It is human nature to form an opinion about people the first time we see or hear them. Many of us have judged people by the way they talk or even by the way they answer the telephone. Your phone line is often the first point of contact for many potential customers. Think of it as the storefront for your showroom. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. The customer’s first “experience” means everything. Create a good first impression and the relationship can flourish and grow from there. Create a bad first experience and your relationship with that person can turn out to be a never-ending uphill battle. Let’s take a listen to a few situations.
Click on the sound files to hear the difference.
Would you do business with a store where the salesperson sounded like this?
That can be summed up in one word; rude. Customers would leave, write a bad review and never go back. It is vitally important that people feel welcome and important when they enter your storefront. If customers feel welcome they will stay longer and come back more often to shop. It is also important to build a rapport with people by paying attention to their needs.
What do you feel about the experience at this store?
Wow, talk about being pushy/sleazy. A pushy salesperson may end up getting a sale because the customers caved and just wanted to get out of the store quickly but in the end, if you don’t get an opportunity to look at the products you probably will end up not liking any of your purchases. Sometimes people just like to browse and then grab the salesperson when they are ready. There is nothing more uncomfortable than having a salesperson following you around every location in a store.
A professional welcoming greeting
Now, sit back and have a listen to this sound file.
That message defines friendly, informative and entertaining. Callers are quick to form an opinion and it is important to have them feel welcome right away. They need to feel that your door is always open and that you are more than happy to help them. A custom On-Hold message can create that pleasant atmosphere for you. A lot can happen in just 15 seconds. Your callers can decide to hang up or hang on to hear more about your business and what you have to offer. The right voice means everything in your On-Hold message. To hear clips of our voice talent visit our samples page. You decide what voice best fits your company image. You’ll be glad you did!
“Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” ~ Damon Richards