In the last few blog posts, I have talked a lot about digitalisation. We live in a world in which it is very much the focus and is making rapid progress. The metaverse is already on our doorstep, inviting us to live a virtual life. That’s why I think it’s even more important not to lose sight of personal contacts and our communication skills.
Sales success in retail through person-to-person communication
Selling is about intensively cultivating the personal and individual customer relationship and fulfilling the customers’ yearning for real encounters, human emotions and genuine experiences. The daily dialogue you engage in with your customers should be based on empathy, and your ability to listen to and respond to them. The dynamic this produces is very similar to the dynamic in tango. That’s why I see the tango, which I love passionately, as a fantastic way to prepare for a successful customer relationship. It creates a bridge between people of all ages, nationalities, religions and social backgrounds. Like no other dance, the tango opens up the possibility to experience and communicate feelings, wishes and intentions: This requires a considerable openness and desire to communicate. Only in this way can it convey the feeling of connectedness, commitment and closeness that we experience in an empathic dynamic.
Embrace a new mindset with “Mindstep”
I transfer this experience to my work. “In the rhythm of the tango” means to have a “finger on the pulse” of the moment. Building reliable relationships is an essential requirement for sales success in retail and successful leadership in companies. Using the dynamics involved in the Argentine tango as an example, I will illustrate the importance of mindfulness, attention, empathy, respect and the capacity for dialogue; how goals can be achieved together, with passion and to the benefit of your business.
I call my extraordinary leadership and sales training “Mindstep”. I refer to the step that takes us from the mental to the physical level as the “Mindstep”. It means making a conscious step from thinking to acting, and from the brain to the body – and vice versa! This can be reflected in my movements and posture, but also in my facial expressions and gestures.
Cultivating an empathic-dynamic sales talk
The tango dynamic uses mindfulness, attention, appreciation and respect along with certain set impetuses to bring about purposeful, coordinated movement – and it can be directly transferred to sales talks with customers. That’s because the most important aspect of direct customer contact is the emotional connection between a shop assistant, their customer and the brand – The product itself is just a means to an end. In successful retail, which consumers like to visit again and again and recommend to others, the focus is on people with all their senses: mentally, emotionally, and on a physical level.
The opportunities of brick-and-mortar retail
We cannot turn back time. While immense, the challenges posed by online retailing, e-commerce, social media, connected shopping and omnichannel strategies, and the metaverse are also very exciting. Brick-and mortar retail has two outstanding advantages: Touchable products and “touchable” people. If you are prepared to sincerely engage with your customers and have a dialogue with them, you are well equipped for the future. This dialogue is characterised by listening, attentiveness and empathy. It will hone your senses to enable you to recognise changes and moods among customers and in the market and thus lead the company to success.
You can find more information about the “Mindstep” Academy with training for sales and management staff here https://moniquefischer-consulting.ch/academy/
I would also be happy to answer your questions personally https://moniquefischer-consulting.ch/en/contact/