Turning Five Consumer Excuses Into A Sales Opportunity

Wondering how to improve yourself or your store staff in sales? Consumers often feel that they cannot trust sellers. That is why you are often confronted with excuses as to why they do not want to buy a certain expensive item. Bob Phibbs lists five common consumer excuses and how you can turn it into a sales opportunity. Which one do you hear the most often?

What you hear as a retailer is, they have no money for it. If you believe this, you risk projecting this idea onto all customers and seeing it as a good excuse. We tell ourselves that people just aren’t buying anything right now. Research shows that this is actually never the case. Even during tougher economic times, people continue to buy. This ‘reason’ for a lower sale may give you a good feeling for a while, but you no longer sell through it.

Fact: People who don’t have money don’t go shopping. Your goal is to make it clear to them that not buying the product is making their lives more difficult, not easier. Show the customer all the details and benefits and convince them that this watch or piece of jewelry is really the best buy right now. Another way is through downselling. Show a similar, but cheaper product. Then tell them that with this they are missing a number of options that they thought were important. Something that is common in retail.

This statement is often heard by the shopkeeper in response to the first greeting. You think; ‘they don’t need my help’. The danger of believing this statement is that you will passively wait for the customer to say, “Okay, I’ll take it.” If you really think customers don’t need your help, you’ll end up settling for little. There was probably more to get out of it…

So when a customer says they just want to look around, say, “Great, we’ve got a lot of great stuff to look at, including our latest collection we have here,” and then walk away. As soon as you see the customer holding something or standing somewhere for a long time, wait a while and then rejoin the customer. Then make an effort to build a bond. Bombarding customers with products without having a connection first only irritates them. Use ‘we’re just looking around’ as a stepping stone, not a rejection, and you’ll be able to make a sale.

This is what many retailers hear at the end of a sales conversation. Its interpretation is: This product is not what we want. What they are actually saying is one of a much more general nature, we want to get away from you and we don’t want to hurt you. Instead of showing more products or asking more questions, hand over the sales to a colleague. Sometimes personalities just don’t match. This realization, before they leave the store, can boost sales.

This phrase can pop up at any stage of the sale, but it’s especially common at the end. This seems to indicate that the customer is not the one who is allowed to make the decisions. Basically what they are saying is that they don’t trust you as a seller. You probably didn’t work hard enough on building a customer relationship, but started touting products too early. After hearing this phrase, kindly repeat what the customer said they were looking for. Give her three benefits of your product choice and then end the conversation.

If they really have to consult with their partner, then at least they have received enough arguments to indicate that buying the product is a smart choice. But often enough they will hear your arguments and immediately make a purchase – provided a relationship of trust has already been established.

What you hear is, “You’re selling it at too high a price.” If you really come to believe this, you may start looking for ways to lower the price. In fact, the retailer is doing itself a disservice. You are the one who adds value to a product.

Basically what the customer is saying is it’s too expensive relative to the benefits it’s going to bring me. If this is your customer, they want to hear that this product will make their life a little easier, more special. You work with these products every day and you know why they cost a little more. Your customers don’t, so take the time to let them know so they can say, “I’m worth it.”

Are there days when you have barely managed to sell anything? Every retailer experiences it once. Don’t fall into the trap of saying it’s all up to the customers. Often it also depends on the attitude and the energy you put into a sales situation. If things aren’t going well, take a break. Go for a walk to clear your head or look at pictures of things you are proud of, your home, your children, or listen to motivational music.

Can you always pull off a sale anywhere? Of course not.

Retail sales remain a game. But you can improve your chances by not taking all customer excuses seriously. Make sure you find a solution that is ethical and creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.