Caring About Customers

Recently, I visited an Enterprise Rent-a-Car location near Pittsburgh. While I was there, I tried to watch the employees, who are essentially salespeople, to learn about their sales techniques. One thing stood out more than any sales strategies or rules: the genuine interest the employees took in their customers.

At one point, a frustrated customer walked in. I was surprised and impressed by the fact that seemingly every employee remembered a lot about this customer. Even the manager personally stepped out from behind the counter to greet the customer at the door. He shook his hand and said, “Good to see you, Mr. Smith! How did your doctor’s appointment go?” Although Mr. Smith was initially very frustrated about a problem he had with his rental car, he quickly opened up when he saw that the manager truly cared about him.

Another way that the Enterprise employees made it clear that they cared about customers was by exercising humility. I noticed that the area manager happened to be working at this location on the day I visited. Although we might expect someone with so much authority to consider daily tasks beneath him, I saw this area manager make it a point to answer phone calls, volunteer to serve customers, and even move rental cars around the lot.

Of course, the employees at Enterprise followed some of the Sandler rules and Daniel Pink’s principles. They also knew their business very well; they were competent. But in the persuasion aspect of sales, likeability is equally as important. By genuinely caring for customers, the Enterprise employees I watched built relationships, trust, and liking between themselves and their customers. As salespeople, I think we all should strive to really care about the people with whom we do business. Whether this means asking about customers’ personal lives or simply remembering their names, it makes customers feel good about doing business with us.