In part two of our sales refresher course, leader marketing activation UK, LIXIL EMENA, responsible for marketing Grohe UK, Ebru Bircan says ask questions and focus on the senses to sell

Aside from wanting to view the latest products, consumers will visit retailers and showrooms for their personal expertise and guidance when it comes to finding the perfect designs for their home.

This is where retailers have a real opportunity to grow an organic relationship with the customer and earn their trust.

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Avoid falling into the trap of leaping to product suggestions: this is the time to take a step back and do less, ensuring your customers feel heard and that you listen out for those key indicators that can lead to that all important sales conversion.

Open technique

The art of selling is a fine balance for retailers to strike. Typically, consumers want to seek guidance from a professional before making a purchase, but equally don’t like to be “sold” to.

A good perception of body language combined with an open yet engaging first exchange with a prospective customer can be the make or break of a sale.

When entering into the first conversation with a new customer, there are many age-old techniques that still apply today.

Ensure your tone remains direct yet open with room for the customer to direct the narrative of the conversation; this can help them feel empowered and therefore more likely to engage in a conversation or sales exchange.

A direct closed question can have the opposite effect and can very quickly bring any potential of a sales transaction to a grinding halt.

The 6 Ws

Following the basic principle of the 6Ws – establishing the who, what, where, why, when and how – is a helpful practice to utilise at the early stages of a sales pitch.

Often a customer won’t know how to communicate what they need, or they may not even know what they are looking for.

Your role, as the retailer, is to help them reach that level of understanding by auditing their current product, situation, pain points and aspirations to present a solution that will consolidate all their needs.

Focus on senses

Once a suitable product recommendation has been identified, the technical details and benefits of that product can then help verify your suggestion and further help secure a sale.

However, in-depth technical and detailed explanations rarely work – they can be overwhelming, and the customer can quickly switch off.

Instead, it pays to have a really consolidated understanding of the products you’re selling so that you can communicate the technical details in a much more simplistic, consumer-friendly manner.

Focusing on the senses here – how the product will look, what it will do and how it will make them feel – if for example, selling a shower system – can offer a much more tangible context that can help the customer connect on an emotional scale.

Analogies or even physical demonstrations, where relevant, also have a role to play here in helping to bring the products to life and can help to transfer key product knowledge to the customer when dealing with more complex concepts or technology, such as thermostatic valves and fluctuations in temperature.

Read part one of our Sales Refresher on first impressions or new and seasoned retailers can also take a refresh on key sales skills over at www.grohe-x.com as well as finding lots of helpful articles on trends and product information.