EDUCAT YOUR CUSTOMERS

Educate the customers

What a brave title, doesn't it? How dare as a salesman we educate the customers whilts not all of them feel comfortable being dictated. Now, to explain the situation, I am going to take you take a while to the Orchard Road, Singapore.

Orchard is just like a heaven to ladies, many stores and beautiques along the road. One building named LUCKY PLAZA always become my first priority to visit. The ground floor of this building is the area for the electreonic gadgets. Handphone, digital camera, DVD player, webcam, etc available here with many choices. But, eventhoug it's quite often I came to Lucky Plaza, I never buy any gadget at all, why?

The one reason I make is, I cannot trust the seller. I can say that they are all very clever in do the selling to all visitors, but how the sell and how they talk, almot frighten me to trust them. Once upon a time, I came with my brother to one store, we planed to but one digital camera for our little brother. Digital camera is not my fave of gadget, thus i trust my brother to choose by himself. Surprisingly, he also does not know what kind of digital camera he want to buy?

We came to one store and ask for their advise and then he offer to us a Kodak Digital Camera with some additional accesories on them such as; 256 mb MMC, casing, Etc. As my brother quite trust with him, then the seller come again with other brand, he than offer KONICA MINOLTA digital camera to mny brother. The seller said that this brand is better tha he offered at first. But, the accesories was not very interestin,. We must buy the MMC and others. Then the seller aggresively insist us to buy the Konica Minolta one as he think it will be suitable as per my brother requirement.

What happen next? my brother have to call to his country (not in Singapore) to check with his colleague about those products. He not call one friend, but 3 friends to have their opinion. After having some opinion he came back to the seller and he want to buy the Kodak one (the first item he offered). Then, we then so surprise, because the seller said if we but this item, we only get the camera without MMC, Casing, Etc just like he said before. We than reconfirme about the package and he just said, "I did no say that?". Wow..wow .. wow ...eventually, my brother decided not to buy any of those options. Well, we spent 2 hours "debating" with the seller and we get nothing nor the seller.

Let's see the case;
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1. Seller offer the Kodak with complete accesories => Result => My brother get interest as the matter of the fact he does
not understand about the digital camere nor me.

2. Seller offer another brand of digital camera and he said the better one without accesories => Result => My Brother start to confuse

3. Seller said the package was not as he said => Result => My brother feel being cheated and choose not to buy.

If you are the seller what would you offer to my brother should be?
If you are the buyer, what do you think of the seller?

This case also often come to us as the salesman. Believe it or not, you might even find one case where your customer tell you honestly that he does not understand of the product or service and he asked for your advise. Well, some of us will say, this is the great opportunity to CLOSE, by explaining with your technical languages and bit lie to him, then you can close it without any further process. Will your customer satisfy??

The answer is YES , he will satisfy and apparently he will buy your product. But the next question, how long or how often will he use your product? dont' you ever think that a customer is not stupid, once they have your product, he then will find another substitution for your product. How? Internet, Incoming Fax Quotation from competitors, newspaper, etc.. if you said lie -- then you must prepare that your instant customer will also instanly leave you, may be without a notice to you.


Education a customer is not dictating him about a product or service. It is all about the discussion between you and him. What is being discussed? the discussion is about his needs. It not discussion your product/service. A customer is asking you to come actually to get the solution from you. He wants now more about he never know. He may know a bit or much but he is not provider of the product, thus he still knows not too deep.

If you then find this situation, here are some advises to you, hopefully it might work to you and you will use this opportunity to get a long term customer not a short term one;

1. Ask him => his REQUIREMENTS
Customs ask you because he has a requirements but he does not know how to summarise this requirements. It is your duty to summarise it for him

2. Ask him=> his PRIORITY REQUIREMENTS
It is not possible for a customer to have a perfect product. If they have too many requirements, then it is not
wrong to ask. Whic requirements do they thin as the main priority. They might say 100, actually the priority one
is only ONE.

3. Tell him the truth - which Requirements that might fit if he use your products/service
Well, this is might too difficult to you as a salesman. You know the weakness of your services/products and you are to afraid to tell the truth. This stage also might push you to tell your competitor's strength of products/services. Wow, am I a salesman? how can you say that your competitor products/services might fulfill for his requirements?
Well, If you are a real salesman, you should understand, eventually the customer might not buy his requirements. His
priority might not fulfill, he actually will buy YOU. Why? he feel comfortable with you in getting the solution. He
might not find another salesman will be like you.

4. If they don't buy your products, don't be hopeless
It is not also possible if the customer then ask you to leave and he will call your competitor sales person to explain their products and finally he might buy it from your competitor. Wow, did you miss the opportunity?
I say NO. You actually has sold the solution for him. Will he remember you? May be yes - may be no.

5. REALIZE - He is NOT YOUR CUSTOMER now
Well, you have said that your product will not fit with his priority requirements. Finally he buy from your competitor as you advised. Don't feel guilty, you MUST believe that his present requirements is not for you. If
you insist to make it possible, he might become your short term customer and he might not come to ask you anymore.
Your only left oportunity with him is YOUR SOLUTION.

6. KEEP in TOUCH
Don't forget to keep contact with your prospecst even they have not become your customer. Make him remember you and
it automatically realise him that you are A SOLUTION MAN. You will just to wait not too long, as he will find you
for his next requirements. He might change his priority or he has a new requirements. It is your turn to close then

You have succeeded educate your customers. You have educated to him about ;
1. a value of being a truth
2. what kind of products might fit with his requirements
3. Yourself - that he will believe you than other sales

It is not a simple process for the salesman. I am not going to become a bad digital camera seller by cheating my seller. I jsut believe that my prospect has friends, colleagues, boss, relatives as he will advise them to come to me for any requirements.

On the above story, the bad camera digital seller has spent nothing to nothing. He spent 2 hours to talk and to cheat and he also spent his chance to sell to my brother and to my brother relatives, friends, etc ...