I had quite the conversation at Trader Joe’s recently. The cashier asked what I was doing for the rest of the day and I told him what I was going to make for dinner. I might have also said I was going to take a walk after that and that I loved the weather this time of year.
Our chat got even better after that. The guy who was bagging all my food picked up a box of frozen appetizers (we’re talking about those caramelized onion feta pastry bites) and said, “OMG, I love these. I can’t believe they’re back in stock!” The cashier said he’d never had them and we both explained to him how very good they are. So much laughing and grinning. “Damn, I’ve got to get out more,” I said to myself.
Trained to sound natural
Turns out, None of this was happenstance, even though I felt pretty, pretty social, being able to converse with some kids who were at least 30 years younger than I. Trader Joe's cashiers are trained to engage with their customers so their experience feels less like a transaction. This is a non-negotiable explained during the onboarding process. Disruptive questions (way beyond, “how are you today?”) are de rigeur and bonus points if the customer gets complimented on their selection of goods.
This national grocery store chain is resonating on several levels by pulling the customer in on a personal level and then validating their purchase selections to make them feel good.
Imagine if your front-line travel advisors were trained to do exactly this every single time they met a prospective client. Every time, no exceptions. You’ll have mastered one of the most challenging aspects of sales, which is locking in the client’s trust and goodwill within those initial moments of interacting with your business.
Add these questions to your client intake form
Separately, here are some suggestions for questions to engage clients once you’re trying to get to know their likes and dislikes:
What’s the worst trip you ever took? What went wrong? (Advisor response: “We can certainly help you with that and ensure that won’t happen to you again.”)
What’s the one place you always wanted to go but fear you’ll never see? (Advisor response: “Did you know you could see that on a cruise, which has five other ports you’ll definitely want to experience?”)
Tell me about the vacation you want to take once you retire (advisor response: “You could probably take that trip sooner rather than later; here are a few promotions going on now you should consider.”)
The reality is people don’t want to be talked into something, but they do want to be led by an expert who can help them come to their own conclusions about their travel. Coming off as a friendly advisor with a full arsenal of knowledge is the best sales tool you can have. Just keep it consistent and be sure your entire team is on the same page.
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