Loosen Up Shoppers to Reveal Flaws

People shop to correct shortcomings. When somebody admits to a flaw, there’s the opportunity to make a sale. So how do we make it more likely that our shoppers will drop the defensiveness?
     What would work if you were the customer? Please think now of a flaw you have that would make it more likely you’d purchase something sold in your store. Some shortcoming you admit you have, but don’t talk about to everybody, maybe because it’s embarrassing.
     Got that personal flaw in mind? Okay, read on.
     Suppose you’re shopping on my ecommerce site for the first time. I present you with a questionnaire saying I’d like to get to know more about you so I can better meet your needs. An item on the questionnaire asks specifically about that flaw.
     The question is the same on both versions of the questionnaire. Yes, there are two versions. On one version, the website header has the store logo on the left and on the right reads, “Survey on Strengths & Weaknesses” in a professional black font. On the other version of the questionnaire, the website header has on the left a cartoon devil logo and on the right reads, “How BAD Are U???” in a bright red font.
     On which of those two would you be more likely to admit to a flaw? The questionnaire with the professional look or the one with the very casual look? Please make your pick and then read on. (I realize the title of this posting could be a spoiler. You couldn’t help looking back at the title, could you? But if that’s your biggest flaw, you’re fine.)
     Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University explored this issue of people revealing their shortcomings. What did they find? If you are like most of the people who were in that study, you’d be more likely to admit to your flaw when the questionnaire is casual.
     With our shoppers, elicit information about flaws by loosening them up. We don’t want to leave the impression of an unprofessional business, though. In some retail settings, the “How BAD Are U???” approach works fine, but in other settings with other sorts of customer expectations, you’ll want to use techniques like gentle humor and casual conversation to do the loosening.
     Then once the flaw is revealed, promptly move toward the sale by describing the remedy you can provide.

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