Starting a conversation

- One of my favorite ways to build rapport with customers is by starting a conversation. Some people are natural conversationalists but I'll be the first to admit I'm not one of them. That's why I use something called the Five Question Technique to help me start conversations. Here's how it works. Make a list of five questions that you might use to break the ice, make a customer feel more comfortable, or uncover an additional opportunity to serve. Use one of your questions to start a conversation with a customer the next time you have an opportunity. Try to go beyond generic questions like, how are you today? Or is there anything else I can help you with? Customers hear those questions so often, they don't usually pay attention to them. The best questions get customers to talk about themselves, help you learn more about their needs and preferences, and fill dead air, so customers don't feel like they're waiting very long. Here are a few examples. If you are a repair technician, you might ask the homeowner about their pet. "What's your pet's name?", could start a conversation about your customer's pet and make them more comfortable welcoming you into their home. If you work in a retail store, you might ask "What brings you in today?" Their answer will allow you to direct them to the appropriate department and even help them make their selection. If you work in technical support, you might fill dead air while a device is rebooting by asking "How is everything else working?" This prompts the customer to think of any other questions they might have about their software or equipment. I want to leave you with one last word of caution. Whenever you ask a customer a question, you had better make sure you care about their answer. I learned this lesson the hard way. When I was a teenager, my first job was working in a clothing store. I tried to greet every customer by saying hello and asking, "How are you today?" People usually said they were fine but one day a customer caught me off guard when she said, "I'm terrible." Her unexpected answer left me completely speechless and before I could recover, she said, "Well, you asked." From that day forward, I made sure to care about the answer whenever I asked a customer a question. The next time a customer told me they weren't doing too well, I replied by saying "I'm really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to make your day a little better?" That time it worked. The experience taught me the value of asking good, sincere questions to build rapport with your customers. You can create your own list of five questions by downloading the Five Questions Worksheet or by writing them down on a piece of paper. Keep the list handy, if you need it, as a reminder, while you serve your customers. There's a good chance that at least one of your five questions will be useful in nearly any situation.