Every sales pitch can use some improvement or even just some freshening and touching up. One of the keys is just listening to your customer. You need to hear what they are saying not what you THINK they’re saying. By listening, you can understand how your product can meet your customer’s needs best. “So you would like a vase of pink roses with babies breath AND a pink and white tulle ribbon not a satin ribbon?” “You feel that the pink tulle is more feminine?”
Ask questions. The more information you find out from your customer about what they want the better you can help them. People will tell you what they want if you ask the right question. Ask relevant questions such as, “What’s the favorite flower of the person for which you’re ordering? Do they have a color preference? Are they allergic to scented flowers?” These type of questions help you help the customer.
Be honest. Don’t promise something you can’t deliver. “Why yes, we have beautiful pink roses in the front cooler”. You know they are more peach than pink and the customer will know it too when they see them. Sell what you have not what you think they’ll take. If you’re wrong, you can lose the sale and have a complaint.
Be enthusiastic: Like what you do and it will show in your sales technique. If you don’t believe in your product, then it will come through in your voice. Enthusiasm is contagious and your customer will catch it. “It’s for your daughter’s birthday and she’s 16? We have the perfect balloon that will go with that vase of flowers. It’s a Sweet 16 Mylar with pink roses on it!”.
Don’t be overly aggressive. Sales people that try to talk their customers into something they don’t want will most likely lose that sale. The customer will be left with a bad taste in their mouth and return what they bought. Know when to back off and let them make up their own mind. “If you want to think about the Sweet 16 Mylar, that’s fine. If you’d like to add it on, just call back and we’ll attach it, no problem.”
Don’t run your competition into the ground, it makes you look petty. Trying to make yourself look good at the other guy’s expense never works. Compare your products positively and factually with your competition. Give examples where you product is proven to be the better one. “Yes, we get these Madame roses in fresh twice a week from our supplier. They’re the freshest in town”.
Make them want to come back. When building a relationship with a customer, you may not make a lot of profit at first. It’s the repeat trips back and spreading the word about you to friends and family that builds a good customer relationship. If they know you can sell them what they need or want, they’ll be back again and again.
by Linda Lee Ruzicka
Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and for Salesheads. More of her blogs can be found at Salesheads blog.
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