Owner: Our goal during the holiday is to sell our customers
what they want and quickly get them on their way.
Me: How do you know what the
customer wants?
Owner: They tell us.
Me: But do you know that's
what they really need?
Owner: Isn't it the same?
Me: Not always, especially
during the holidays. What most people want to buy during the holidays is a gift that will
make someone happy. What they need depends on what product they should buy to make
the recipient happy.
Owner: But don't some
people know what they need to buy?
Me: Absolutely.
Someone who has done her research before coming into a store knows what
she needs to buy. Or if you're asked to pick up a specific item
for someone then obviously you know what you need to buy. But most
customers at this time of year have more of a "want" than know
precisely what they "need."
Owner: So our goal of
having what the customer wants is incorrect?
Me: I wouldn't say it's
incorrect. Your goal should be to understand more about the
customer's wants so you can then help him choose what he needs.
Owner: And how do we do
that?
Me: First things first.
Don't focus on what you're selling until you know a little something about who your customer is shopping for. I
like to think we should sell the same way the customer makes their list. That
means working with the customer by who,
not what, is on their shopping
list.
Owner: But who has time for
that during the holidays?
Me: We all do. It
only takes a few seconds to ask a question or two about the intended recipient
of the gift; less time than we take droning on about products
that may or may not be what our customer needs.
Owner: Can we really do that when
we're busy?
Me: We can and I think we
have to. It will not only help you sell more of whatever it is the
customer needs but it also helps keep your return rate
down. Granted, as the season gets busier and busier you may not be
able to do this with every single customer but if you can, you should.
Owner: I'm just concerned
that we won't get customers out the door as fast they want.
Me: I question your
assumption that every customer wants to get out of your store as fast as humanly
possible. What almost all customers want is to have a pleasurable
shopping experience, especially in an extraordinary specialty store.
While getting checked out quickly and efficiently is certainly part of it for
many of them, it's not the only part. They want to feel good about
their purchase and their experience in your store. As an example,
thanking a customer and presenting them their purchase is more important
than hurrying them out to wait on the next customer.
Owner: But won't that upset others
in line?
Me: Not if the people
waiting can see that the process is moving quickly and efficiently as well as
pleasantly. It's easy to strike a balance if you focus on
the customer and making sure that her entire checkout process is
enjoyable. So if you think about it, your goal is to know what
the customer wants so you can help her buy what she needs and make sure
the shopping experience is one the customer enjoys.
Okay so it wasn't a life changing conversation, but I can guarantee that if
you sell by who and not what you'll sell more. Our clients who did
this were up 30% on Black Friday weekend. It works!
So let me ask, how well do you and your team know what the customer needs so
you can help him/her buy what he/she needs and to make sure the shopping
experience is an extraordinary one?
Doug
It's clear to me that another issue is how the store owner is the person who wants to get in and out stores fast when he buys stuff, and so he "globalizes" this belief to his own customers. He's not really focused on his customers from their perspective to begin with.
Posted by: Richard | December 02, 2009 at 06:31 AM