Some customers chat more than they take care of business. Here are three ways to keep them on track.
Agents who want to move chatter mouths forward, need to use tact. These tips from Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business and Influence Others authors Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas do that.
- Cut through the blah, blah, blah. When customers tell you what they want, and then spend 10 minutes talking about something else, get them to refocus by asking, “What is your question?”
- Zero in on the main point. For customers who seem to have lost interest in what you say (and it’s vital that they soak in the information), ask this question: “What do you think is the most important thing we need to cover now?”
- Make them feel important. Customers who are either talking off-subject or aren’t listening can be roped back in by asking their opinion about something specific. Ask, “What do you think about …?” or “Can you tell me more about …?”
