Share Your HEART

In sales, it’s VITAL to get to the emotion. People buy on emotion and justify on logic. You must tug at their heartstrings to appeal to their emotions. How do you do that? YOU have to have a heart. The heart is an acronym that I recently developed while getting ready to present on a cruise ship conference. H.E.A.R.T. stands for Hugs, Emotion, Attitude, Reality, and Thoughts. Let’s explore each of these a bit deeper.

Hugs

A mentor of mine in his keynote address well over twenty years ago proudly stated that he hugs his clients. He was laughed at back then. You might be thinking “that’s crazy”, but it wasn’t crazy for him. A hug is an embrace…and it doesn’t have to be a physical one. How else can you provide that warm fuzzy feeling (the hug) to your clients prior to their transaction or interaction with your business? Here are 3 quick ways to do just that (even before meeting with them)

1. Send them a quick note or article relating to something they mentioned in your first contact with them.
2. Have a meeting confirmation email sent reminding them of the meeting and add a funny saying to the end to draw a smile.  
3. Have an office? Write their names on a small chalkboard sign to greet them as they arrive. Don’t have an office but meeting at a Starbucks or a Panera? Arrive early and be sure to have their favorite drink waiting for them (ask ahead of time so you can prep) It’s the little things that can make a BIG impression.

Emotion

In sales, it’s VITAL to get to the emotion. Emotion is what most sales are based off of. People buy on emotion and justify with logic. You must tug at their heartstrings to appeal to their emotions. How do you do that? YOU have to have a heart.

Let’s look at a typical sales scenario. Most salespeople ask questions that are WAY too generic. Most customers then respond in a general way because they really don’t trust the salesperson yet. The dance continues until one party is upset and no one really gets what they want. How do we solve this? Build rapport and GET SPECIFIC. Drilling down to the heart of the emotion will help you connect on a deeper level and will put you closer down the road to the sale.

Attitude

Your attitude can make or break the sale. Period. It’s important that you approach each client the same way…even-keeled. Think like a quarterback. Quarterbacks in the NFL have to completely disregard the last touchdown drive they led or the last interception they threw because those results don’t matter. All that matters is the here and now for them. It’s the same with your client. You can’t be thinking about the fact that you haven’t booked anything in a while or come in overconfident because you’ve just gone 4 for 4 in bookings recently. Have an attitude of gratitude. The worst-case scenario: you got a chance to practice connecting with someone new and hopefully made a new friend or someone who now better understands what’s available to them. Best case scenario: You get the sale, they scratch one more item off their to-done list and you get to “wow” their friends and family at their event.

Reality

Kenny Chesney said it best “Reality, yeah, sometimes life ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be. So let’s take a chance and live this fantasy. ‘Cause everybody needs to break free from reality.” OK so maybe I’m in a bit of the island spirit here right now but this is a truth in mundane, everyday life as well. Reality can sometimes SAP our creativity. Creativity is at the heart of the “E” (Emotion) in the HEART acronym. You MUST approach every sales situation with a bit of creativity and not let reality get you down. Yes, sometimes you need to bring your clients back down to earth (read: champagne taste and beer budget). It’s important to know HOW to do this effectively. How do you do this? You accomplish this by really getting to the HEART of what they need. Is their REALITY that they NEED what you provide with your product or service, or maybe not?

Maybe their REALITY is they need to be brought into the purchase they are about to make. This is where you as a salesperson come in. You need to not only walk them through each part of the transaction and how you will handle it, taking away their fears and solving their problem.

Thoughts

The key in sharing your thoughts is to do it in a way that benefits your client. How can you shine? How can you put a smile on their face? Let’s look at 3 ways before, during and after the sale.

Before the sale: After your meeting, send them a small thank you card with a personalized note based upon something that was said in the meeting. The card will stand out and the personalization will create the “WOW” factor, showing that you are thoughtful because you cared enough to take the time to say “thank you”

During the sale: Send monthly checklists or updates pertaining to what they purchased or how they are using your service. This will show you as the expert in the marketplace and also put your name on the tip of their tongue when their friends ask about your product or service. It also provides VALUE and shows you are thoughtful by being the resource for them.

After the sale: Always be THOUGHTFULL. Provide tips on how to better their experience. Become an expert on everything about your business and any other problems can you help solve for them. Another way of being thoughtful is being full of thoughts that can help your customer in ways they may have never thought of.

Final Thought:  How do you share your HEART? Don’t jump into a canned pitch. Don’t think about you. Find out how you can help them. What do they want more than anything else? What’s stressing them out? Find common ground and connect with them. How do you find common ground? Ask them: Where are you from? Not where do you live? BIG difference. Where are you from conjures up images of family…of sentimental moments from their childhood which (more often than not) they wish they could go back to. Connect with them FIRST. Then find out how you can help them. Share your passion. Share your HEART.