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Lesson 3: Relationship
BuildingMama’s Subs
Relationship Building
• Mastering relationship building involves six steps: 1. Establishing rapport2. Interacting positively with customers3. Identifying customers’ needs4. Making the customer feel valued5. Maintaining ongoing relationships6. Handling different types of customers
Relationship Building
• By the end of this lesson you should know:• How to effectively establish rapport with
your customers • How to create and maintain positive
interactions with customers • How to identify what customer’s needs are• What you can do to make a customer feel
valuable • How to maintain ongoing relationships with
customers • How to handle different types of customers
Step 1: Establishing Rapport
• Establishing rapport begins the moment you start communication with your customers
• How you establish rapport depends on your customer interactions
• It also depends on who your customers are, what they expect from Mama’s Subs, and how Mama’s Subs can enhance customers’ lives
Establishing Rapport
• Be friendly• Treat customers with a warm, welcoming attitude• No matter who your customers are, everyone appreciates
someone who is friendly • When you smile and offer a friendly greeting, you put your
customers at ease• You show them from the start that you are approachable
and willing to help
• Be interested • Being interested means listening when customers respond
to you• It also means responding accordingly to what the customers
have to say• When listening to customers, think of ways to brighten up
their day; it is an effective way to show you are interested
Establishing Rapport
• Be considerate• Being considerate means showing kindly awareness or
regard for customers’ feelings• For example, if a customer is having a bad day, you
should respond to them by saying, “I’m sorry to hear you’re having a bad day. What can I do to make it better?”
• Even if you cannot personally understand or relate to what the customer is saying, you can be considerate in your response
• Be trustful• The best way to demonstrate that you can be trusted is
by being honest and ethical in everything that you do • Being trustful also includes treating people with dignity
and respect
Establishing Rapport
• Find common ground• When you listen to your customers’ statements and
responses, try to find something you have in common
• To a customer who is having a bad day, you might respond by saying: “I’m sorry to hear that you are having a bad day. I had one of those days yesterday.”• The customer will appreciate that you can relate to
their experience
• Even if you did not have a similar experience, you can find other ways to relate• Empathize with the customer, ask questions, show
interest
• Complimenting a customer on something they are wearing is also a good way to find common ground• E.g., “I like your watch, sir.”
Step 2: Interacting Positively with
Customers • Once you establish
rapport, continue building your relationships by interacting with your customers in a positive manner
• When you are positive and upbeat, customers will respond similarly
• At work, be the person that brings others up
Interacting Positively with Customers
• Be helpful• Show your customers that you care• Do something to make your customers feel good about
themselves • Set a personal goal to help someone every day• Even when a customer does not directly ask for help, if
they seem like they need assistance, offer it to them
• Be committed • When you commit yourself to your customers and to
Mama’s Subs, you will look for ways to make things better
• No matter what you do on your shift, strive to do your best
• Give your customers your all • Customers will respond positively to a hard worker
Interacting Positively with Customers
• Be a problem solver• Be part of the solution rather than the problem• Look for answers when customers have problems• Don’t merely focus on what is wrong, do something about it• People who focus on problems complain; people who focus
on solutions find ways to make things better
• Be credible • This means being knowledgeable about the products at
Mama’s Subs• Customers appreciate employees who are knowledgeable• Learn everything you can about the food and services we
offer here at Mama’s Subs• If you need additional knowledge, ask your manager for help
Interacting Positively with Customers
• Believe in your products • You need to believe in the food and services we
sell at Mama’s Subs• Otherwise, you will not come off as sincere
• Believing that our products will help improve the lives of our customers e.g., by helping a busy mother save time by purchasing quality food for their children) is crucial for doing the right thing for them
• It does not matter whether you make the subs, take the orders, or check customers out; truly believing in our products will help you promote yourself, the products, and Mama’s Subs in a positive and sincere manner
Step 3: Identifying Customers’ Needs
• Customers come into businesses for various reasons
• Sometimes they are not very clear about their needs
• When you deal with customers, your job is to uncover their needs
Identifying Customers’ Needs
• Ask questions• In lesson 2, you learned about open and closed
questions • For a review, click here to return to lesson 2:
http://www.slideshare.net/nikiwild3/lesson-2-effective-communication-33164675
• Use open questions to get the customer talking• Questions that begin with “what”, “why”, and
“how” encourage customers to talk
• Used closed questions to clarify answers to open questions • These include questions that begin with “who”,
“would”, “how”, and “where”
• Notice that “how” can be used for either open or closed questions
Identifying Customers’ Needs
• Summarize customers’ needs• After you have asked enough questions to determine a
customer’s needs, summarize your understanding of what they have told you
• Start your summarization with, “From what I understand…”• If your understanding is incorrect, ask more open and
closed questions until you get it right
• Recommend appropriate solutions• Make sure that your recommendations are based on what
the customer told you • Refer to things that the customer said when making
recommendations • EX: “Our lighter options at Mama’s Subs are perfect if
you’re trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. They are low calorie, low fat, and we use whole grain bread bread.”
