In Part 1 of “Great Customer Experience” I discussed the focus of the sales team making such an impression on me and my family and how this really drove home the concept of making customers feel important.
In Part 2, I want to build on this theme even further, and stress the importance of building trust.
In the Spring of 1996 was the year of my 8th Grade Dance. It was so important to dress to impress and a big “to-do” at the time as a 13-year old kid. It was also about to be the purchase of my first real suit. Fancy!
Spending an afternoon on Carey Street in Richmond Virginia in the springtime is really fun. Coffee shops, restaurants, and great mom & pop retail stores; overall a great ambiance.
On a Saturday afternoon Mom and I stumbled upon a really unique Men’s store called Peter-Blair, which housed Men’s accessories, suiting, shirts, shoes, basically an entire man’s wardrobe. It felt like a proper haberdashery with the Sales Associates dressed beautifully and having tape-measures draped around their neck ready to engage and sell.
As soon as we walked-in the store we were greeted upon entry with a very warm “hello”, “what brings you in”, creating immediate conversation and engagement. Open-ended questions, and conversations that led to the reason why we were shopping that day.
Most importantly they began to build trust with us as they made suggestions based on the time of the year, the nature of the event (8th Grade Dance), and the suggestive “cool look” of for that time period of the mid-90’s. They made every effort to suggest items that would be relevant to an 8th grade boy, and not be too flashy for his mom as she was the real approver and buyer of the “look” for the dance certainly.
Remembering and realizing that although the sales associate was selling to me they were really selling to my Mother. They were showing product that was cool yet classic, current, yet timeless. They knew if they really listened and understood the needs of their customer (me), and asked and understood the nature of the event, the budget of the buyer etcetera (Mom), they would be able to recommend merchandise that would allow us to walk-out with a complete look.
That we certainly did. A khaki suit, (classic southern look for Spring), white shirt, red tie, suspenders, and brown suede loafers; I felt like a million bucks. Mom was super pleased and the team at Peter Blair gave a best in class experience, one that 24 years later I remember like yesterday.
The fundamental reason for why we bought a complete look was the combination of time, but most importantly trust that the sales associate built with us over that 2 hour or so engagement. They made my mother feel comfortable about her buying decision as they gave subtle suggestions of what makes sense for the event, and made me feel comfortable and confident in my choice look for the dance.
By using selling skills such as open-ended lifestyle questions, active listening, and product suggestions that fit both the price and desire of the shopping customer one can begin to build trust faster and earn the right to have a five unit sale. One might even have the opportunity to build a customer for life, and have made such a lasting impact that the person you sold a khaki suit to writes about their experience a generation later.
Trust matters, it makes your brand memorable. *
