Remembering your customer’s name is the key to boosting sales

Cheers was a popular 1980s TV show and if you play a rerun you will see Sam, the bartender and his staff greet every customer by their name. Ask your salespeople: “How many repeat customers can they remember and greet them by their name?”

However, before you do, I recommend asking yourself that question. The following story shows proof that remembering customers names can greatly increase your business, and keep increasing it by gaining more repeat customers. All of this without costing one pence!

Billy Moe was a Maitre de at Trader Vics an upscale Polynesian restaurant here in Portland, Oregon and also in London. He greeted repeat customers with a smile and their name. Executives brought their dinner guests there to hear Billy greet them with: “Great to see you Mr. Johnson, I have an excellent table for you and your guests.”

Think how that made Johnson feel and the impression it made on his guests. Couples would bring their friends and men brought their girlfriends because “everyone wants to go where they remember your name.”

After several years Billy left to open his own restaurant and with great success. Trader Vic’s business fell off immediately. The Maitre de was polite, but didn’t have that smile and the zip in his personality Billy had. Repeat customers, some who had spent large sums were not recognised.

After that experience, they seldom returned and eventually the lack of business forced Trader Vics to close. However, Billy’s reputation made his restaurant an immediate success. Business was booming. He had the edge on other upscale restaurants and got many of their customers.

When you train your salespeople to introduce themselves, think of the competitive edge you will have when one of your competitor’s customers come into your store. That customer will be yours.

On the other hand, this is how it could cost you if you don’t train your salespeople. A couple buys a wedding set and has to have it sized. He comes back in a few days and the salesman doesn’t remember his name and greets him with a blank stare – the salesman implied his purchase was meaningless.

Guess what he will tell his friends. A man who bought a large diamond for his wife returns in a few weeks to make another purchase and is offended because the salesman did not remember him either. Think of the bad worth of mouth he created. Purchasing jewellery, regardless of cost, is the most personal gift of all. “A diamond is forever.”

Therefore, It stands to reason that instead of remaining anonymous your salespeople should personalise their sales by introducing themselves. Otherwise how can they expect to gain a customers trust when they don’t know to whom they are talking to?

They can introduce themselves after a short conversation, but be sure they smile and talk to their customer’s eyes. They can also say, “I would like to introduce myself,” or “Let me introduce myself.”  I recommend using their first and last name. Some salespeople use their first name because they think it’s more friendly. Quite the contrary. They will see the light when you ask them: “Then why have both of their names on their business card?”

When introducing themselves they should first smile while having a short conversation with their customer before showing the jewellery. The salesperson could say: “By the way, my name is Robert Smith.” Or: “Let me introduce myself”, or “I would like to introduce myself, my name is Robert Smith.” Pause and allow the customer  to introduce themself. Be sure they use their customer’s name in the next sentence to help them to remember it.

He will begin using your name and start  feeling more like your friend then a customer.  Before they know it, they will be using each other’s names and it will be like two friends talking to each other. Avoid repeating their name too often because it may look staged.  After he leaves write his name down with all the information of the sale such as other occasions, etc. and how to contact him. When you call, he will gladly accept it. This is how they build a clientele . It has been my experience that those who have by called their customers before their important occasions easily outsell all others by more then two to one.

The best way to train your salespeople is to roll play with them as the salesperson and make sure when playing the customers they use a different name each time. I recommend you and your manager play the salesperson regardless of the errors you may make. Make fun of yourself. I do because it gets my students laughing. The more they laugh the faster they learn.

Then have them roll play with each other. When they show you they have mastered the technique, have them start using it on the sales floor. They will be sold on it as soon as customers start asking for them by their name. They will close more sales then before and their repeat customers will increase. “Because everyone wants to go where they remember your name.”