Spork Marketing

When I was a senior in high school, I got a job working for (gasp!) the local Radioshack. It was my first sales job, and I actually learned quite a little bit about sales when I worked their. They had some decent sales training materials that I took to heart. I can’t remember it all now, but a nice explanation of “buying signals” sticks out in my mind. I also learned a few objection handlers, some rudimentary closing techniques, the importance of pitching every customer every time, how to greet customers, etc. Basic sales to be sure, but I did OK.

But this isn’t about me - this is about one of the best sales lessons I ever learned in my life. I’d rank it as one of the most important pieces of information I have stored in my brain. Have I built it up enough? Are you excited? Here goes:

Customers often don’t know or understand what it is that they want.

Wow! Doesn’t seem so ground-breaking does it? Still, there isn’t one day that goes by that I don’t see a business or individual fail to recognize this basic truth.

At Radioshack, this is how it would happen. Customer walks in, says “I need this specific _blank_.” The _blank_ might have been a part, a battery, a cell phone, whatever. I’d say “No problem. Let me show you where that is.” Then, innocent as a school boy, I’d ask “What are you making/doing/what’s it for?”

Sometimes the answers were specific, confident, and concise. On those occasions, I’d move on and try to sell a cell phone or something. Most of the time, however, the answer was vague and the customer clearly had no confidence in what they were saying. THIS was what I was looking for. It gave me an opening to sell. I’d start asking them more about whatever it was they were trying to do, and before I knew it I was selling them exactly what they needed or wanted.

The point is this: What the customer eventually bought was often different than what they asked for.

Is this true at your business? You bet. Every day customers walk in and ask for something, and you (or your employees) often give it to them without taking the time to consider if that’s what they really need or want. If you want to find out if this is really happening at your business, talk to your customers that are making returns or that are upset/dissatisfied. You’ll often find the problem is that they failed to ask for the right product/service. If you want to fix it, make sure you and your staff take the time to ask questions before the customer buys. If this is done properly, customers will appreciate that you’re looking out for them, and you’ll often find that you end up selling your customers something other than what they asked for.

Back at Radioshack, this point was hammered home every day and every sales meeting by my boss Ron Simon. He would always tell me “When a customer walks in the door and asks for something, you say ‘What the hell are you trying to do?’“

Ron, if you’re reading this, thanks a lot.

Jason