| Why You MUST ask Qualifying Questions Before You Show A High End Product. |
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Why You MUST ask Qualifying Questions Before You Show A High End Product. I see this whenever I visit a different Vacuum Cleaner store; The customer comes in, asks to look at vacuum cleaners, and the “salesperson” goes to the one they like & starts demonstrating it. No questions ( “How are you?” doesn’t count), no conditioning the customer for a higher price, no finding out what they would like, nothing. We ask, in a conversational way; “Do you prefer uprights or canisters?” “Do you have mostly carpet? Or mostly bare floors?” “Do you have pets?” “Do you have carpeted steps?” “Does anyone have allergies to dust or pollen?” “Is there a price range you have to stay in?” Now, WHY do I ask these questions? First off, who else asks questions before they make a recommendation? Doctors.. Lawyers…people you expect to give a lot of money to, right? People who’s advice you take, right? These questions do many things for me; They show me what not to show the customer. They give me expert status. The customer doesn’t think of me as a clerk. The customer now thinks the thing I show them is exactly what they should get. It gives me a chance to establish more rapport with the customer. Now, I’m not selling as much as recommending. By asking about price, I take away all resistance to price later on. I just show them something barely in the price range they stated, and something else maybe 20-50% more. They usually go for the better one. (you’ll find out why in a minute) Now, in the customer’s mind, who doesn’t ask questions in the beginning? Clerks. And clerks have no expertise, have no authority, and can’t make a recommendation that will be listened to. Now… |