The Welcome Mat: Getting Customers to Like You

Back in "the day", there was an elderly salesman on our staff.  He used to love to tell stories when he went in to see customers--often the same stories over and over again.  It got so that, when he got out of his car and the customer saw him coming, they would head out the back door.  This is not recipe for success in sales.

What is the trick to being welcomed when you visit customers:  

Always have an agenda--know what you're going to talk about before you get there, and be prepared with the proper information.  OK, that gets you the appointment; what gets you welcomed back:

1.  Know your customer's interests and be prepared to talk about it for a minute or two.  (Sports is always a good way to start.)  Or you may want to bring up a good book that you've just read; or a good movie that you may have seen.  These are conversation openers.  But keep it short; respect your customer's time constraints.

2.  Know your customer's industry.  Understand what's going on in business news that affects your customer.  Have a handle on personnel changes in the business.  LinkedIn is a great source for this kind of information.  Get on LinkedIn and use it.

3.  Bring your customer a lead or an idea that he can use to enhance his business.

Make yourself a valued and welcomed vendor; learn the art of small talk:

whatever your profession, you are in sales.