A customer can be a client, a patron, a consumer or a purchaser. The definition is specifically a person who purchases goods or services from another but it is much more than that if your goal centers on their satisfaction and your hope revolves upon their continued patronage.
It is helpful to remember that it is not only the product or service that you are selling but also the relationship you are building. Customers have valid expectations and it is the sole job of the provider to fulfill them. Otherwise, and rightly so, they will seek out their desires elsewhere.
Each customer is unique. They come to you in particular with hopes that you are unique as well and can offer them exactly what they need. Normally, their search has been well scrutinized so honesty will be at the top of their requests. The biggest mistake many make is assuming the customer doesn’t know what they want or what choices may be available to them. In most instances, their exhaustive investigations have thoroughly educated them in the various options and they are looking for something more. That is where you can make a difference and gain not only their business but also their confidence.
It may be that your primary focus should be on offering direction instead of advice. Treating your buyer as well informed will ingratiate them and make them feel like you understand their specific goal. However, it is your expertise that will seal the deal if presented with tact and respect. Most folks can readily tell the difference between being sold something and being offered a viable alternative. All too often trying to persuade someone that you know better can backfire if not delivered with finesse.
Remembering that sales are not constituted by either person on one side of the desk or counter is a good starting point. The customer should never be expected to change what they are looking for in a product or service, never be assumed to not fully expect satisfaction and never be told they are wrong. Naturally they are not always correct but that is where you can and should be offering solutions. It takes many skills to gain the seller advantage in the exchange of purchasing and topping that list is listening. Too often we are all too ready with our expertise to have heard the one thing that would have made the experience a memorable one for that buyer.
Therefore, the ultimate and attainable solution is for the seller to be as unique as the purchaser. You need to be able to offer them something that no one else will by hearing the one thing they are seeking and have not yet found. Your goal should be about creating a relationship in which you are trusted to be honest, expected to be attentive and assumed to be knowledgeable. The need to be flexible in your opinion and accepting of theirs is not always your first instinct but it will go far in forming a confidence to not only find a customer but retain a customer. Considering that word of mouth can be a great asset to any company, once you’ve crossed that bridge you will find others seeking your assistance as well.
Your intention should not be as much to sell but to fulfill a need.
In today’s market, competition is a given and more than likely available right across the street. You never lose only one sale because again, word of mouth spreads like wildfire. The internet offers many opportunities to vocalize an experience for the customer to share with the entire world. Someone is always listening. Make sure it is you.
“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”―Henry Winkler