Retail News - January/February 2008

Continued from page 60

There are those customers who are mainly looking for bargains. Unfortunatley, it’s your competitors who are to blame for this mindset. And as if price-cutters weren’t enough of a problem, consumers can now buy everything on the Internet, from costume jewellery to designer armchairs, often at discounted prices.

Conversely, good salespeople don’t give anything away. Instead, they pull out all the stops – the handmade set of knives and a sharpening tool. They employ the rule of thumb that people don’t buy discounts and reductions, but rather values and usefulness. Customers want to feel like they’ve gotten a good deal, which brings us to selling psychology. When they’re uncertain, customers tend to go for mid-priced items. For example, if someone is looking for a beautiful silver candleholder, only a bad salesperson will show them your bestseller for $100 and then the much-finer $200 version. In this case, the average customer will choose the alternative, a $150 candleholder. Yet, if the salesperson presents a splendid $300 version, the upper limit would be established at a higher level and the customer will be willing to pay a higher amount. In this case, most customers would buy the

$200 candleholder.

Sometimes it even takes the right music to create business.

During a test in an American wine store, it was proven that customers listening to light classical music purchased bottles three times as expensive as when the background music was pop music.

YOU CAN’T

TAKE PRECISE

AIM WITH AN ARROW

FROM A HAMMOCK.

Whatever the sounds that penetrate the ears of sensitive customers, it often happens that salespeople ruin a sale literally at the last moment. Even though the customer has already clearly signalled his or her willingness to make the purchase, the salesperson opens up the sales talk once again at the end. He or she presents this or that alternative, providing a reason for the customer to reconsider their decision to make the purchase. On the other hand, strong salespeople make the decision for their customers, but convey to them a sense of having made the choice for themselves.