Strive First to Understand the Customer

Just imagine, you’re recently engaged and you have just walked into a bridal show in a huge convention center room lined with aisles upon aisles of vendors. You have done little planning to date – all you really know is that you’re going to be getting married, you’re about 12 months out from the wedding, and you have a few potential venues in mind. Your two main goals at the show are to get some ideas and dodge the Bridezillas.

(Bear with me as the bridal show scenario continues, I’m going somewhere with this…)

As you enter the show, you quickly assess the vendors nearest the door with the briefest of glances so as not to be lured in by their strong sales pitches. You look for the one vendor you know, needing some starting point in all this craziness. After a brief conversation with that one familiar vendor, you venture out to see what else the show has to offer.

After exchanging brief smiles with a few of the more easy-going vendors…POUNCE!

“Let’s get you signed up for our deal? Rent five tuxes and you’ll get one free.”

Uhh…

Does this salesman know whether you are completely overwhelmed by the show and just trying to find your way around? NO

Does the salesman know whether your wedding is 14 days away, 14 months away or if the date hasn’t been set yet? NO

Does the salesman have any idea how many men will be in the wedding party? NO

Sure, this vendor may have had a few bites on its deal, but I’m guessing they had more people rapidly walking by trying to avert their eyes, for fear of being pounced on.

When you’re trying to sell your wares, strive to first understand the customer.

It would certainly help to know when my wedding is – If I don’t have my tuxes arranged at 14 days out, I probably have some more significant problems with organization. If I’m 14 months away, tuxes are probably one of the last things on my mind.

As a vendor, wouldn’t it pay off to differentiate your company from others selling the same product? Wouldn’t it help to better understand your customer’s needs, so you know how and when it will be appropriate to pitch the sale?

To that unsuspecting recently engaged couple, it could be far more effective to start with: “Do you know what you might be looking for in a tux?” or “Can I show you some of our most popular tuxes?” Further down the line, that offer of a free rental might come in handy, but first, you need to understand the customer.

What strategies do you use for better understanding the needs of you customers and clients? What would you recommend?