Overview
GUEST is an acronym for a five-step customer engagement process. The GUEST process helps you take control of the customer interaction. If you don’t, the customer will, which is what happens in approximately 80 percent of all sales transactions that take place in the branch.
As you are probably aware, customers will not buy from someone they don’t trust, don’t like, or who doesn’t show confidence. There are many salespeople who have a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge but aren’t successful because they either push too hard or don’t understand exactly what the customer needs.
The Concept
If you work through each step of the conversation model instead of trying to just close the sale, you will be seen as an advisor rather than a product pusher. Too many bankers push too hard to close a sale because they need to reach a certain quota level or their boss is hounding them to open more accounts. The result is a desperate attempt to get the customer to part with their money. These customers feel threatened, manipulated, coerced and often leave without doing anything.
If a Customer Service Rep concentrates on a conversation process, the customer will be more relaxed, feel more comfortable, and will be more likely to understand the value in what is being presented.
G.U.E.S.T. Conversation Breakdown
You will notice that in the GUEST Conversation model, most of the conversation time (45%) is invested in uncovering the customer’s needs. When done properly, this step will greatly reduce, or eliminate completely, many customer objections and concerns. This will give you more time to present relevant solutions and build rapport in both the opening and ending of the conversation.
As you progress through the program you will begin to see how the GUEST Conversation model differs from, and is more effective than, the traditional style of “selling”. It focuses on the customer rather than on closing the sale. It is designed to make people feel important.
