The most wonderful things happen when you are in the company of experts.
The expert I am talking about in this blog is an air conditioning sales person. His name is Jon.
After searching in different stores across Perth one Sunday afternoon, my husband and I came across Jon.
I bought an airconditioner because of my health!
I know a lot about communication, which includes rapport building, questioning skills and conversations to discover customers needs. So I am thoroughly pleased when I get to see these skills in action from experts like our new friend Jon.
Now the place I was in has a solid business model to position themselves the technical expert, this means superior advice and the customer pays for this.
Not being an expert in air conditioning I was to say the least out of my comfort zone.
Now, being picky, there were lots of things Jon could have done differently to secure more purchasing from us (give me a break, I am in the performance improvement business)!
Let’s concentrate on the one thing he did superbly that stood out and amazed me the most.
I didn’t even know I cared!
Me: “I am looking for an air-conditioner for our bedroom.”
Jon: “OK – what’s the size of the bedroom?”
Me: “5.5m x 3.5m (we measured it!)”
Jon: “OK – let me show you the top 3 brands. A, B and C”
(with a wave of his hand we could see they were on the wall in front of us).
Me: “Which one would you recommend?”
Jon: “All of them have different qualities, interestingly enough ‘A’ has been proven by research to minimise health issues.”
Me: “Really? How?”
Jon: “Studies show (and he quoted some figures I can’t remember) that the use of air conditioning can cause dryness and infections to spread, because you are using this in your bedroom – it will minimise nasty bugs and stop that dry throat and mouth feeling when you wake up.”
Me: “Ooh, that’s a good thing, I hate the dry mouth in the morning!”
Me: “So, how does it do this?”
Jon: “Well, have a look at this guard, you can see that the filter is much more sophisticated than product B and C, and is going to be able to prevent a lot of the issues research has seen with health and air conditioners over the years.
The test they did saw hundreds of people test the moisure levels in their rooms, in many conditions, and this product was the one that showed to be most effective in keeping those moisture levels appropriate and less harmful to health.”
There were lots of other explanations about what the research showed, as this is about communication and not air conditioning I’ll stop here!
Hang on a minute…
When I walked into the shop I wanted an air conditioner. I walked out with an air conditioner and also peace of mind about health, which was something I wasn’t even aware of 30 minutes beforehand.
Now some of you are going to be thinking – yes Suzanne – this is a typical case of feature and benefit differentiation in a sales conversation. To which I will absolutely agree with you!
What amazes me is the power and success of picking a strategy with a vision that is to:
i) sell as many of product A because it is top of the line
ii) make more sales and improve the bottom line by selling at the top of the line
iii) equip the sales person with facts, reasons, benefits, knowledge to be confident in the product
iv) make sure the product IS right for the customer at all costs, even if it’s isn’t product A.
Jon simply picked up on a feature and benefit that ‘seemed’ (and this is where he could have done things differently to be better – I’ll get to that) to strike a nerve when mentioned and kept that a trend in our conversation.
He also educated confidently and expertly when comparing to the other products, which were less expensive, but didn’t have this ‘health’ feature.
Let me tell you – this knowledge and expertise was NOT evident in comparable stores. This is why he got the sale. I trusted him with something I know nothing about.
What was missing?
As we are on the subject I have to mention some things that could have been added to our conversation to make it that much more effective:
- Jon should have uncovered our needs more thoroughly first, he asked a great question up front and based all of his material on that alone, which can be assumptive. Ask many questions to fully understand the customers thoughts so the experience is full and fruitful for all involved. No guessing please!
- Jon could have capitalised on other products. I was casually purusing little portable air cons for my office too, if he had have uncovered a little more at the beginning I may have mentioned this! They were too expensive, though you never know, he could have pointed me into another direction and benefit for portable air con that would cook my dinner too – the point is I don’t know what I don’t know, but HE DOES!
I could go on for a while, I imagine you’re getting the point in my experience. Let’s recap in simple terms:
- Know your product/service and it’s benefits compared to competition (even in your own range!)
- Uncover the customers needs to ensure you are talking their language.
- Understand and be prepared to go factual to prove a point, educate them.
- Make a point of difference that matters to those wanting your product/service and TELL THEM about it!
As always I hope there is value in what you read. Thanks to Jon for the inspiration – there is always a learning oppurtunity everywhere you look. Keep watching and learning!
See you soon,
Suzanne
