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More to the point!
November 30, 2007
There is a very contagious bug running through the sales industry. More and more salespeople I run into have caught the disease and have yet to even know they have the affliction. Very few are seeking a cure for the disease. The disease I am referring to is pointing. Point a customer here or point them there. Everywhere you go salespeople are pointing customers in all sorts of directions.
The watches are right over there. The day-beds are back in that corner of the store. The men’s casual shoes are right over on the sidewall. Look around, if you see anything you are interested in I’ll be right over there. The brochures are up by the counter. You’ll find the blank tapes in the middle of the store by the customer service counter. Customer Service Counter?? The problem comes to play in that these salespeople don’t realize that pointing a customer to go somewhere is very similar to pointing people to the door or to their cars.
It is difficult enough for a salesperson to get customers into a conversation without adding the burden of pointing people away. Please don’t confuse the “pointing disease” with a “verbal map”. The two are very different. With the fear and resistance that many people have of salespeople, every opportunity that you have to carry on a conversation must be utilized. When a customer is asking about specific merchandise they are telling you I am ready to talk now! DO NOT POINT! Start conversing about the product or service they are interested in. Walk them to the product and carry on a conversation while you are in the process.
Through asking about something specific they are telling the salesperson they are interested in not only looking at “it”, but quite possibly, buying “it” as well. To simply point the customer in a given direction is the same thing as telling them we are not really interested in talking to them much less selling them something. Let’s all do our part as good customers. Next time you run into a so called salesperson who points and doesn’t walk you to the item, ask them if they could point you in the direction of a good salesperson.
www.iastraining.com
Posted by Brad Huisken on November 30, 2007 | Comments (0)
