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Turning Browsers Into Buyers: How to Move From Casual Interest to Purposeful Conversation
his is the fifth and last in our July series on increasing effectiveness early in the interaction, which will impact your ability to close or to schedule an appointment. As always, there will be actions for sales associates to take and for sales managers to take and coach.
This is a pivotal point in communication between the salesperson and the new customer. No pun intended!
How do you move from casual interest to purposeful conversation?
If you have managed to connect and begin to chatter wi…
THE MONTHLY Sales Skills SERIES: Turning Browsers Into Buyers
You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem. You Have a Conversation Problem.
What happens when a customer walks into your showroom and says, “I’m just browsing”?
For many salespeople, the interaction ends almost as quickly as it began. They tell the customer to look around, promise to check back later, and hope another opportunity to connect presents itself.
Usually, the salesperson returns a few minutes later and asks, “Do you have any questions?”
The customer says no.
That is not necessarily a traf…
How to Identify Buying Cues Early
This is the next in our July series on increasing effectiveness early in the interaction, which will impact your ability to close or to schedule an appointment. As always, there will be actions for sales associates to take and for sales managers to take and coach.
Once the conversation begins, the next skill is listening for what the customer is already telling you.
Customers give buying cues early. Sometimes they give them with their words. Sometimes they give them with their questions. Somet…
Before You Greet the Customer, Do This First
Recently, we discussed being UP when you are next up in rotation. UP. Interested. Excited. Enthusiastic. Ready to give the next customer the BEST experience.
Now that the door has opened and the customer is here, take a breath. Take a look. Get a sense of them before you greet them.
Do they appear happy to be here? Do they appear apprehensive or unsure? Are they looking around, or are they focused on something in particular? Are they alone, or with someone? Are they walking quickly, slowly, co…
Traffic Is Not the Problem. Conversion Is.
This is the first in a series on increasing effectiveness early in the interaction, which will impact your ability to close or to schedule an appointment. As always, there will be actions for sales associates to take and for sales managers to take and coach.
Traffic is not the problem. Conversion is.
Since traffic is down in many markets, driven by multiple sources, let’s look at how we can make the best of the traffic that IS coming into the showroom. And let’s start with the first encounter,…
The Most Uncomfortable Questions Usually Matter Most
This is the last in a series on Asking Discovery Questions, the most critical step in the sales process. There will be actions for sales associates and sales managers to accompany each installment.
The primary function of the BADAS Questions is to learn if the customer can buy TODAY by how they answer the questions. Their answers reflect where they are in their buying process.
The questions are not asked in order but asked as a conversation. Ask the easier ones, like Shopping and Timeframe fir…
Managing the Metrics: How Sales Managers Turn Numbers into Performance
Most sales managers have access to more data than ever before.
Traffic counts. Close ratios. Average sale. Protection percentages. Financing results. Revenue reports.
The challenge isn't finding the numbers.
The challenge is knowing what to do with them.
In our recent Sales Manager session, Managing the Metrics, we explored how high-performing sales managers use metrics not simply to track performance, but to improve it.
Because the truth is, metrics are not important because of what they m…
“What Can You Tell Me About the Room as it is Now?” Then, Sketch the Room
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Sketching the room is one of the most valuable tools in a salesperson’s toolbox. Period.
And yet, many salespeople avoid it.
Sketching is not about being an artist. It is about communication.
It is thinking with a pencil. It is creating a shared conversation around the space so the customer and salesperson can get on the same page — literally and figuratively.
When salespeople sketch the room as it exists now, the conversation expands naturally.
Customers begin sharing:
- concerns,
- fru…
The Questions That Move the Conversation Forward
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Bridge Questions are exactly that — a bridge from casual conversation into a productive business discussion. The best salespeople know how to guide this transition naturally.
One question leads to the next question. The conversation deepens. Trust builds. The customer becomes more engaged because they feel heard instead of handled.
Some of the most effective Bridge Questions are simple:
- “What are you hoping to accomplish today?”
- “May I ask you a few questions so I can better help you?” …
Why Discovery is the Most Important Part of the Sales Process
This month, we are focusing on Asking Discovery Questions That Matter because discovery is the most critical step in the sales process.
The point of asking Discovery Questions is to learn what is important to the buyer, to understand more about them and their buying process, and to understand where they are in that process.
Too often, salespeople rush to solutions before they fully understand the customer.
Strong discovery slows the process down in the best possible way.
Discovery Questions …
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