like a sales funnel: at the first stages, a person doesn’t know what kind of company you have, then he begins to become interested and distinguish you from your competitors, then make a choice in your favor. You are in stage one. You need to tell him why he should choose you. Roughly speaking, what is your unique selling proposition? How are you better than others? What benefit can you bring to a person, what is his personal benefit?

Everyone has their own USP. You can offer really low prices, perfect service, free shipping, free estimates and measurements - you never know! also offer to send useful materials: articles, courses, instructions - all this in exchange for the client leaving contact information (this applies more to online dialogues). In the end, if you feel that the client is hooked and is about to place an order, offer him a discount - it should work!

If you work with b2b clients, or “business to business”, it is advisable to quickly dig up at least minimal information about the client. Yes, just like this: at the same time you communicate and enter the name of the client’s company into the search engine . A minimum of actions will give you maximum information: you will impress the client with knowledge about the specifics of his company. It's flattering, it's nice. This will give you a significant advantage compared to other competitors.

Step 5. Listen to the person

Your monologue about the best company in the world or the best product in the world is of no interest to anyone. People love to talk about themselves. Let the client speak: if he is ready to tell, listen carefully, if not, ask leading questions, push for answers. In particularly difficult cases, use the rule of three yeses: if a person has already answered yes to two of your questions, there is a high probability that he will answer yes to the third. And the third, as you may have guessed, will be a direct selling question. Whoosh - the deal is completed, and the client is in the bag.

Step 6. Offer a ready-made solution

And only now you have brought the client to the final stage of the sales funnel. Now he knows who you are, how you can be useful to him, and is ready to make a decision to purchase a product or service. Press him - tell him about profitable discounts and promotions, polish the impression with a story about well-known companies that use your services, tell him more about the advantages. And, of course, offer a ready-made solution that is most suitable for the client . That's it, he's yours.

Standards of communication with the client

Rudeness or improper behavior of staff can be costly for a business owner: it can affect profits or damage their reputation. To avoid this, many companies are developing and implementing customer communication standards that help employees avoid unpleasant situations and be as customer-oriented as possible. Standards are a set of rules and prohibitions that must be followed, as well as communication scripts. This is most relevant for sales managers, call centers, large companies, where it is impossible to control every employee, and the interaction of departments must be clear.

High-quality communication with clients is the basis of any company’s work and the key to high earnings for employees. It is necessary to maneuver between the interests of the client and the company. You need to speak the same language with the client, but not stoop to his level if the client swears or is rude. Just being a sociable person is not enough. These skills need to be learned and honed. The ethics and psychology of communication with the client will come to the rescue, which will allow you to create a good first impression and win over your interlocutor. By following the basic rules of communication with a client, you can build a productive business conversation and achieve your goals.

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Why is the first conversation so important?

Well, look: a client who makes purchases or contacts a company for services not for the first time, whatever one may say, is more loyal. He can forgive the manager for ignorance of organizational issues, turn a blind eye to the lack of goods in the warehouse, and so on. And all because he is confident that this company will serve him well and efficiently.

But if a client contacts you for the first time , he doesn’t know any of this. He doesn’t trust you yet, doesn’t know the name of the manager who constantly works with him - he just found your phone number and website in a search or came from another advertising channel. This means you need to win his trust. How?

How to resist arrogance and rudeness

Unfortunately, the culture of our society is not as high as we would like. Working in the service sector, you will often encounter arrogance, rudeness, inappropriate behavior, and sometimes aggression. First you need to learn to take this for granted and stop being surprised by this behavior. This will give you the opportunity to learn to demonstrate to your interlocutor that you are not affected by his behavior. The roots of rudeness and arrogance go back to a person’s childhood and upbringing; it is impossible to change his behavior pattern. The most correct behavior would be to demonstrate that this behavior does not work with you and that the person himself will reorganize the dialogue with you in a constructive manner. How to do it? There are several options that can be used depending on the situation.

If you are approached in a rude manner, you may not notice or ignore the request. In general, a policy of completely ignoring inappropriate behavior can often help;
You can quickly ask a rhetorical question. The goal is to unsettle the manipulator, make him think and thereby seize the initiative;
Laugh it off. Often a boor does not expect you to laugh, he expects your resentment and anger. Hearing laughter, he is lost;
Astonishment. You can show your disappointment in the person as an interlocutor. Try to shame him by saying a general phrase like “yes, I see the language of Chekhov and Dostoevsky died a long time ago.” I’ll say right away that this tactic will only work if you are being rude not out of malice (this also happens), this trick will not work with boors, manipulators and insolent people.

Development and implementation of service standards

There is no generally accepted approach or methodology for developing customer service standards, nor is there a specific role in the company that should do it. As a rule, standards are developed by marketing, sales or management departments.

When developing and adjusting customer service standards, it is necessary to respect the interests of several parties simultaneously:

companies - service standards must primarily ensure profit;
clients - the service and all related services must meet his expectations;
employees - they will have to comply with the developed standards every day.

It’s worth starting the development by identifying customers’ ideas about quality service. You can talk to employees, conduct surveys or individual interviews with clients, and compare yourself with competitors. It would be good if at this stage service bottlenecks are identified and eliminated.

When developing a standard, it is worth going through the entire process of working with the client in his “skin” - signing or renewing the contract, receiving an appeal by phone or other communication channel, working on the appeal and closing the application. Each step must be described formally, highlighting the important features of the service. And you shouldn’t rely on the experience of your best employees for everything. Despite their high performance, they may well make mistakes. It's better to focus on what the ideal service for your customers should look like.

General rules for all stages of service or a detailed description of each of them are formulated in the form of an internal document and approved by the manager. But before it becomes the main reference for customer service, it is worth allocating time and resources for its implementation - training staff in new work methods, reinforcing behavior patterns.

And remember, customer service standards can and should evolve with the company.

First contact with the client: step-by-step conversation algorithm and useful tips