Bringing Back Old School Service Part 4

In our fourth installment of this series, we will discuss knowledge. This may seem off in a post about customer service, however, it plays another vital role in serving your customers. Long ago when salesperson assisted their customers, they knew everything about their product, maybe even more than anyone cared to know. They were experts.

In today’s era with information at your fingertips, you would think people would know everything… wrong. Having information so easily accessible has made us complacent in mastering our product knowledge. Why learn the details when you can instantly bring it up online? Let’s address that, shall we?

While getting the customer the information they seek, it is also important to establish yourself as someone credible to get information from. If you tell someone their “fluglebinder” for example needs to be replaced, you had better know how, why, and what happens if they don’t. Let’s give an example:

The customer comes in and is wanting to have a tan for an event, an event that is in 3 days. What do you do first?

1. Suggest a lotion with a bronzer to speed up the color.
2. Suggest a spray tan instead.
3. Have them use a tingle product to ramp up melanin production.
4. None of the above.

If you answered D, you are correct. While the problem is clear (the customer has no color and only has 3 days to get some) you don’t have all the information. The first thing you need to do is do further consultation with the customer to ensure the solution you provide is the best possible one for them.

In the hay days of exceptional customer service, if you needed shoes, you did not simply go into a store slap money on the counter, and walk out with a new pair of kicks. Instead, a salesperson would carefully measure your foot, find out the purpose of the shoe, any foot issues, and any other information so that they could provide you with a practical, comfortable, solution for what you needed. They probably knew as much about feet and how they affect a person’s day-to-day life than a podiatrist does. That is the level of service we are referring to.

Are you an expert in your business? Or do you simply trade a product for the money? One will keep customers for a lifetime, the other will have them jumping ship for the next deal that comes along.

If you would like to become a master of your tanning niche, we recommend registering for the Product Prep and Retail Coaching Bootcamp from February 4-5. For more information visit www.heartlandtanexpo.com