1. Communicating with Customers
Your Name

2. Objectives At the end of this session you will be able to:
Understand your customers and their needs
Follow a clear process for communicating with customers
Use Questioning and Listening skills effectively with customers
Effectively manage difficult situations with customers

3. Communication Process
Open & Initiate
Gather Information
Solutions & Options
Confirm & Close

4. Gathering Information
Confirming
Questioning
Listening & Encouraging

5. Hypothetical Questions
Questioning
Open Questions
Reflective Questions
Hypothetical Questions
Probing Questions
Direct Questions
Closed Questions
Unclear information
Facts
Clear information

6. “A customer who has had a problem resolved well, is more loyal than one who has had no problem at all.”

7. Turn Problems to Solutions1
Label the Problem 2
Question & Clarify 3
Identify the Opportunity 4
Check Feasibility & Manage Expectations

8. Key Rules… Never Always Get upset or offended by a customer
Be deliberately difficult with a customer
Argue to ‘win’ with a customer
Always
Use a customer’s name
Stay calm and polite and be professional
Ignore rudeness and appreciate that it is the issue rather than you

9. Objectives At the end of this session you will be able to:
Understand your customers and their needs
Follow a clear process for communicating with customers
Use Questioning and Listening skills effectively with customers
Effectively manage difficult situations with customers