Consumer ambushes

The one most dreaded event on a sales floor, is when the customer walks into a retail location with a two year old publication from one of the so called rating publications, a clip board and a shopping list. Many time floor personnel run for cover with an excuse of some sort. The smart salesperson looks at this customer as an opportunity to close a sale. There are basically 3 things the smart salesperson does when this event occurs. First, acknowledge the fact that the customer is trying to become more informed about a potential purchase. A statement along the lines of it is refreshing to see an informed customer trying to understand a purchase that is not done many times in the customers lives. Second, the salesperson then neutralizes the issue with a comment that the location may not have all the product listed in the publication, but the retailer shares a problem in common with the customer. The retailer must also make the same decisions about what to present to the consumer. The retailer also has to make value judgements as to quality of product in proportion to the selling cost, and relative to the local market conditions, so they may not have all the listed items to show, but will have a comparable itme to consider. After they have gotten agreement on the first two issues, now take the consumer to the product best related to the item of interst, and ignore the publication from that point. This is not a bait and switch. It is a real world solution to help customers make those occasional purchases of reliable product that fits their budget. This customer will also be the most vocal of customers, telling 3 if they are pleased, and 10 if they are unhappy. This customer has the potential of being the best unpaid advertisment of your company.