It’s a tough current business climate, and amongst the many concerns small and medium business owners are expressing, one is that it’s hard to compete with the big box shops when it comes to price.
Many business owners believe that people shop based on price alone, but it’s simply not true. While there are consumers who make their buying decisions based solely on the cost of a product or service, others – even ones on a budget – will spend more for better service or other benefits.
Furthermore, those that do make their buying decisions based solely on cost have typically been trained to do so by the very companies they would frequently visit!
Consider a time when you’ve gone into a business not knowing exactly what you’re looking for, and asked for the price of a general product. Did the staff member taking your enquiry merely respond with the cost? Or did they ask questions about colour, size and features and use that to give you options?
If you had a general enquiry and the salesperson assisting you responded with asking if they could gather a little more information from you, did you say no and expect them to read your mind? Of course not. They gleaned additional information about what you were after, with their own questions, and then made suggestions based on your responses.
By asking these types of questions, a salesperson can convey to a customer that they’re genuinely interested in assisting them. They won’t just hand them the first item that comes to mind, which may possibly fit their needs. They take the time to listen, making the customer feel valued and allowing them to find the product that suits them the best. At this point, even if it’s not the cheapest option on the market, they’re more likely to buy it because they have been helped to find what is most suitable, not just handed what costs the least.
This then leads the salesperson into a situation where they can close the sale – having assisted the customer discover what they were after, they can appropriately bring up enquiries about forms of payment or even delivery options. Should the customer wish to think about the item a little more before purchasing it, they’re more likely to put it on hold, have it stick in their brain, and come back for it.
Even putting an item on hold briefly isn’t a failure for the salesperson. It’s an opportunity to get the customer’s contact information and follow up with them later. Just be sure to get a definite time frame from them, which makes them more likely to return for the item as it offers a sense of urgency, that they might miss out if they delay.
These tips can be applied to selling anything, from something small like a new kettle to something large, like a new car. Whether it’s a product or a service, offering the added benefits and providing a client with what they have expressed that they’re after will more often than not bring them back to you, regardless of your price.
It’s just a matter of accurately determining what they’re looking for and what’s important to them regarding their buying decision.
