Best Practice: Use customers’ name in a way that shows respect and begins to build rapport.
Rule Two: Always Shake Your Customers Hand.
For decades, salespeople have been taught to shake hands in order to connect and build trust and rapport with their customers. However, there are a number of situations where offering a handshake can create more tension than trust. There are cultures and religions in which handshaking is either forbidden or considered rude. If you are dealing with a multi-cultural customer base, learn all you can about the appropriate ways to greet and welcome them. For some people, the mere thought of having to shake hands creates a level of tension that can ruin the entire interaction. There are also individuals who avoid handshaking to protect their fragile immune systems, as well as healthy people who are afraid of germs that can be transmitted by a handshake.
- People:
- Dale Carnegie