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Swimming With The Sharks: What It Takes To Sell a Demanding Customer | June 26, 2013 (0 comments)
Tallahassee, FL—Of all the four customer types we discussed in our introductory installment—analytical, demanding, guarded, and simple-minded—the demanding customer is often the most feared to sell. Without having the proper skills or understanding to sell these customers, they have the potential make a sell very difficult.
Negative experiences with demanding customers is why many sales associates start selling with their guard up, losing sight of the fact that this is a customer whose business is important. Instead associates begin to focus more on protecting themselves. So many miss the opportunity to build up their customer base. If only they understood these customers better, they would find them not as dangerous as they appear.
In order to sell a demanding customer effectively we must first understand who they are. It could be the customer who is adamant about paying a specific price and will not back down. It could be the interrupter who challenges everything you say. Then there is the customer who takes you on a marathon around the store, consuming all your time and energy, and so forth.
But the one common theme of all demanding customers is control: they must feel in control as you are selling them, or else the negative traits begin to manifest.
So how do we understand such a fierce customer? Let’s compare them to sharks. Could you imagine trying to swim with sharks? It must be pretty terrifying to jump into the water with a known predator that has the ability to inflict pain, injury, or even death. We have learned from negative encounters that this creature has the potential to be very dangerous. We saw Jaws, we read articles about shark attacks, and suddenly we fear all sharks and it becomes a natural instinct to avoid these creatures. This is how many sales associates identify a demanding customer.
Sales training expert Brian Barfield
But over the years we have learned that sharks are not to be feared but rather respected. This is the first key to selling a demanding customer. If you give them the proper respect, they will allow you to enter their environment. We have all watched television shows where a diver enters the water with many sharks swimming all around. We anticipate a negative outcome but watch with amazement as he blends right into their environment. When you replace fear with respect special things can happen.
The next concept to help you sell a demanding customer is the power of compliments. Just like feeding a shark, compliments will satisfy a demanding customer’s appetite. They will recognize you as the provider of good things and not as a threat. It is very hard for someone to be negative or mean to you when you are complimenting them and building them up. Try this little treasure and watch how easy it becomes to sell a demanding customer.
The last concept is one of the most important: control. Make sure your demanding customer feels like they are in control at all times. If they sense you trying to nudge them in a way that they don’t want to go, you will get a strong reaction. Let the demanding customer show you where they want to go. If it is somewhere you feel uncomfortable then don’t be afraid to zap them with facts and put them in their place. Most of the time they will take you straight to the close and everyone is happy.
These are just a few ways to find a greater success in selling a demanding customer. If you respect them, compliment them and do not control them, you will be on your way to success.
In our next installment, we will focus on the analytical customer.
Modern Day Selling offers the freshest new insight in jewelry sales training designed to help sales associatse achieve greater success. As a yearly million-dollar-plus sales associate for the past eight years, Brian Barfield practices what he preaches on finding success based on the core principles of trust, honest and integrity. He is a two time published author whose insight is being recognized around the world. For more information or in-store training, visit his website or email brian@moderndayselling.com.
Top image: edworks.com