Customer Cellphone Etiquette

How to Gain your Customers Attention in a Distracted World

You’ve probably noticed that today’s customer is easily distracted. It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re at work or on personal time… their mobile devices just keep pinging, vibrating, and signaling that someone else needs their attention. Trying to have a buying conversation with ‘wired’ customers reminds me of the Disney movie, ‘Up!’ where, in midst of conversation, dogs would suddenly look sideways and shout, ‘Squirrel!’ As I demonstrate in my live presentations, helping customers make complex buying decisions requires their time and attention. To help gain both, consider starting the conversation by taking-out your phone and stating, ‘Let me turn this darned thing off, so we won’t be interrupted. By the way, how’s your time – are we OK?’ That not only conveys that you consider them to be important; it also encourages customers to ignore their phone, and commit some time to this decision.

Today’s chuckle:

I just let my mind wander, but it didn’t come back yet.

Written By Customer Service Speaker & Sales Trainer, Jeff Mowatt (original content – not AI generated)

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Jeff Mowatt is a Canadian professional customer service speaker, customer service & sales trainer, a business communication strategist, award-winning speaker, and best-selling author.