Recently I found myself in an electronics store and saw how good communication skills can either bridge a generation gap or widen it.
I witnesses a woman, who must have been at least 75 years old, asking a 20-something sales associate about iPads.
“What does it do?” the woman asked. She clearly was aware of the fact that iPads exist but didn’t know much more.
“It’s great for downloading apps or making calls with Facetime,” the sales associate replied.
“What’s an app?” she said.
“It’s something you buy from the app store. Most apps are about a dollar but some are free,” he explained or rather thought he explained.
I didn’t see the end of this conversation but my guess is that the confused look on the woman’s face did not signal her being a future owner of an iPad.
While the woman was technically ignorant, the sales associate was a digital dud. He seemed happy to regurgitate information but nothing that he was saying was helping move his potential customer toward a sale. Could he boost his sales by learning to connect with the senior citizen market?
If you want to sell more this holiday season, you need to Clear the Path of regurgitative sales. Try these strategies instead:
Ask Questions
The sales associate should have asked the woman if she currently has a computer, and if she does, what she uses it for. This could have determined whether an iPad was the best match for her.
Something brought her into the store, eyeing an iPad. Find out what it was. And if it’s not the right fit, by establishing rapport, you’re more likely to redirect the customer to another computer.
Find the Need
For some seniors, the attraction of an iPad isn’t about a bunch of apps but rather the chance to have a portable photo album of your grandchildren.
Simply by asking, “What are the three things you want to do on this machine?” you can determine potential needs.
If someone doesn’t know, ask more questions like, “Do you want to be able to check your email from McDonalds?” or “Do you like to play games like solitaire on a computer?”
Find out what they like and remember that what they like may not be the same as what you like.
Facts are Good, Facts are Worthless
It’s good to have command of your subject area. But all the facts in the world are useless if you can’t connect them to your potential customer.
While some people may be impressed by a computer’s processing speed, not everyone cares about it. They may be more interested in whether it comes in pink.
Why should you care about this? If you know that the customer likes pink then you can explain that while the iPad doesn’t come in that color, you can make it pink with the purchase of a pink cover and case. Suddenly, you’ve just sold more.
This won’t happen if you respond, “iPads only come in white and black.”
Bottom line: While it may take more time to communicate better with your customers, you’ll boost your bottom line by connecting with more of them.
Sales needs more communicators. We’ve got plenty of duds.
