In our last article, I spoke about the power of proper customer info documentation through the use of a customer questionnaire sheet and a simple clip board, which symbolizes your greatest weapon as a retail sales person. But today I’d like to dig deeper as to why this technique is so very effective and useful in becoming truly great at retail sales.
The time has come to unleash your greatest retail selling weapon.
As previously mentioned, the 4 main benefits of using a customer questionnaire at the beginning of a retail sale are:
- You have the person’s name in front of your face and will never make a fool of yourself by forgetting it.
- You can focus the presentation on the information(needs and wants) the customer spoke about(what’s important to them) and not on what you, the sales guy, are excited to talk about.
- You’re able to remind the customer, in writing, of what’s important to them with their (insert your product here) purchase during the close.
- You’ll be able to retain the customer’s information, like name, email, address, etc even if the sale is not completed, therefore allowing your business to build a ‘potential customer pool’.
Now that we’ve reviewed the list, let’s take a deeper look at the importance of each:
What’s In a Name?
It’s amazing how often retail sales persons in stores throughout the world don’t bother asking a customer for his/her name during the sales process. For these sales persons, there may be no hope. But there is another group of retail sales professionals that are constantly forgetting their customer’s names. Why does this happen? The answer is simple, and it’s not because they have a bad memory. All of us, no matter how great our memory, will forget the name of a customer even though we’ve already asked for it, simply because we’re not computers. When such mental lapses occur, the embarrassment on the sales person’s part is practically palpable, as well it should be. Frankly put, customers don’t like it when sales persons can’t remember their name. It’s unprofessional. But when a sales person uses a customer’s name/names throughout a sales presentation, the customer will likely be more attentive, relaxed, and impressed with the salesman. This is exactly why a customer questionnaire form should be used with every customer, because the name is one of the first points of information that is written on the page, and is therefore IMPOSSIBLE to forget because all you’ve got to do is look down!
Presentation Focus
It’s shocking how sales people will allow their assumptions and opinions to rule a sales presentation. I’ll use the hot tub industry as an example. I’ve literally seen it hundreds of times. The sales person, without asking the customer almost any questions at all, begins spewing out information such as how many jets a tub has, the number of motors, water falls and lighting, etc,etc, etc, only to find out the customer has no interest in all those ‘bells and whistles’. In fact, they were just looking for something comfortable and simple with warm, moving water. The reality is this:
As sales professionals, we need to realize that it ain’t but us or how much we know about a product. It’s ONLY about what the customer wants to hear about.
So let us stopping filling customer’s heads with useless information and focus on what makes them tick. This is what makes a customer questionnaire so very valuable.
Preventing Short Term Memory Loss
Of all the value a documented customer questionnaire brings to the sales process, this may be the most important benefit. Let me give you an example. One of the most important questions of any customer questionnaire is:
Mr. Jones, would you say quality or price is more important to you when selecting your hot tub?
Most people will always answer ‘quality’ to this question because
Sir, would you like the court to remind you of your previous testimony?
they are thinking clearly and logically at the beginning of the sales process. Unfortunately, this logical thinking can often dissipate when it comes to the closing phase of the sale. All too often, customers literally forget what’s important to them when pricing comes to the table. This is when they must be reminded of who they are and what they truly believe. Here is an example.
Customer: Well it looks good but it’s $500 more than the other hot tub down the street. That seems like an awfully big difference.
Sales Person: I understand and appreciate your desire to get the biggest bang for your buck Mr. Jones. Let’s compare the two hot tubs for a second. The unit down the street has a 3 year warranty on parts and labor and this unit has a 5 year warranty. Also, our tub comes with a lifetime warranty on the shell whereas the other unit only comes with a 15 year warranty, not to mention the differences in features we’ve already discussed. So based on this information Mr. Jones, which one of the tubs do you feel is better quality?
Mr. Jones: Well, it certainly seems your hot tub is the better built unit.
Sales Person: Yes, that is the case, but I want to remind you of something very important Mr. Jones. Earlier, I asked you some important questions whose purpose was to lead us to a hot tub that would make you the happiest in the long run and meet the needs of you and your family. At that time, I asked you if quality or price was most important to you, and you (pointing to the customer form) said quality was your number one goal. So based on the fact that you feel quality is so important, doesn’t it make sense to you to spend the extra money to ensure your greatest happiness over the long run?
Mr. Jones: Yes, you’re right. This hot tub is what I’m really looking for.
Upon reading this, if it reminds you of a court case where the lawyer reads the testimony back to the witness, then you’re right. By reminding a customer what they said, in a documented form, you’ll overcome that temporary amnesia that leads to buying paralysis almost every time. This skill is critical to your success in sales. It’s principles can be practiced in almost every situation. Such is the power of written documentation.
Customer Information Retention
Have you ever had a customer walk into your store to discuss a product, not end up buying, and leave without you first having taken down their major contact information? If you answered ‘no’, then you’re likely in the less 1 percentile club of retail sales professionals. The mistake of not documenting a customer’s information before they leave the store is one that plagues thousands and thousands of businesses across the globe, and in some cases, thousands of times a day.
As we find ourselves in the age of email and information, our every success and failure can ride on whether or not we’re able to simply get people’s information before they leave our stores. You might be thinking that some people are very leary about giving out such information. Well, this is generally true, which is why I suggest not necessarily pushing hard for someone’s address and telephone number. Although these items are great to have, name and email are absolutely imperative. This concept is often phrased ‘Lead Capture’ and its importance simply can’t be overstated. In fact, I recently wrote a blog on ‘How a Customer Email List Can Save Your Business’
. For those of you thinking that getting a customer’s email will be difficult, just remember this: If you take the time to discuss with a customer their needs and concerns regarding a product and do it in a powerful Q and A manner, this will almost always win their trust and at least give you enough credibility to ‘capture’ their email.
Get ‘Er Done!
The subject of a customer questionaire, along with documention in a retail setting, is one that could literally be written about in volumes. Suffice to say, though, that if you are not currently using a questionaire and documentation in your sales practice, stop losing money and wait not a minute longer. Few things can impact a retail business as much as this powerful sales practice.
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