How are you doing today?
You’ve heard this many times and you may have said it to others.
To me this is a poor excuse for a greeting. I say that because what if the person you say that to is having a bad day? Do you really want to know how they are feeling?
Years ago when you heard ‘How are you doing today?’ you automatically thought – here comes the sales pitch. If that is still true, why would you want to put up a barrier before you even got to know someone?
Why wouldn’t you just be pleasant, have a soft attitude and be interested in the person you are meeting?
It is better to build rapport first, isn’t it?
How would you recommend greeting someone instead? I work in retail and I always ask that question and sometimes it doesn’t get me anywhere good. What’s an alternative?
Thanks for your post.
I think it is very important to ask a question to engage the potential client. The question I like is to ask ‘Have you ever been in our store before?’ If they say ‘yes’ then have you can re-introduce to them some of the changes or new items that have just been received. If they say ‘no’ you can introduce them to the store and what is so special about it and then ask if you could show them a few items that are special to your store. If they say yes, lead them to the area. If they say no, ask them more questions that will lead them to share more information with you. The key thing to remember is that you need to ask them questions that will lead to you being able to understand their needs and help them. They came into the store, so now it is your job to lead them and help them make a purchase. Thanks for your question. I hope this helped you out.