Hide and Seek
Do you remember playing hide & seek as a kid? Maybe you have kids and have relived the joy of peek-a-boo and hide & seek. Peek-a-boo is one of my favourite activities with babies. You hide behind your hands and then pull them away while saying “peek-a-boo.” Babies know it’s coming and the anticipation and delight often creates the sweetest chuckles and laughter. Hide & seek is much the same. It is such a simple game. Some people hide and one person counts to 10, 20 or a 100 and then goes and look for them. If they are taking too long to find you then you make noises, give hints, or stay quiet so you ‘win’ and get to do the seeking.
What can this teach you to help with your sales? People buy from people. We want to connect with a person who cares, who creates an experience we want to come back for. When we choose to go online to buy something we want it to be simple and easy to understand. We want the experience to delight us. Amazon mastered this by taking the internet shopping experience from their famous “3 clicks” down to their gold button “one-click-purchase”.
How clear and easy to understand is your sales process. Does each step, each reveal, delight the customer? Do they know what is coming? Are they expectant? Have you set them up so they can help you find what they want and need?
Educating a client - at the beginning of your engagement with them - helps to set the expectations. Knowing what to expect – how many steps there are, what steps come first, what is needed from them at each stage, how long each step will take and how long the gaps will be between each step, creates confidence and peace of mind.
People research logically and purchase emotionally. When you structure your sales process to meet the emotional state a client is likely to be in, you make their journey smoother. This can mean that you need to slow down in the beginning stages to ensure the customer understands and is on board with you. As the Navy Seals say, “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast”.
Make sure that your sales process is a ‘smooth’ experience for the customer. That they know what is coming, what's next and why each step is necessary. Knowing the steps you take in your sales process, communicating these and setting clear expectations is an essential element in increasing your sales conversion rate.
If your sales process is a bit of a guessing game, make your priority this week to create a clarity that delivers an enjoyable experience.
Here’s to your success!
