A Sales Conversation is Just a Conversation

In today’s post I thought it would be interesting to evaluate 2 different sales “pitches.” Both examples will follow a conversation between a salesman and a consumer. The sales conversation centers around the consumers interest in purchasing a new phone.

1.  Conversation #1
   • Salesman: “Hello, what brings you in today?”
   • Customer: “Hey, my phone seems to be constantly resetting, and I was wondering if you guys could fix it for me?”
   • Salesman: “Oohh yeah a lot of people have been complaining about problems with that phone. You may just want to get a new one.”
   • Customer: “Well I’m not sure I’m really in the market for a new phone right now. I like this one, and I think fixing it would be my best option.”
   • Salesman: “I mean, over the long run you’re going to see that problem popping up over and over again. Plus, we’re running a sale right now on our newest phones.”
   • Customer: “I really didn’t anticipate to leave with a new phone today. Plus, I don’t think I’m do for an upgrade.”
   • Salesman: “That’s fine! It really is a simple process to get you switched over. I see you are not due for an update, but we can switch you over to our new “shared-plan” which will allow you to upgrade today!”
   • Customer: “I don’t think we are on the same page… I just want to get this phone fixed. If you guys can’t do that for me, then I have no business here.”
2. Conversation #2
   • Salesman: “Hello, what brings you in today?”
   • Customer: “Hey, my phone seems to be constantly resetting, and I was wondering if you guys could fix it for me?”
   • Salesman: “We’ll give it our best shot! How long have you been having this problem?”
   • Customer: “Thank you! I think it started happening about a week ago. It’s so frustrating.”
   • Salesman: “I hear ya, technology can be frustrating sometimes. Let me take it into the back and see if I can get this figured out for you.”
   • Customer: “Sounds good!”
   • Salesman: “So, it looks as though all it needed was to be reset. It should be working fine now.”
   • Customer: “Thank you! I can finally rely on my phone again!”
   • Salesman: “No problem, if you ever have any more questions feel free to contact me.” *hands customer business card*
   • Customer: “You guys are great, I will definitely be back again!”

So, what can we learn from these conversations? In the first conversation, the salesperson focused on pushing the product, rather than the customer’s pain. The salesman had his own agenda, rather than letting the customer speak. In the second conversation, the salesman did the exact opposite: he allowed the consumer to speak and he served his/her desires. Even though the second conversation made no attempt at making a sale, the salesperson made the customer happy, and ensured their return. A happy customer means that he/she will spread good word about the business and will likely spend money at the business in the future. Be the salesperson in conversation #2 that helps the customer, and ensures future business.