Dealing with customers

All sales are made through the sales conversations.

A sales conversation is different from an ordinary conversation because it has an objective, an aim, which is to sell the product, and so must follow a set pattern which always includes the same four elements in this order. These are rapport, questioning, pres­entation and commitment.

Rapport is the relationship which is built up with the custom­ers. They must feel at ease in the sales environment and confident that the enquiry will be dealt with properly and in an appropriate manner. Of course, rapport must be maintained throughout your dealing with the customers, right through the sale and into any subsequent dealings. However it must be established before ques­tioning can take place.

Why do we need to question the client? We need to establish the client's needs. We cannot sell a holiday if we do not know what type of holiday he wants. Sometimes clients will volunteer this information themselves, especially when they have already made their choice, have chosen the product they wish to purchase. But in a real sale your first task is to find out exactly what they are looking for and the best way to do this is to question effec­tively.

There are two types of questions: open and closed questions. The closed question is the one that invites a 'no¹ or 'yes' response. An open question is one that cannot be answered with 'no' or 'yes'. For instance: 'Do you prefer to travel first class?' is a closed ques­tion, whereas 'What kind of travel do you prefer?' is an open ques­tion. There are times when you will need to use closed questions, especially when you are checking information, but in the begin­ning you will find open questions much more effective. It forces respondents to give more information, to explain more fully what they require. In this way you are able to elicit what they really want to buy. An open question always begins with one of the seven W-words - so-called because they all contain the letter W: when, where, who, how, which, what and why.

To be able to sell your product you need to be able to establish what their material and human needs are. You'll discover the ma­terial needs by asking such questions as 'Who will be travelling?', 'How long for?', 'When do you want to go?' Human needs are ca­tered for with 'what' questions: 'What sort of holiday do you want?', 'What are your hobbies? Human needs as well as material needs must be part of your investigation before you suggest a holiday. Otherwise you will not have the whole picture and will not be able to make a sensible suggestion.

You must also establish the client's priorities. Everyone con­siders one part of their travel requirement to be the most impor­tant. These fall into four main types: people and their requirements, the place, the price and the period.

Concerning price: of course it is often difficult to talk about money. But everyone tries to keep within a budget and wants to feel that they are getting good value for their money. It's unwise to guess from a person's appearance his financial standing. That's why it is advisable to use questions such as 'What type of accom­modation are you looking for? and 'What price range do you have in mind?'

You will not need to ask the question 'why' unless you feel that it is necessary to persuade the clients to change their views as to the suitability of a resort or holiday. Before beginning the pre­sentation stage you should always check the information and summarize the facts, then present the holiday you wish to sell. Remember that when presenting the product, the particular holi­day that the client is not buying the hotel bedroom but what it can do for him. For instance, the client who buys a two-week holiday in a hotel in Yalta is not buying the hotel bedroom so he can ad­mire the wallpaper but because it is near the beach, it has the fa­cilities he needs to help him relax for two weeks.

So match the client's needs with the holiday on offer, and con­centrate on the features of the facilities which the client requires. You may choose to show the client a hotel which has a whole host of facilities but do not draw his attention to all of them. It will only confuse. Instead, concentrate on those that will appeal to the cli­ent, those that you know he wants or would like. In order to make product sound attractive and appealing, ideally suited to his needs, be selective. If you include unnecessary information he may feel that this holiday is not suitable for him after all. So present the features in the brochure as benefits. A feature of a hotel is that it is only 200 meters from the beach, while a benefit to the client is the fact that he can get to the beach easily as it is only 200 meters away. By personalizing the product in this way you create a desire in the client to buy the product. It is not sufficient just to read out the facilities that the client requires out of the brochure. However it should be referred to. But do not read it out to the client; rather talk about the benefits to them as you point to photos of the hotel, the price chart, the temperature grids. Use it as an aid.

Then once the client shows signs of commitment, or desiring to buy, you should stop selling and close the sale. Remember that once the client agrees to the sale he is showing commitment.

There are some of the ways that travel agency can persuade the general public to have confidence in it and to use its services.

Let's look first at staff appearance. It is important that all staff j are well groomed; that their hair is neat and tidy, shoes cleaned and well polished, their uniform pressed. If a travel agent looks pleasant and professional, people will be more willing to approach him and ask for help. Many customers decide to come in on the off-chance because they have looked in the window and are impressed by what they have seen inside the shop.

Once they do approach the travel agent the way he reacts is also very important. It is not necessary what he says but how he looks, it's what is called body language. Our facial expression, the way we use our hands, our body to convey what we really feel. So a travel agent has to try to maintain good eye contact with his cli­ent. This shows that he is listening. If he looks away clients will think the travel agent is no longer paying attention to them. So he needs to lean forward a little as this also shows he is concentrating on what is being said. He doesn't have to lean back as this shows he is uninterested. And he has to try not to fidget, as it can be very irritating.

However, when a customer first walks into the agency he has to be given some personal space. If you include unnecessary informa­tion they may feel that this holiday is not suitable for them after all. Then the travel agent has to give the client his full attention.

Imagine you are a travel agent. Then you should remember the following. In order for the customer to feel that you and the firm are efficient and reliable, listen carefully, and if possible take notes so you can refer back to them later. Maintain a professional man­ner throughout: that is, remember that everything that client tells you is in confidence. Never talk about one client in front of others. He also expects you to be loyal to your company. So never blame anyone else for an error, always give accurate information. If you are not sure of any of your facts, check them! Don't be afraid to admit if you don't know something but show that you are able to find out what is required. If you promise to find information, give it to the client at a later date, having told him when you intend to do so. And above all, remember that a client will remember the person, or the company, that not only does a good job, but who does something more than expected.

Task 4. Look through the text and find the English equivalents for: