I Don't Care If My Tile Cleans Easily!

My wife and I were buying tile a month or so ago. We walked into the store and were welcomed nicely by the salesperson. He appropriately asked, "How can I help you?" (open-ended question...nice training). When we replied that we were looking for back splash tile, the look in his eye told me it was over. And the words began to flow. He told us about a great new tile that did not have to be cleaned. He told us about a color that was popular (not knowing the color of our counter tops, cabinets or paint). He told us about how great the price was. At that point, I literally walked away to browse elsewhere while my wife - ever more patient - spent a few more minutes with him.

We did not care about cleanliness. We did not care about color. We did not care about price. We were tiling a very small section of our very small 1925 kitchen and wanted metal tile with a french fleur-de-lis design. He was 0-fer-3 in terms of knowing our needs. He never took the time to learn.

At first I was a bit bothered, then amused, then just bored. I have no doubt he listened and learned when the tile factory representative came to his store to teach the sales staff about their products. But as the saying goes, people don't buy a drill, they buy the ability to make a hole. And to improve on this old sales and marketing adage, I'd add, "for a reason". Maybe they want to save some money vs. paying a pro. Maybe to get the job done quickly so they don't miss much of the football game. Maybe to please their spouse. Maybe all three. Maybe none of the three.

I know I'm not teaching you anything new: Focus on the customer. Help them discover what they truly need and want - and why. Connect with them. Focus on their purchase criteria and keep them focused on it. Ask questions. Listen to and care about the answers. Don't spew features.

Yep, the selling basics are the selling basics, and likely won't ever change! Just like the metal back splash tile that we bought...someplace else!

Copyright @ Keith Chaitoff 2011