Many people walk into a store or car dealership wondering what encounter they might have with a sales rep. Will they be bombarded? Harassed? Annoyed? Or will they be comforted, helped, and given the advice that they need? In the modern day the in-store shopping experience has changed forever, many shoppers go into the store knowing exactly what they want. This change is due to the mass influx of customer research of products and the rise of e-commerce. In this phenomenon and change in the market it has pushed the pushy salesperson out of the picture. Salesperson now need to be informed on the products they are selling and have the information down to a T. If they do not have their information down then they risk the possibility of losing the sale, as the consumer could be turned away from the lack of credibility.
In order for the Sales world to change the perception that it has been given over the years by pushy and sleezy salesmen they will need to do three things.
1.) Ask questions and get to know your customer.
This is a very important aspect of sales that often times people forget about. How can you sell to a consumer if you as the salesperson do not know what they want. If you just try to sell without understanding what your customer is looking for then you will proceed to fail in sales until you learn this lesson. Those that are new into the sales field will want to adopt a philosophy of caring more about the customer’s needs than their own desires of hitting a quota. If you focus on the customer’s needs you will be more likely to hit your sales quota regularly then if you only focus on the numbers of your quota.
2.) Don’t dominate the conversation.
Allow the customer to control most of the conversation, let them talk their way into what they truly want. Ask questions but let the customer do the majority of the talking, and allow for them to specify what their needs are. Then from there work up a list of products or services that would best suit their needs. When you have this list ready wait for your customer to ask for your advice before sharing these possible suitors. A good rule to follow is the 80/20 rule, meaning 80% of the time you should spend listening and 20% of the time you should spend asking questions and talking.
3.) Stay in contact during and after the sale.
Don’t be afraid to check in with your customer during the process of their decision making and see if they have any clarifying questions. Also, don’t be afraid to routinely check in with the customer after they have purchased the product or service. If you continue to check in after the sale you have more opportunity to have repeat customers and referrals from those repeat customers. By doing this you make your customers feel like they are cared about and comforted, in turn they are more likely to recommend your services in the future.
All in all, sales has been given a bad rep by those that do not understand these rules. If you want to be a good salesperson and help change the perception of the sales world then listen to your customers, treat them with respect, and don’t treat them like a commodity.
BoweryJE22
I find it fascinating how so many salespeople have gone through the selling process and all too often overlook the importance of these simple steps. Having the ability to get to know your customer and understand what they want/desire is key to starting a great business relationship and potentially a new sale for the company. The whole idea of sales and promoting a product is based off of how it is received by potential customers. Also, the best thing to do afterward is to check up on them to be sure that they have no questions and to make sure that the process goes as smooth as possible to have a successful experience and transaction.
Your three points are the key to a good salesperson. All too often we experience a salesperson who does not know how to shut their mouth and let the customer speak for themselves. They care too much about their agenda and not the agenda of the customer. Asking the customer what they are there for and then listening is the key to a good salesperson. Something we do not hear very much about is the seller keeping in contact after the sale. Most salespeople only care to see you leave the store or lot with their product and that sale ends there. The fact is it does not end there. What happens if the product they bought breaks or does not meet expectations. That one customer can turn away a lot of potential customers with one negative experience. Keeping in contact after the sale and making sure that the product they bought from you is working properly and to their needs is essential.
I like your point of to not dominate the sale. Sometimes I know that when I am buying something I tend to often feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that is thrown at me. I’ll walk away feeling stressed and drained because of everything that was just given to me. Say though if the salesman were to not make me feel that way I would have a better experience with the sale and possibly choose them just because of that aspect.
I agree that post sale contact is incredibly important because even if they are unhappy with the product you sold them they may appreciate the transparency and relationship you’ve created and buy another product from you anyway. Or through word of mouth you can gain new customers from your actions. You create a sales channel through customers.