Although I've always tried to keep politics out of my newsletters, there is a lesson from last week's presidential debate that can help us better engage and sell customers. It's this: Always start with the assumption that your customer doesn't know the details of the product or service you're talking about.
In last Wednesday's debate, John McCain brought up Barack Obama's association with both former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers and the voter registration group ACORN. A lot of his supporters were happy he brought these issues up but Sen. McCain wasn't as effective as he could have been because he never explained who Bill Ayers is or what ACORN does. If you follow politics you already know the details, but the debate is the opportunity to talk to those who might be less informed.
We run the same risk in our stores. If we assume the customer is an informed consumer we may miss an opportunity. This is manifested in salespeople using acronyms that mean nothing to the consumer, not translating features into benefits, not highlighting how to accessorize a particular purchase, and failing to point out competitive advantages of products and the retailer themselves.
But you're also at risk at alienating the customer if you assume they aren't informed but they are. An informed customer might want to know about more obscure features or at the least not be told background information they know.
How to know which customer is which? Ask! Before discussing any products, ask the customer if they've been doing any research or how long they've been considering the product. If they answer "not much" or "I just started" then obviously they're not that informed. If they answer "quite a bit" or "been checking them out on online" then you have a more knowledgeable customer and should discuss the product at a higher level.
Whatever your political affiliation or leaning, the better you know your audience the more likely they are to vote for you and your products by saying, "I'll take it."
Have an awesome week. Remain positive and maximize every single customer opportunity.
Comments