The Greatest Sales Strategy Ever, from Providence Entrepreneurs’ Meetup

I have to admit that
what two guys are doing in a Northeast Florida
Starbucks is absolutely genius.

The other day as I tried to pay for my green tea at my
local Starbucks the cashier said, “Don’t worry about
it sir. Those guys over there are paying for it
today.” She then handed me their business card from a
stack by the register. Turns out the guys were wealth
management / financial planners who once a week, at
different times, will spend a few hours at this
Starbucks and buy customers their coffee or tea.

Most people, like me, will walk over and thank the
gentlemen and walk away with their business card in
our pocket.

I thought about how brilliant this was. For many the
coffee shop experience has become a ritual or right of
passage that helps them take on the day. It’s become
an emotional experience that makes them feel good.
It’s become a bond of love.

Imagine yourself at the register, which is very easy
for many of us, as you anticipate holding that coffee
in your hand, thinking “YES.” Then the cashier tells
you it’s FREE. Wow, an unexpected gift. Now instead of
feeling good you are feeling great. You feel so good
you don’t mind placing a stranger’s card in your
pocket. When you walk over and say thank you to these
financial planners they cease to be strangers and
become more like acquaintances and neighbors. Then
about an hour later when the caffeine really kicks in
you’re feeling so great, you think, “Wow, those
financial planners are great guys.” Now instead of
acquaintances they have become more like long lost
friends. These financial planners brilliantly
connected something you love with a service they
offer. Not surprisingly I found out that these men do
receive a good number of calls from the Starbucks
customers interested in planning for their financial
future.

It is said we remember one third of what we read, half
of what people tell us and 100 % of how feel. Whether
we are watching a commercial, listening to a teacher,
or talking to a sales person it is how we feel that
impacts us the most. We can’t remember what we ate for
lunch a week ago but we can remember where we were on
9-11 when we saw the World Trade towers collapse. We
remember how we feel and when it comes to investing
our money, buying a product, purchasing insurance or
real estate, or choosing a restaurant we will make
our choices based on these feelings.

This leads us to the greatest sales strategy ever-but
it doesn’t involve coffee. While the Starbucks idea is
brilliant it isn’t the best way to build a business.
There is a far more powerful strategy to create an
emotional connection and foster an emotional memory.
It’s so simple and it doesn’t even cost a dime. It’s
to love and care about your customers. Caffeine is
temporary but a positive emotional experience lasts
forever.

Customers do business with people they like and trust
and who care about them. When customers feel like they
matter and feel cared for they love back with more
loyalty, more business and more referrals.

So if you are in sales, and we all are, I encourage
you to make loving and caring about your customers
your top priority. You don’t have to buy them coffee
to connect your product or service with something they
love. You can be the connection. You can be the bridge
that connects your customer with your product or
service. After all, no matter what we are selling,
people are always buying our energy and making
decisions based on how our energy makes them feel. And
while coffee is an energy source that makes people
feel good it doesn’t compare to the power of our
positive energy. Look out for your customers
interests. Show them you care. Share the love and
you’ll be so successful you’ll be able to buy your own
coffee shop and give away all the coffee you want.

How do you show your customers you care?

Be Positive!!!