Vince Lombardi, former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, said, said, "A man who is trained to his peak capacity will gain confidence. Confidence is contagious and so is lack of confidence, and a customer will recognize both."What he was referring to is a person's confidence in their capabilities, in their company, in their job, in their product, in their services.
Customers notice confidence, and they are attracted to and made confident by confident employees. So if employees want to be confident, how do they do that?
First, know your customer. The better you know your customer, the more confident you can be that you're suggesting the right solution to their problem. Next, know your product/service. The more knowledgeable you are of what you offer, the better you speak to the benefits of and appropriate application of that product. Also, know your policies and procedures. If you know HOW your services are delivered, you'll instill confidence in the mind of the customer that the fulfillment process will work to their liking.
Employees may BE confident, but how do they CONVEY confidence. The words an employee uses have an important impact. When you do know the facts, avoid phrases that suggest you're only stating your opinion or that a solution is only a potential such as:
- "I think you can. . ."
- "I believe I can. . ."
- "It may work. . ."
- "You might be able. . ."
Replace those phrases by shortening them to convey more of a factual connotation such as:
- "You can. . ."
- "I can. . ."
- "It will work. . ."
- "You are able. . ."
To help the customer to feel confident in you and your service, know your stuff, and then say it in such a way that you convey confidence.
David Reeves recently completed a Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) with a concentration in IT Management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This program combines IT and MBA classes.