SELLING SMART
The Perception Battle Don’t let consumers get away with thinking there are better places to go, online or elsewhere
By Steve Firszt
t used to be that store salespeople were the best sources for reliable knowledge about electronics technology. The good ones made their stores destinations for people who wanted to better understand technology and the right products to buy. Store salespeople understood that successful selling was
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about more than just the product itself. It was about the total package being offered: a fairly priced solution to a customer need or want, a convenient delivery system and a lasting re- lationship with a store known for its customer care. The best store salespeople had a knack for presenting the advantages of the entire package.
It used to be that store salespeople competed primarily with salespeople from other stores. But today, stores and their salespeople compete with something larger than any local competitor has ever been — the perception that stores and salespeople are no longer the best source of information. The perception that the solutions offered by most stores are not superior; that the delivery system offered by most stores is not the most convenient; and that a relationship with a store is not as valuable as it once was.
BE A BELIEVER This perception is damaging enough when it is held by con-
sumers. It is fatal if it is shared by the store itself, and/or its salespeople. If you and your salespeople believe your store is,
40 Mobile Electronics June | July 2012
in fact, the best source of information, solutions and service, you have the single most important feeling you need to sell suc- cessfully: belief. Belief fuels passion and conviction. Conviction fuels confidence. Confidence helps you sell higher-ticket solu- tions at higher margins while improving your close rate. That’s a powerful sales trifecta.
If your store and salespeople have that belief, you’ll also
have the desire to maintain your place as the best source of information, solutions and service. It is this desire that will drive you to make the changes to stay great in an ever-changing marketplace. It was over 15 years ago when I first heard the notion that
online shopping would someday overtake retail. While it has proven true in some highly visible cases — no more record stores, few remaining book stores, an ever-dwindling number of movie rental stores — the Internet is a compromised place to buy electronics. It cannot provide personal assistance, product demonstrations, installation or same-day delivery. What it can do is offer a vast selection of low-priced products (with no sales tax). That’s where we all tend to focus when we think of the Internet as a threat to our business. But the Internet offers more than just low prices. If you can successfully emulate other things that are good about online shopping, and add the advantages of having a physical store- front and market presence, then you stand a very good chance.
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