While reps are often advised to project a high-level of energy when working with customers, there are times when this may not be appropriate.
Chris Lynam, author of Choreography of Customer Service, stresses the importance of aligning your energy level with your customer’s. He says that you can think about energy levels on a scale of 1 to 10. One is a dull monotone — It’s time to organize your taxes. 10 is super high energy — You just won the lottery!
If a customer shares news about a new promotion, that may be a nine. If your response is a two, you are out of alignment. And, says Lynam, the customer will “feel exposed, that they’ve over shared and they will withdraw as a result.”
On the other hand, if the customer is going through a crisis situation and their energy level is a two, they will feel overwhelmed if you are working at a nine.
Aligning with your customer will help build rapport no matter what their energy level is.
More on maintaining your energy and enthusiasm, using the “language of encouragement,” fighting knowledge hoarding, and the pop quiz appear in the April issue of Customer Communicator, the training newsletter for frontline reps.