I enjoy selling and I enjoy buying. Selling more than buying, most days! I find the buyer side of me stopping to observe the seller’s technique and approach when I’m attempting to buy something. In the past week, I have seen the opposite ends of the sales spectrum.
Two recent “buy” decisions involved VERY different sales approaches. As you might expect, both situations involved retail sales.
The first situation involved a sales person performing a knowledge dump of all the COOL, VERY COOL technology I would be getting. The sales person had NO idea what I was looking for, how I would use the technology or why I came through the door. I will say the enthusiasm and product knowledge was impressive, but I didn’t see the value of two-thirds of the technology . . . at least not for me. After hearing everything I was up against (or entitled to), I knew the price would scare me. It did and price became an issue – I failed to see the value of all the “cool stuff” and wondered what my alternatives might be? (I’m still looking into that)
The second situation was quite different. The sales person asked very good questions about my needs, goals, timing, etc. What impressed me most was the “Value” statement I heard to recap our brief conversation. After understanding the value I would receive, the price was underwhelming – I was sold!
It’s pretty basic but worth repeating – people buy to meet a need. Value is more important than price. Uncover the need, convey the value, close the deal.