Identifying Customers’ Needs
• Handle objections• This can be accomplished by using the
suggestions in lesson 2 about dealing with customers who say no
• Link to lesson 2: http://www.slideshare.net/nikiwild3/lesson-2-effective-communication-33164675
• Listen to their objection, acknowledge it, follow up with a question, consider the customer’s answer, and respond appropriately
Step 4: Making the Customer Feel
Valued • When you make customers feel valued,
you are on your way to building strong relationships
• At Mama’s Subs, we strive to make the customer feel important and valued
Making the Customer Feel Valued
• Go out of your way for customers • Do what you can to help customers • Try to give customers more than what they ask for • When a customer asks a questions, give them more than a one-
word answer • Help those customers who do not openly ask for help but need it• When you go out of your way for customers, they notice
• Validate customers’ decisions• No matter what type of sub, side item, drink, or deal the customer
decides on, validate their choice • For example, when a customer picks a certain sub, respond with
something like, “Good choice. That sub is one of my favorites.”
• Instill positive feelings • Never make a customer feel bad about their decision• Always encourage the customer and make them feel good about
their decisions
Step 6: Maintaining Ongoing Relationships
• Once you build strong relationships with customers, your work is not done
• In any relationship, you have to work to maintain it
• Customers come back a second, third, and fourth time because you established a relationship with them
Maintaining Ongoing Relationships
• Remember your customers • Nothing makes a customer feel more valued than
being remembered • Acknowledge your repeat customers by saying
something to show you remember them• EX: “Welcome back to Mama’s Subs, ma’am!”
• Customers who do repeat business at Mama’s Subs appreciate being recognized
• Learn customers’ names• When customers come into Mama’s Subs
repeatedly, make it a point to learn their names • Addressing the customer by their name will let
them know they are important to you and the restaurant
Maintaining Ongoing Relationships
• Remember something about your customers • Everyone appreciates an employee with a good
memory • It shows your customers that you value your
relationship with them• EX: “Hi, Mrs. Johnston! Hope everything’s going
well with your new house.”
• Learn your customer’s preferences • If you deal with customer’s repeatedly, get to know
what they like• If you have too many customers to remember each
ones’ tastes, you could start a card or computer file and note your customers’ preferences
Step 6: Handling Different
Types of Customers • Most of the
customers at Mama’s Subs will be average people with average needs
• Some customers, however, will test your skills and your patience
• In addition, you will have to interact with customers who are disabled or from a different ethnic background than you
Handling Different Types of Customers
• The pushy, obnoxious customer• Maintain a professional demeanor • Speak softly and control your voice inflection• Remain calm• Do not take their behavior personally
• The timid, indecisive customer• Help draw these customers out and get them to talk more• Ask open questions• Listen closely to their responses and guide them to give
you an answer about their decision• Be sensitive to these kinds of customers
• Help them feel more relaxed an comfortable • Do not be pushy or use a forceful tone
Handling Different Types of Customers
• The overly friendly, flirty customer• Keep your end of the conversation on business • These customers can be difficult to handle because they
do not see their behavior as inappropriate• It is up to you to control the conversation
• The culturally different customer• We live in a society that incorporates many cultures and
customs • Yet people often do not know how to talk or act in the
presence of a person with a different background• Displaying kindness, smiling, and being honest translate
across cultures• Try to make yourself aware of different cultures by
researching them
Handling Different Types of Customers
• People with disabilities • Treat them like you would anyone else • Make eye contact and speak in your
normal tone and pace of speech• As you continue with the customer, if
you notice that you need to slow down, speak up, or enunciate more, do so
• Treat them with the same dignity and respect you would anyone else
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