What are the guidelines in a smooth interpersonal relationship (SIR)? First, know how to deal with your fellowmen. Second, do not harm their feelings. Third, do not hurt their self-esteem. You must always remember that Filipinos, as we have discussed earlier, generally are very sensitive, person-focused, and family-oriented. Because they make up your clientele, you should take extra care in dealing with their sensitivities, if you want to have harmonious relations with them and take home order forms bearing their signatures.
But how will you go about this? It is not easy to deal with clients with a lot of sensitivities, is it? If it is difficult to talk with a client, do you just turn your back on him and look for someone else?
This is not easy to do. If you leave a difficult client, you will find out that the next one is more less just like the first one. You are in the Philippines. No matter what direction your eyes take, you are bound to find Filipinos.
Selling is a social encounter. Hence, it is best that you train yourself on how to deal with your clients. Know how they think, what their beliefs are, how they feel and how they act. It is because selling after all is your ability to influence your client how to think, believe, feel and act the way you would want them to. Thus, it is important that you know how to organize your ideas, how decisions are made, how to experience are given meanings and what guides your behavior and actions.
During wartime, why do people kill their fellowmen when, in fact, they do not even know them; much more, have anything against them? It is because during this time people are either friends or enemies. In times of war, you are given a medal for killing the most number of enemies. But during peacetime, you get the most number of death sentences if you do this.
It is noteworthy that something makes a man do things-good or bad. In the same token, there are certain things that condition him to buy one product over another.
One of my sales champions, Erwin Flores, became a consistent top producer because he gave importance to the salient points about the proper ways of dealing with Filipino clients.
Just how exactly do you communicate with Filipino clients? Do you use the direct style? Do you go straight to the point? In some cases, yes. But, generally, you have to feel your way around. You do not know your clients. So, you may start off by talking about the weather, the rising dollar exchange, the latest gossip about movie stars and basketball heartthrobs or the recent headlines dominating the front pages. Find out what topic is appropriate to what client. This depends on the profile of the person you are talking with. Once you have established rapport, you can proceed in bringing up your real intention. This is the usual way.
The disadvantage of this common method is the amount of time being wasted. This is possible if you have all the time for small talk. In the province, this may be possible. But, here in the city, the tick of the clock is the measure of every thing. You wake up at precise time. You bathe, change into office attire and have breakfast right on schedule. Time is of the essence, so they say.
Hence, in dealing with your clients, it is necessary that you know time management. You need to have an efficient system. You have to know when, where and how you can take shortcuts. In short, you need to be extraordinary. How do you do this? How do you become unique?
It is simple. Learn to be different. Be familiar with the nuances and the basics of Filipino culture.
As we have earlier discussed, there are three parts in the basic approach to Filipino clients. First, we have PAHIWATAG (to hint); second, PABATID (to make conscious); and third, PAHAYAG (to state openly). If you are good enough and truly different, you can have all these three in one shot. In short, you are able to shoot three birds with one stone in your approach.
The same is true in martial arts, according to a friend of mine who is a karate instructor. He is an expert in the fighting techniques of Bruce Lee. He told me that the steps in basic self-defense and offense are three. If your opponent hits you, first, make a side step to avoid him; second, you parry or ward off the blow; and third, you deliver your own blow.
But if you are extraordinary, like Bruce Lee. The three counts become just one count, meaning, you sidestep, parry, and strike in one sweeping movement. You are able to do three things in a flash. You knock out your opponent. In sales, you catch your client in the first round, so to speak.
How can you accomplish these components in an instant? How do you hint, make aware and state your intention all at the same time? You need to be sensitive to body signals. Even if you have met your client only for the first time, you should know if he has no interest in your product; if he is beginning to take an interest in it; or he has obviously taken a deep interest in it.
From here, you can adjust the kind of approach and presentation you will perform. For a client who is not yet interested, your job is to arouse his interest. For someone whose interest has just been kindled, your duty as a trained salesperson is to fire up that interest. But for a client who is interested without doubt, your responsibility is to close the sales as soon as possible.
In this way, you do not waste time on long and use less pep talk about the weather and others. You know fully well where to start. Time is gold, remember.
Effective communication is measure by the amount or the degree of response you see from the other fellow. If you are trained or organizing your ideas, proficient in systematically arranging their flow, then, in not so many words, you can make you presence in your client’s place agreeable, acceptable and worthwhile because you will not leave the place empty-handed.
There are many styles of approaching customers written by Western writers. We can use some of them here, but most of them are not appropriate in our country. This is the Philippines, and our culture is unique.
Here in our country, it is so easy to break down the immense barrier between a salesperson and his client. All the salesperson needs to do is use a particular style of conversation. Through this method, he is certain to get a one hundred one percent response from his client. Why? It is because Filipinos and it is natural for us to give a cooperative response when approached in this manner.
“Ma’am, are you from Cotabato?”
“Yes. Are you from there too?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m from Marbel.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes ma’am. We live close to the Marbel Rice Mill.”
“We are from that area. What did you say is your surname?”
“Valiente, ma’am. Mr. Yap, the rice-mill owner, is a relative from my mother’s side.”
At other times, the tone of your voice or your speech intonation is a big factor in gaining your client’s trust.
“Ala, ay taga-Batangas ka ga (Are you from Batangas)?”
“Yes, sir! Sa Kalatagan po ako tinao (I was born in Kalagatan).”
“Ako naman e taga-Nasugbu, pero nariyan sa Kalagatan ang isa kong anak at naka-empleyo sa Punta Baluarte (I am from Nasugbu, but one of my children is in Kalatagan and is employedat Punta Baluarte).”
“Ako naman po, sir, e dating nagtatrabaho sa Polo Club duon (As for me, sir, I used to work at the Polo Club there).”
“Ala, ay nalaro rin ako ng polo rati (I used to play polo too). Pero nang mapilay ang akin si Brando, ‘yung aking kabayo, e ako’y natigil na (But when Brando, my horse, got lamed, I stopped playing).”
Rapport is matching voice tone aside from matching body language. If you are successful in establishing rapport the Pinoy way, you develop a firm relationship of trust and responsiveness with your client.
In that way, you successfully put yourself ahead of the rest. You use a style that makes your client feel comfortable with you. It also paves the way for warmth and understanding to enter into your relationship because you have something in common with your client.
People transact business with people who are like them. If you come from the same province, things become a lot easier than when you are not. It also helps a lot if you are from the same fraternity or sorority, or if you both belong to a particular civic or professional grouping. More often than not, Filipinos give weight to this.
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