Sales Strategy
Connecting With The Modern Day Customer | April 02, 2015 (0 comments)
Tallahassee, FL—Every sale has unlimited potential: it can be quick, easy and effortless or it can become a long-winded, drawn-out marathon. The final outcome is based solely on whether you truly connected with your customer or not. From the moment your customer walks through your doors, your actions set the course of current and future sales.
For those of you who did your homework in reading The Four Basic Customer Types series, you know that by taking care of your customers’ individual needs you have the potential to turn every customer into a Simple Minded Customer, with a bond of trust established where the customer knows that you have their best interest in mind.
Today we will start by focusing on the customer who is shopping at your store for the very first time. Every new customer is walking into a world of unknown. Some may be guarded wondering if they will be pounced on or cheated. Others may appear confident but fear and insecurity are bringing out the worst in them. No matter how, the Modern Day Customer has been trained by negative experiences to not trust you.
The first priority in assisting your customer is to overcome their fear and establish a connection. You do this by offering a service that benefits the customer. Offer a free jewelry cleaning and inspection while they browse or a beverage while they shop. These assure the customer that you are there to serve them and it sets the tone for the sales process.
In the past, another associate would try to sell them while you cleaned their jewelry. No more. I like my customers to see me working for them with no pressure or gimmicks. This creates a beautiful word called “obligation,” where the customer feels obligated to shop with you even if they are not purchasing that day.
Or look for other needs: the watch they are wearing might be too big. Offering to take a few links out for free while they shop goes a long way. If they’re shopping for an anniversary, I will buff their band while they shop. This is a need they didn’t even know existed. It could be a simple prong that is bent or a ring shank out-of-round, and on and on. Salespeople are amazed at how many little things you can find to serve your customer. All you have to do is stop and think.
Another way to establish a connection with your customer is to make them laugh or smile. When a couple walks in together and I introduce myself, I always follow it up with the following line: “Bill, I am here to make this process as painless as possible for you.” Instant smile every time! Little things like this relax the customer and establish a bond of trust.
As you can see the common theme is letting the customer know that you are there to serve them. If you learn to do these little things well that “Just Looking Customer” will open up to you like never before.
Many years ago we as an industry created sales tactics that became fueled by greed. Instead of focusing on our customers we began to focus more on the dollar amount and commissions. Those tactics worked well for a season, until the customer awakened and decided they no longer wanted to be treated like that. The sales floor has become a grind of relentless stress and pressure. Those who have worked in the industry for a long time can testify to this.
In closing I will leave you with the final ingredient to help you connect with your customer. It’s the benefit of using passion and energy when connecting with your customer for the first time. When your customer enters your store do they hear the excitement in your voice? Do they feel the energy and enthusiasm that you give in your hustle to work for them? Can they see the desire that you possess within to take care of them?
For more on maintaining your passion and energy, click here.
I hope I’ve opened your eyes to see the opportunity you have to make your sales career more fun, meaningful and successful. For more information, see my book, Modern Day Selling.
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.