The Masters of Legendary
Service
What the best salespeople do
All of us have experienced the
occasion of observing a sales person demonstrating extraordinary
skills. If you have had the opportunity of interacting with this
salesperson when you were shopping, a master of legendary service,
undoubtedly it was a pleasant experience you will long remember.
All of us with the responsibility
of supervising any number of sales people have wished we could clone
the extraordinary salesperson, knowing our sales would reflect a
very substantial increase. While the inner drive fueling the master
of legendary service is a study within itself, there are several
skills that we can observe and educate our sales people with.
The
masters of legendary service are skilled in utilizing five types
of questions to learn more about customers, their needs, and to
close the sale. The masters, regardless of the product mix of the
store, also know the three things they are selling and in what sequence
they should be presented to the customer.
The master will begin
their conversation with a prospective customer by engaging with
an "open" or "probing" question
or statement. The open format can be as simple as a statement welcoming the customer, or inviting a comment in a "neutral area" such as the weather, a new product you sell, or a local sports team.
Utilizing the probing technique
requires the master having some additional information about the
customer. This would occur for the sales person when the customer
has "landed" at a particular display, or is examining a RC car, or other similar
information.
The probing questions are appropriate
at this point because the sales person has the ability to ask what
prompted the customer's interest in the item, or why the customer
is looking at a certain product.
Using a "why" question opens the
door for additional probing questions. "How do you like this
new car?" The answer will probably include explanations of
having owned another car by that manufacturer, or a recommendation
from a friend. Armed with this insight, the master sales person
is able to continue with the necessary questions which precede
the closing of the sale.
The third type of question a
master can utilize is a closed ended question. The master will use
the question in several places. The closed ended question can be
a part of the assumed sale when the master asks the customer if
this item is for the purchaser or is going to be a gift. The master
can also use the closed ended question to create an add on sale. "Since
this is a gift, would you like to give them an extra battery pak
to go with it?"
Imagine the customer, having
made a selection of an item, being asked by the master, "Is one enough, or
would two be better?" The master knows 17% of the time, the
customer will decide to take the second item.
By definition,
the closed ended question is one in which the answer is "yes" or "no".
The closed ended question is the most frequently used type of
question. Unfortunately, we all experience it every day with the
lesser quality salesperson as they are asking, "Can I help
you?"
The fourth type of question
is as often a statement as it is a question. The emotional question
or statement can give reinforcement of the relationship with the
customer with an "I
value your opinion", or a question/statement of "I know you have three or four cars from this manufacturer. How do you
like his new one?" In examining the four questions we have
already discussed, it is important to explain that the four can
often be used in conjunction with each other, in a variety of
sequences, as well as blended so to create the appropriate scenario
for the master. These four being reviewed, the fifth question
remains, and is set apart for reasons which will be explained.
The "leading" question, while a type of question a master
is aware of, is used sparingly. A sales person known for being pushy or a high-pressure sales person is more apt to use the leading
question. Any example of the leading question can be observed
when the customer has shown a preference for a lower priced product,
and the sales person responds by asking, "You don't really
want to purchase the lesser quality set, do you? You know it will
not last as long."
While this may help to close
a sale, the master does not utilize it because he or she recognizes
the long term value of the customer. It is not simply the dollars
generated by the commission of this one sale. Instead, the master
is aware of the lifetime value of the customer.
For those looking
for a monetary lifetime value, calculate the average sale of the
business multiplied by the number of purchases per year by the customer,
again multiplied by the number of years a customer will shop with
the business. Now, look at the commission, or profit, from this
calculation.
This is a much larger amount
of money, and the master being aware of it, is looking for the long
term relationship as compared for the "quick sale".
Lastly, the master is
aware of the three items he, or she, is selling. As a master enters
into an interaction with a customer, they are expending their
efforts to sell themselves to the customer. They build a relationship
utilizing the questions appropriate for the situation, and assist
the customer in achieving a level of comfort with the sales person
as well as a level of satisfaction in the knowledge of the master.
The master then sells the business
in which they work. A master can often explain to the customer that
this is the business they have selected to work in, as it is the
most harmonious to the master's business philosophy and religious
beliefs.
After a master has sold their
self and the business, they are now free to sell their product or
service. And when the customer is ready to make another purchase,
the first thing they will decide will be to talk to the master of
legendary service.
