NYC customer service training

Sales Training: 15 Ways to Get and Keep Your Prospect's Attention in NYC NY


The following 15 rules help gain and keep your prospect's attention. By following these, you can easily get your prospect's focus shifted to you. People have limited attention spans and you need to capture their attention in a matter of seconds. Without grabbing their attention instantly, you will just be an interruption and therefore have no chance of making a sale. Once you grab their attention you must also be conscious of keeping it.

Sales Training Tips on How to Get and Keep a Prospect's Attention in NYC NY

  • 1 Keep up appearances.
    First impressions are made even before you say hello. When you need to make a good impression, it's important to look the part. Look like someone worth talking to – confident and appropriately-dressed as a person that is at the top of their game in their field.
  • 2 Don't begin with “I'm sorry”.
    Never apologize or backtrack, just get it done. An apology implies you're doing something wrong, and you don't want to give that impression.
  • 3 Ask questions that make your prospect say “yes”.
    Whatever the question is, related to your product or not, ask questions that will get an affirmative answer. Get your prospect in the habit of saying “yes”. Get those little yes answers early so they are comfortable with the word "yes" when you ask for the order. Each time they say "no" it is easier to say "no" when you ask the order so condition them to saying yes.
  • 4 Have a specific reason for calling or visiting.
    Don't say you just “happened upon” or “came across” your prospect's business. Even if that's what happened, give yourself a specific reason for calling.
  • 5 Keep your attention-getter short and to the point.
    Get their attention, then move on to the next point. Spending too long in the introduction stage will eventually lose the prospect's interest.
  • 6 Don't make anyone shake hands.
    If your prospect expects it, do it. Otherwise, don't force anything. People have different comfort levels with strangers if it is an unexpected meeting.
  • 7 Keep yourself fairly close to the prospect at all times.
    Don't get too close that it makes them uncomfortable, but keep yourself positioned near them. Remember to check your breath, wear deodorant, etc. of course. If you smoke or go from call to call in a hot climate where you get sweaty, these may be important considerations.
  • 8 Sit up straight.
    Don't slouch in your chair or otherwise make this meeting seem unimportant. Your body language should communicate both interest and confidence. If you don't look interested in them, why would they give their attention to you?
  • 9 Don't chew gum, eat, drink, etc.
    You should be able to speak clearly at all times. Eating and drinking at your station or desk when in front of a prospect communicates they are an interruption to you and thus minimizes the prospect's interest.
  • 10 Isolate the decision maker from distractions if possible.
    You're pitching your product the decision maker, not a group of them. It's much easier to sell to one person than convince many. Although by definition a group meeting has several people, it is common for it to still only have one key decision maker. Be aware of the influence others attending may have, but you still focus on closing the decision maker, not info-gatherers.
  • 11 Smile
    Smile naturally, it can be learned. It can make a world of difference in how the prospect sees you.
  • 12 Keep your opening simple.
    A nice sincere remark is much better than using all the tricks you know. Don't overwhelm the prospect out of the gate.
  • 13 Remember your prospect's name.
    Be sure you're pronouncing it correctly, and if you're not sure, ask. They will appreciate you taking the time to learn. And use their name from time to time, too.
  • 14 Don't use trite opening lines.
    If you think your prospect has heard it many times before, don't try it. Your prospect won't want to give you much more time after that. Unique and genuine capture and keep attention. A sales person with their own agenda only puts up a prospect's defenses and blocks their attention.
  • 15 Make the prospect want to talk to you and ask questions.
    You should try to arouse curiosity in your prospects. Keep them wanting you to explain more.

Mark Anthony presents sales training and customer service workshops. For more tips or information on training and one-on-one coaching, contact him at 888-973-5569.

  • Role playing activities emphasize the information and tailor every customer service method to suit your representatives individual personality and style.
  • Personal customer service training consultations match the training to results that calm challenging customers fast and meet customer needs.
  • Limited class size to ensure individual attention.
  • Applicable customer service methods for the New York marketplace.
NYC customer service workshops