Twenty years ago, a sales error could be easily traded off with a new customer. Today, in the competitive sales environment of the Internet and online shopping, it may mean that the customer is lost, most likely to the Internet, forever. Despite the current economic climate, online sales are increasing on a year-to-year basis because they offer the same products at significant lower prices. Yet, they lack the personal rapport with the customer and a competent staff available to handle questions.
However, sales people often make unconscious errors that can cost their companies millions of dollars. On the other hand, if they avoid these mistakes, they will increase their sales record and enhance customer loyalty, which will, ultimately, lead to increased sales through repeated purchases and referrals.
One of the most common sales errors is being unfamiliar with the product. There are often cases that sales people do not know the product characteristics and cannot handle efficiently the questions of customers. Particularly, in consumer electronics that technology is changing at a swift pace, sales people must be well educated and trained on a constant basis to be able to sell the product and explain intricate attributes such as ‘phase coating’ or ‘twilight factor’. Besides, customers are not anymore as they used to be twenty years ago. They have become so sophisticated and demanding that, often, they know more about a product than the salesperson. In this aspect, there is nothing more embarrassing than a salesman being unconfident in front of a customer and trying to sell a product he/she is not familiar with. An uneducated answer will definitely cost the sale.
Sales people often fall in the trap of trying to impress the customer with too many options. However, no matter how educated today’s customers are, still they can be intimidated and confused if they are offered too many alternatives for a single product. Instead of being impressed, they will most likely be driven to the store next door. Customers should be asked on their expectations from the product. There are so many similar products in the market that can do pretty much the same job. For a successful sale, it is extremely important to understand what the customers are looking for and what is their primary intent for use of the product. By determining the customer’s primary uses and budget, staff can narrow down the number of products they can offer. By offering two options maximum, sale becomes simpler and customers can decide easier.
Another common sales error is presenting expensive products first. Any customer wants the best, high-end product and any salesman wants to sell the best product. This is often the result of high enthusiasm, but it may kill the sale if the customer doesn’t have the budget to back it up. Once customers realize they cannot afford the best, they might walk away and buy nothing at all because they don’t want to compromise for anything less than the best they have seen. It’s all a matter of human psychology. In this aspect, salespeople should first determine the budget of the customer in order to be able to choose two different products within the determined price range. Shooting for higher price products is a good thing, but it’s irreversible once a customer is hooked at the most expensive one.
Not inspecting the products before offering them to customers is another sales error. Simply grabbing a product and hand it on to a customer is a very bad first impression that can make the difference in a failing sale. Even high quality products won’t appear superior if they need to be adjusted, cleaned, or set properly. They will look like any other product that is thrown on the shelf. Staff should be trained to inspect all products before offering them to customers to be sure everything works properly.
Finally, many salespeople fall in the trap of talking too much. Generally, a salesperson should describe the product and answer any customer question. Other than that, when customers try the product or look at it and think where and how they can use it, it’s better to be left in silence so they concentrate and think if this product satisfy their needs after all. In other words, products have the great ability of selling themselves and therefore, distracting the customer with nonstop talking can definitely kill the sale.
