Everything's better when you can smile and laugh. So why not incorporate this cheer and humor into your customer service and sales efforts?  And as Victor Borge said:

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." 

We want to connect with our customers, and when we do, there will be so much for you to be happy about, especially your bottom-line.  Additional benefits of adding humor to your customer service and sales conversations:

Selling suicide: to take inbound calls from inquiring prospects and to not have a structured plan for how to guide the call.  Never fear because we have a cheat sheet for you which is a very basic guide for you to build upon.  And guess what?  Much of what is on this free resource can work for outbound calls too!  The added structure to your calls will boost your confidence and gain you more qualified leads and most importantly, MORE SALES. You are welcome. 

Never assume you know what your customers want. 

-Renee Evenson, Customer Service Training 101

While this tip seems so obvious, it's a lesson we can all keep refreshing ourselves on.  It's still so easy to get it wrong, plus it pertains to so many areas: customer service, sales, marketing, problem resolution, and on and on.

Let's looks at a couple of specific sample scenarios to see how it applies.

What is the difference between a stall and an objection?  A stall is, "I want to think about it," or "I have to meet with other people."  An objection is, "Your price is too high," or "We have a satisfactory supply."  Both are putoffs which basically say, "You haven't sold me yet."  The bottom line is conversion.  You have to convert their lack of confidence, their lack of trust, and their lack of perceived value into a sale.

- Jeffrey Gitomer, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers

 You only get out of it what you put into it. So how much effort are you putting into making sure that your customer service and sales practices are top notch? Do you have training and quality assurance measures in place?  If not, you might be losing out on untapped revenue.  Never fear- we have some delicious ideas for your "pudding" so you will know what to do to make sure that you are putting in what it takes to make a difference.  

Having strong customer service and sales skills are your key ingredients in making sure your "pudding" is something your customers continue to want to taste, buy, and talk about.  What 5 ingredients do you need in your "pudding"?  Here they are (click on the image to download it and share as you please- you're welcome!)...

The surest way to grab a sale is to make a great impression from start to finish. To ensure you get it right through and through, if you simply follow our "5 Simple Steps for Sales Calls," you will have a head start on reaching the sales finish line.  Then, if you incorporate some intuitive skills, like positive energy, an engaging personality, and a genuine desire to discover and meet the customer's needs, your customer will always want to buy from you.