The Best Sales Greeting
Shawn Casemore
Keynote Speaker, Sales Kickoff Speaker, Sales Training, Sales Coaching. ?? Enabling B2B Sales Leaders and Sales Teams to Achieve Unstoppable Sales?. ??Author of The Unstoppable Sales Machine.??
If I had a nickel for every sales greeting I’ve encountered, I’d be rich.
The car salesperson who interrogates me with pre-scripted questions, without ever listening to my answers.
The realtor who offers a clammy, limp handshake and a forced smile.
The furniture salesperson who, after running across the store to meet me, asks “so, what brought you in today?”
These are all pathetic examples of a greeting, particularly a new prospect.
Studies have shown that you have seven seconds to make a first impression, after which you’ll be judged by the other person.
After this, you have an additional five minutes to convince them that you are the person they want to buy from.
So, in the first five minutes and seven seconds, you’ll either secure the opportunity to sell your prospect something, or not.
Every greeting you make in sales needs to include four steps, all designed to pique interest, engage the prospect in a discussion, and learn the specifics of what they need.
Shawn’s Four-Step Power Sales Greeting
1. Use a Focused Smile:
A smile is a universally accepted greeting. When you smile, not only do you welcome the other person but your voice and demeanour shifts. Look the person in the eyes (or stare into the green light on your virtual camera) and smile.
2. Introduce Yourself:
The very first step you take in any encounter with a prospect is to introduce yourself. Keep this simple – “Hello, my name is ____.” That’s it. Don’t skip this step, or it can create immediate barrier to moving the conversation forward.
3. Personalize Your Greeting:
领英推荐
Immediately take control of the conversation and let the prospect know you are interested in them. Don’t welcome them to your store or location, as it’s impersonal. Instead, use a phrase like “Nice to meet you,” or “Pleasure to meet you.”
4. Be of Service:
Once you’ve greeted the other person, be genuinely curious and ask how you may be of assistance. This isn’t the time to dive into your sales pitch or drone on about the weather. Some examples include “How may I help you today?” or “Is there something I can help you with?”
From this point a greeting can take many directions.
The prospect may ask for your help, or they may suggest they don’t need any help.
Congratulations! You’ve now positioned yourself to begin to build rapport and be of service, which is the first step in selling anything to a new prospect.
Best,
Shawn
P.S. Visit the store on my website to get even more sales resources and tools. You can check it out here.
Email your sales questions to: [email protected]