Here’s a common sales mistake.
My wife, Jenna, walked into a Volvo dealership.
The salesperson treated Jenna like she didn’t know anything about the XC40 Recharge.
Here’s the exchange:
Salesperson: “Hi, what brings you in today?”
Jenna: “I want to see the XC40 Recharge.”
Salesperson shifts into persuasion gear:
“You’re going to love it.”
“The Recharge is pure electric.”
“Google is built in.”
“You get 226 miles of range.”
The problem?
Jenna spent the last three weeks watching videos and reading up on the XC40 Recharge. She was further along in the buying journey. She probably knew more about the XC40 Recharge than the salesperson did.
Jenna came to the dealership to hear how loud the road noise was.
The salesperson’s mistake?
He was selling everyone the same way.
So Jenna left. Because when you don’t feel heard and understood, that’s what you do 🙂
The lesson?
Adjust your approach based on where the customer is in the buying journey.
How?
Shift from persuading to understanding.
Here’s what understanding sounds like:
Salesperson: “Seems like you have a reason for visiting us today.”
Jenna: “I want to see the XC40 Recharge.”
Salesperson: “Sounds like you’ve done some research.”
Jenna: “I have.”
Salesperson: “What do you want to know about the XC40 Recharge?”
Jenna: “I want to drive the car so that I can hear the road noise.”
Salesperson: “I’ll get the keys and won’t say a word.”
The lesson?
People don’t buy because they understand you.
They buy because you understand them.
