Knowing your clients’ interests, hobbies, and preferences is a great way to build stronger relationships and open doors to new opportunities. Having this knowledge allows you to add a personal touch to your interactions that will make your clients see that you think of them as more than just a sale.
Additionally, when you have the ability to identify contact groups who share common areas of interest, it would be a great idea to host a social outing or mixer to bring them together. For example, if you know that a large amount of your contacts is interested in basketball, schedule a night where you can all get together and watch a basketball game. Offer incentives to convert prospects into new customers, and also for existing customers to bring their friends.
Here is the recipe that you can follow to engage contacts based on interest:
- Prioritize the specific interests that you will profile (hobbies, sports, food, music, etc.).
- Tell your colleagues about the value of collecting this information and set weekly goals.
- Gather the information, either in conversation or through questionnaires.
- Track your progress at the end of each week.
- Use this information to create personalized communications and events.
- Build a community amongst your customers who share common interests.
End Result: Your customers will feel a stronger personal connection to your company, building their trust and loyalty.
This video teaches you how to track interests and hobbies using Chili Sales (1-2 minutes):
I have limited budgets for after hours/out of office expenses. can you suggest some alternatives? i like the idea, i just don;t know if I have the finances to do this,. thanks.
Hello Antonio,
Even with a limited budget, there are still options to host get-togethers based on interests. When I suggested having a basketball themed mixer, you can simply meet at a sports bar with a group of your top customers and prospects, maybe offering everyone a complimentary drink.
Or if this is still not feasible, you can always just pepper your communications and engagements with references to things that you know your customers are interested in. For example, congratulating a fan after his or her team’s win is a great way to connect with your contacts.
Regards,
The Chili
Chili,
thanks for the response.I see how this can work. I will try with the upcoming Lakers series. I have several customer I know are interested in basketball.