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Sell Me Things by Helping Me Out

In an old-fashioned bookstore or in a big electronics box store or in a high-end gourmet grocer, I usually know what sort of thing I’m looking for - even if I don’t know the exact thing itself.

In my experience, whenever I’ve walked into a retail establishment - say, Michael’s, or Pier One, or into one of those Bluemercury makeup places with my wife - with a vague idea of something I want or need, those establishments which have been able to help me most are the ones at which I tend to spend the most money.

In our carpool Mike and Donna and I sometimes listen to business podcasts and on one recent one - I found it later here at The Future of the Retail Store - the gentleman being interviewed said “you’re going to come into our store thinking you’re going to get one product, and you’re going to leave our store with seven products.”

His point being his store is conditioned to be an advisor of a sort, and in so doing advise customers toward whatever of their products best suits their particular needs - for the needs they (the customers) know; the products they don’t.

Read more interesting topics at Barry Beck.