Why did she still choose to buy the sports watch from the salesman even though I could get it at a considerably cheaper price?
We had visited the store once before and he (the salesman) knew his product in and out, but more than that was that he treated her like she was the only person in the shop. When she walked away that afternoon, she wasn’t 100% decided on the product but knew that if she did decide to purchase the watch down the line, she would choose to only buy from him.
A couple of weeks later, after a few challenges with her current sports watch, she decided enough was enough. Let’s be clear here, the sports watch could have been bought from a multitude of suppliers but due to the attention that she had received from the salesman previously, there was only one direction that she was headed, and that was to “his” shop. The funny thing was that when we arrived, he was on his lunch break. Now, human beings are generally impatient and would usually buy the watch from the next salesperson…but not her. Her previous experience in dealing with this individual was so ‘WOW’ that we decided to go and have a cup of coffee and return after his lunch break.
So yes, in the end, she chose to purchase the right watch for her from “her” salesman.
Customer service has been spoken about to the point of rendering it almost meaningless. However, in times like this where the customer experience can end up being the only real differentiator between a customer choosing your product above the many competing alternatives, why do the service levels so frequently fall below par?
Perhaps, we can learn something from our friendly watch salesman.
- Know your product or service benefits in and out
- When speaking to your customer, be wholly in tune with the customer and their needs
- Provide the correct solution for their individual need
- Follow-up with the customer
- Lastly, make a professional impact that ensures you are top of mind when the customer is ready, i.e. be “their” go-to salesman.