You want to meet and greet your customers properly so
they feel at ease,
they start liking you,
you start taking control of the process and move quickly to the next step.
What is your purpose in this step? Put your customers at ease so you can take control of the process and move them to the next step.
What am I trying to accomplish?
Make a good impression and put customers at ease.Why do I want to accomplish it?
So I can take control and move customers to the next step.How am I going to accomplish it?
By being dressed professionally, looking sharp, and having a great attitude.
Be prepared and be happy to meet and greet a new customer who is visiting your store. Smile!
You can win or lose customers within the first few seconds/minutes of meeting with them. If you smile and be genuinely happy to see them, your body language will reflect that and your odds of winning them over will dramatically improve.
This is a critical step where you are making a first impression and starting to sell yourself. I’m sure you heard the saying “You Never Get A Second Chance to Make a First Impression” before. Well, this may not be entirely true. Customers may give you another chance even if you don’t make a great first impression but why take a chance?
What are important points to keep in mind during this critical first step?
Have a check up from the neck up before meeting the customers:
- Check your attire.
- Pop a breath freshener if you need to.
- Do not carry anything in your hands.
Greet customers confidently with a smile.
Use a standard greeting that introduces you and your dealership: “Welcome to ________, I’m _____________, How are you today?”
It is typical to extend your hand for a handshake. Be mindful of their body language. Some people are not comfortable with people moving in their personal space. If you sense that, step back and give them a little space. Don’t make them uncomfortable.
Maintain eye contact while shaking hands or speaking with your customers.
If you are greeting a group with more than four people you may decide to greet them as a group without shaking hands with each customer. Make make sure to get everyone’s names and the relationships if possible.
It is important that you remember the names. Best way to do it is by using customers’ names during the conversation. People like hearing their names. Just don’t overdo it though.
After meeting and greeting, you need to know where you’d be headed with your customers. Ask them if they are here to see a specific car, model or if they just want to get some ideas. This is much better than asking them “How may I help you?” which is answered by “We are just looking.”
Asking what brought them into your store will help you take control of the process, get you a specific answer that will let you what part of the lot or the showroom you should start walking towards.
You should move quickly to the the Step 3: Getting to know