With ailing revenues, mounting bills and encroaching competition many Caribbean businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs get caught up in “just making the sale” and lose sight of the all important ‘connection’ which is necessary to build customer loyalty.

I think enough of us acting as consumers realize the power in referrals when making a purchasing decision. We listen to our friends, other customers and hardly ever pay attention to the advertising or sales driven press surrounding any product or service we are interested in. Yet many businesses continue to get caught on the tactics of “old world” thinking and the “salesman approach” when it comes to driving revenues.

Just think for a moment what inspired your last purchase? Was it the flashy ad in the paper, the salesman telling you how great it was or a friend who believes in it or just a conversation you read on Facebook?

“Selling” as we knew it is over and ENGAGEMENT is in and you either choose to drive revenues with engaging conversations or drive the customers away with “Sales talk!”