Here's How to Turn a Compliment into a Customer

Posted by Michael Jebbit on March 28th, 2019

Compliments are tricky and most of us don’t know how to accept compliments without denying them or putting ourselves down. While this may not do too much harm on a personal level, compliments when it comes to a business need to be dealt with properly.

With the right skills and tricks, you can easily turn a compliment into a customer. Sounds like a stretch? Well, consider this scenario. You share a few designs for wooden menu covers on one of your social media accounts. A friend comments that they look great. You can like the comment or respond with a simple “thank you”. You can also turn the compliment into a customer by sharing details about the bespoke menu covers you design and maybe even by sharing a link to your website.

If you are still not sure you can turn a compliment into a customer, here are some easy ways to do so.

Improve your response

The immediate response to a compliment is “thank you” but this alone won’t turn praise into a sale. The trick is to know the right response to a compliment. Learn to acknowledge a compliment beyond a simple ‘thank you’. Instead come up with a response that will keep the conversation going.

To use the previous example of menu covers, if someone compliments the bespoke menu covers you designed, continue the conversation by talking more about menu designs and projects you have worked on. Instead of merely giving the other person a link to your menu covers UK website, give them a reason to search for it online and check out the site.

Beyond the compliment

If someone compliments your necklace, build up a conversation beyond the item being complimented. Instead of talking about the store you bought the necklace from, you can perhaps talk about how it was a perfect match for your outfit, which just happens to be from your own clothing line.

By going beyond the compliment, you need not wait until your own products are compliments to turn them into sales. Instead, make use of opportunities to link compliments to the product or service you sell.

Reverse the compliment

Say you run into a classmate and they ask about the work you do. You tell them you are a designer, and show some of your work to them. They mention that they are in the restaurant business, and say that you are a talented designer. Instead of just accepting the compliment, tell them how their restaurant can benefit from bespoke menu covers designed by you.

Compliment their own work, give positive feedback and then make use of the opportunity to turn a compliment into a customer.

Find out more information

When someone compliments you, try to dig deeper and find out what exactly prompted them to compliment you. If someone compliments your outfit, you can ask them what about it caught their attention or what they like about the outfit.

If you make and sell sandals and someone compliments the pair you are wearing, ask them what they like about the sandals. They may tell you they like the simple design or the colour combination. Perhaps they will tell you how hard it is to find flats or sandals that don’t have shiny buckles. A few questions will get you a lot of information that you can turn into improving your product.

Your questions can also focus on what they look for in footwear, giving you the opportunity to explain how your line of sandals meets their requirements.

Keep in touch

Don’t thank someone for a compliment and then forget about the incident. If you are at a restaurant and someone compliments the bespoke menu covers, you may mention your own bespoke menu covers company and move on to other topics. However, the smart thing to do is to follow up on the conversation.

If you have a company like TheMenuCovers, share a link or company information with your friend or acquaintance. Connect with them on social media and share details about your products or services. Suggest that they check your work out and even visit your store. This too, is a great way to turn a compliment into a customer.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you should neither undersell nor oversell a product. Further, the transition from compliment to customer should be natural and run smoothly.

Author Bio: Michael Jebbit is an expert graphic designer in Sunning hill, London. He is working as a senior creative director in a reputed menu covers production company. Michael is sharing his knowledge about menu cover designs through his creative blog.