Have you noticed that AI—although useful—is not as big of a threat to our industry as once thought? AI will answer ALL your questions, right? Here’s the problem with AI: Shoppers don’t know the right questions to ask.
Here’s where being human comes with an advantage. We were built for human interaction. We aren’t robots that will predict what you want. We enjoy the conversation and helping our clients choose the right product for themselves.
Heck, we even express enthusiasm and excitement for them because they are doing something really cool that’s going to make a big difference to their life.
After running my own retail store and working with several specialty floor covering retailers, I’ve come to learn that the process for buying new flooring can be complicated vs. fun and easy. Making the sales process more enjoyable and rewarding for the customer begins with asking the right questions.
Following are some examples:
No. 1—What’s your budget? Most customers don’t know what they want to spend on a project. If they do they don’t want to share it because they believe it will manipulate the process. If you ever ask a budget question the right way to ask is, “Do you have a budget or are you trying to get an idea of what this will cost?” Everyone would feel comfortable answering that question.
No. 2—What style would you like? It’s very common before you go out to do an in-home estimate that we ask several questions like the ones above. This is frustrating to customers because most of them don’t know. The right way to ask, “Do you have an idea of what you are looking for, or would you like me to bring out a selection for you?” Nine times out of 10 customers will respond with, “Oh, that would be great!” They will appreciate that you’ve got their back and you are going to help them.
First impressions matter
There are other ways to make a favorable impression and stand apart from the competition at the same time. For instance, if you’re on your way to the customer’s home, don’t be shy about taking direction. If she wants to give you a shortcut, don’t say, “That’s OK, I’ve got GPS.” Let her help you. That demonstrates a certain level of trust with the customer.
Similarly, if the homeowner offers you water, coffee or something else to drink, say: “Yes, thank you.” She will like you better than the guy who says, “No thank you, I got water in the truck.” Again, it establishes trust with the homeowner.
Here’s another scenario you might come across: Let’s say you’ve visited the customer’s home, taken a measurement and, hopefully, provided her with an estimate. The next move is to let her know in advance how you plan on following up. Ask her: “Are you getting a ton of spam emails and texts? It’s so annoying, I get it. I’m going to follow up with you after you’ve had some time to think about the job. What’s the best way for me to contact you?”
By doing this you’ve showed a shared frustration. Now she feels more obligated to answer your email, text or call.
There are many ways to beat the competition, even though your prices might be higher. By simply asking these questions the right way, your customer will love you before they meet you at the front door.
Jerry Levinson is the former owner of Carpets of Arizona. He now focuses full time on training and education. He runs Jerry’s Flooring Business Master Class and is the author of “Profit Now For Flooring Dealer.”
