I was listening to a sales rep recently as she stood in my family room and discussed options for window dressings.
Side bar: For those who grew up on the other side of the tracks like me, window dressings are expensive shades. It’s kinda like suspenders (which you buy at Dollar General) versus “braces” (which you procure from Nordstrom).
But I digress…
Our motivation is to reduce the cost of cooling the house by blocking the sun in the south-facing windows. The conversation started with me stating that goal. When the rep uttered the phrase, “aesthetics” I gave my buh-bye and headed for the kitchen.
What came next was interesting and important:
Allison: “So, in this room, we want to block the sun coming in from the large window in the front of the house.”
Sales rep: “What about the two that face the back yard? Do you want to do those as well?”
Great upselling, I thought to myself, but I also heard a distinct “cha-ching” in my head.
Allison: “Hmm…I’m not sure. But shouldn’t all the windows in a room have the same treatments?”
Sales rep: “You know what? Let’s start with the front. You might feel that’s enough or you could always add the back ones later.”
And with that statement, a sales rep earned my trust.
Simply by not pushing on that point, I immediately felt this person had our best interests in mind. She gained credibility. The “HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO SPEND? ALLISON, WE CAN’T AFFORD THAT!” objection I already had loaded in the husband cannon was defused.
Side bar: It’s Allison who edits these tips. Can’t wait to see what she does with that statement! Editor’s note/tip: Pay no attention to Bill’s opinion about window dressings. – AF
But I digress…
I don’t know if I was experiencing a tactic written into the company playbook or an accidental comment spoken with sincerity. My point is, earning a client’s trust starts with reading the room. Go ahead and talk options and add-ons but understand there aren’t a lot of “The sky’s the limit” budgets out there anymore.
It is never a bad idea to spend the customer’s money as if it were your own.
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