With COVID restrictions easing, it’s time to think about returning business as normal (or as near to normal as possible). And that means selling to customers in-person. There are plenty of reasons why the age-old sales technique of conversation remains the best. Let’s take a look at the top three.

Understand your customers and their needs

Sure, e-Commerce might give you data analytics and sending out surveys might answer some of your questions about what your customers want, but nothing compares to the wealth of information you can gather from a face-to-face interaction with your customers. Selling is all about getting to know your customers, listening to what they want and presenting them with the solutions. Understanding the problem you are solving enables you to tailor your proposition, increasing your chances of success.

Being present in-person means you can:

• Welcome your customers
• Read customer body language
• Personalise your approach
• Steer the conversation
• Ask questions and find out more about what they’re looking for
• Answer customer questions in response
• Provide better customer service
• Upsell, if relevant

Provide a great customer experience

While the internet is handy for researching products, it doesn’t smile when you click a link, ask how your day is going or laugh with you when you make a joke. Buying decisions are largely led by emotions.

Selling in-person allows you to:

• Showcase your professionalism
• Be relatable
• Put people at ease
• Inject your personality into proceedings
• Demonstrate your values
• Build trust

Customers will remember the positive emotions invoked when you spark a natural conversation with them or how you went out of your way to demonstrate a product, leaving a lasting impression of your brand. Even if this doesn’t lead to an immediate sale, people who receive a great customer experience are more likely to return to you at a later date or recommend you to their friends and family.

Upsell

Upselling potential is much easier to recognise and act on in person. When you buy a product online, the website doesn’t enquire why. It might bring up a ‘recommended item’ or a ‘people who bought X, also bought Y’ suggestion, but these usually lack the level of personalisation needed to be relevant, in spite of all the data we might have on internet behaviour today.

In a face-to-face environment, when a customer comes to you wanting to buy a new kitchen, for example, you can easily display curiosity to glean extra insights. You can casually ask questions like:

• Have you recently moved house?
• Are you renovating your whole home?
• Have you thought about under-cabinet lighting?

You can quickly ascertain which other products may be of interest and relevance to your customers. That in turn will help you to:

• Increase sales
• Increase average order value
• Become a trusted brand
• Win repeat business

Post-COVID, many customers will be seeking to reconnect with the real world. Excellent in-person sales will help your brand stand out from the crowd. Check out our guide or more tips on selling in the post-COVID environment.