Are you meeting a friend for lunch? According to "The Farmer's
Almanac," if you are American, you will probably touch each
other twice an hour. If you are English, you may not touch
each other at all. If you are French, you might touch each
other 110 times an hour, and if you are Puerto Rican, you
just might touch each other 180 times an hour. WOW!
Obviously there are cultural differences in communication styles,
but studies agree that touching is important to human development.
Does touch play an important part in sales? Yes, it does, especially
to seniors, but this unique sales element can be applied to any age
group as long as it is done tactfully.
This important element of touch is sorely lacking in seniors' lives due
to either being empty nesters, retired, widowed (or a combination
of all these). This translates into fewer occasions for social interactions,
thus there are simply less opportunities for touch to occur.
Knowing this gives you some tremendous sales advantages when selling
to seniors. You can endear yourself to these customers by using touch
in a friendly way that will be appreciated. First, always greet seniors with
a firm handshake to let them know how glad you are to see them. Next,
during your conversation, occasionally touch their hand or arm when
making a point. This not only shows friendliness, it helps to keep their
attention focused, so they don't miss any important points. Lastly, as
you prepare to part company, again offer a firm, friendly handshake. This
is the "traditional" way of doing business that seniors really long for.
Human touch is vital. With it we thrive, without it we wither. In this
case it's great sales medicine that brings very positive results.
Seniorized Factoid: Touch the seniors, and you touch sales success.
Published: November 29, 2002
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