Having explored customer types and selling methods, Brian Barfield turns to the importance of knowledge and truthfulness when looking to close a sale …
In my last column, I shared some ways to manage your sales presentation to become more effective and efficient with your time and energy. Today, we move forward by focusing on selling with vision and insight.
In the past you were trained in ways to take control of your sale and guide your customer in the direction you wanted them to go. For a season this appeared to work well, but there was one major flaw with this concept in selling – it was often fuelled by greed, selfishness and manipulation. Therefore it eventually led to a disconnect between sales associate and customer.
Let’s face it, your customer simply does not trust you these days, unless you give them reason to. The sales floor has become a grind and the time has come for change!
During your sales presentation there is a skill that can help you achieve greatness if it is properly utilised and understood – the advantages of selling with vision and insight.
“Your job is to make the experience as painless as possible for them. In the end they will appreciate you for working with them through the unknown”
Now that you have changed your selling mindset back to caring for your customer and giving them an amazing experience, a new avenue in selling success has opened up for you. No longer will you need to manipulate your customer or force them in a certain direction. Now that a bond of trust has been established and you understand what the modern-day customer desires, selling should become easy and almost effortless.
In the past you were actually playing a game of mental chess against your customer. You are now teaming up with them and helping them overcome their obstacles together.
Now is the time to sell with your customer rather than against them. As their guide through the sales process, it is your knowledge, skill and professionalism that will help your customer achieve their goal of a satisfying experience. Once the bond of trust is established, the customer will actually lead you through the sale at a much quicker pace.
Since they know that you have their best interests in mind, they will listen to your advice when obstacles arise. This is why it is important that you learn the skill of selling with vision and insight.
Take a moment and picture someone having to go through a haunted house when they really did not want to go. This is the way that most customers feel when they enter your store (especially men). They would rather not be there, but have to go in anyway to get to where they want to be.
So, if you hate haunted houses, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone you trust navigate you through the process? As a sales associate it is your job to know the horrors that lie ahead and warn your customer of what is to come. Your job is to make the experience as painless as possible for them. In the end they will appreciate you for working with them through the unknown.
The important thing to remember is that customers are people just like us. They often believe what they are told by the media and others. It is the same way in our sales trainings. We are told that you need to sell this way. Many sales associates never ask questions and do what they are told.
However, when they are given new insight they begin to question their training and look more closely at what they have been taught. They are often amazed to see that there is a different road that could be taken that is much easier and faster.
Here’s an example from my experiences in the jewellery trade. With my customers, a common misunderstanding and horror is the value of a certification. Customers are told to ask for the certification and dissect it with their little knowledge and understanding.
The customer believes that this will give them comfort and security when buying a diamond. As their guide who is working with them, I share new insight that certifications can be misleading and inaccurate. I tell the truth, and effectively show them the difference.
Customers are blown away when they realise that most places were selling them a G colour and it really is a J. Now they understand how the previous place was able to give them such a good price. By working with my customers I very rarely have to pull out a certification to sell to them. At this point they know that I am being honest and looking out for their best interests. Often, they quickly lead me where they want to go, and I see them through to the end. I am selling with vision and insight.
Next month we will finish the series by understanding how to close a sale more effectively and efficiently.
Brian Barfield is a two-time published author who specialises in retail sales training. His Modern Day Selling series offers a unique perspective in teaching sales associates how to reconnect with their customers and achieve greater success in their sales career.
