- Allow customers to show off their expertise when they’re in your store. Many consumers recommend a store and particular products after their self-esteem is raised. At the same time, a challenge with those considering themselves to be experts is that they too often don’t update their knowledge about the product category. Researchers at Duke University recommend that salespeople create an incentive for discovering what’s new. Since an incentive for many experts is showing off their knowledge, the salesperson might say to the expert something like, “It is clear that you know a lot about this type of product. May I share with you some of the latest versions we have and ask you what benefits you see that these new products hold for our customers?”
- Research at University of Pittsburgh and University of South Carolina finds that experts are attracted to categorization in ways that surprise them. Sporting equipment might be categorized by the sizes of the items. Power tools might be categorized by the type of job they could be used to complete. Clothing might be categorized by color. Foods might be categorized by country of origin. By surprising the expert, we get them to pay attention, and a customer who pays attention is more open to seeing the value in a higher priced option.
- Experts like to be served by staff who show high competence. The salesperson’s dress and body language say a lot as the prospective customer asks, “How much does this salesperson look like somebody I’d like to be?” If the store is busy, does the salesperson appear to have things under control? Then as the salesperson asks questions and answers the customer’s questions, it gets clearer. Customers don’t expect the salesperson to know everything. However they do expect the salesperson to get the answer when the salesperson doesn’t know and to do a personal handoff to another salesperson when necessary.
Have Staff Who Show and Share Expertise
Give Experts Novel Product Categories
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