Customer psychology or how to talk to a customer?

Offering a quality product is not enough to achieve good sales results. Equally important is the ability to present your product or service in a way that interests the buyer and, regardless of their level of skepticism, convinces them of the benefits of the transaction. Experienced consultants have a lot of methods for "processing" a client. Here are some of them.

Addressing the customer correctly

Few people trust the first person they meet, so a buyer who is not familiar with a consultant usually doubts the veracity of his or her words. To increase the likelihood of a transaction, you need to get closer to the buyer, for example, by using the pronoun "we." The use of this technique (in moderation) helps the consultant to put the buyer on his or her side and become an ally on a subconscious level.

The pronoun "you" is also no less popular among consultants. It is usually used when a salesperson tells how this product is useful (i.e. in the present tense), or how it will be useful in the future. Example: "If you buy this washing machine, you won't have to wring out the laundry after washing."

Winged expressions

Familiar catchphrases can be used when a customer resists and expresses doubts about the benefits of the purchase. Such a counterattack will stump the customer and force them to reconsider their conclusions. It's just important to use this technique with caution so as not to accidentally hurt the person or make them look like a fool. It's hardly pleasant for anyone to have their assertions undermined at the root.

Attention to the client's words

You should not interrupt the customer. You need to listen to him very carefully. For the client to see that the consultant is completely absorbed in communicating with him, you need to look him in the eye, slightly tilting your head to the side. If the seller is much taller than his customer, it is better for him not to act in this way, as someone else's "superior" look can cause an unpleasant feeling.

Identification of human nature

Depending on the psychological qualities of the interlocutor, you need to select only the appropriate "keys" for him or her. To do this, it is important to determine which group of people the buyer belongs to: kinesthesis, visuals, or audited. The peculiarity of the former is that they most often evaluate objects by taste, smell, tangible structure and consistency. In other words, a kin esthetician will subconsciously mark a product as a favorite if it smells good, tastes great, and is pleasant to touch. Visuals, as the name of this group suggests, pay attention to the appearance of an object when evaluating it superficially. Additives, on the other hand, perceive sounds best.

But how do you know which group the client belongs to? To do this, the consultant needs to listen to the client's speech and note to himself what words the person uses most often when evaluating the product, because belonging to these groups of people is just manifested in the conversation. An example is a conversation between a consultant and two customers:

   - Do you like this dress?
   - Yes, it's a very nice fabric (kinesthetic).
   - Excellent coloring (visual)

Of course, a single occurrence of such words in the language when evaluating a product does not indicate which group a person belongs to. In addition, it should be borne in mind that some products cannot be evaluated visually, by smell, or in any other way. Perfumes, for example, cannot be evaluated by touch, so it is important to remember that only the manifestation of signs that characterize a person according to these three types can indicate that the buyer belongs to kinesthetic, visuals or audial.

Interesting product description

Listing only the parameters of a product is unlikely to arouse strong interest in it from the interlocutor. It is recommended to dilute the characteristics with the benefits and features of the product.

• For many people, clear numbers will tell them little about a subject. But features that are presented in clear, simple language can arouse interest. They will remind the buyer why they need this product and explain how it can be used in the future. For example, it's not enough to say that a smartphone has a 5,000 mAh battery, you need to add: "With such a powerful battery, you can use your phone all day long, even if you put it through its paces."

• There is no need to list a huge number of characteristics and features. The main thing is to correctly tell the client about a few key parameters that will give them a rough picture of the "character" of the device they are buying. If the main feature of the smartphone is that it takes better photos than most competitive models, has a powerful processor and a good screen, then you can focus on this, because by listing many product features, the consultant simply confuses the client.

Restoring customer confidence

Negative events stick in people's minds for a long time. If a client was once deceived by another seller, he or she will now be distrustful of his or her colleagues and consultants. When a customer claims that a similar product he once purchased was not worth the money, you should agree with him and assure him that by rejecting offers from any company because of a single bad case, he only complicates his life and loses opportunities. You need to advise the client to be more careful when making purchases and trust only companies that have been tested by many consumers.

Suggestion

People value their money, so they rarely say goodbye to it without a heavy heart, especially when they receive something expensive. After consulting and choosing a product, the buyer weighs the pros and cons several more times. It can be difficult for them to proceed to the payment procedure. To ease the customer's suffering and increase the chances that the transaction will take place, the consultant should talk about the product with the person as if he or she had already bought it. The question, "Will you take it?" Or "What have you decided?" should be excluded. Instead, you should talk to the customer about the details that complete the purchase, such as payment methods or packaging options. This will make the customer feel like the transaction has already been completed, so it will be easier to give the money to the person behind the counter.

Guiding questions

This technique affects the subconscious mind. Its essence lies in the fact that the consultant should ask the customer questions about the product or payment procedure so that the customer cannot answer anything other than yes. After this "ground preparation", the consultant should ask a direct question - whether the client wants to buy the product. This method increases the chances that the customer will agree to the transaction, because after agreeing to the consultant's obvious statements, he or she wants to say yes again.

It is important to use this technique carefully, otherwise a person may suspect something.

Holistic language

It is not uncommon for customers to interrupt and contradict the consultant's words. In order not to lose the customer's attention and switch them to the listener mode as much as possible, you can use complex sentences formed by the conjunction "and" or use this conjunction at the beginning of new sentences. A monologue constructed in this way will seem coherent and reduce the level of disagreement with the consultant's words. If the buyer imperceptibly moves away from the topic of conversation, you need to bring him back with a question about the proposed product. If you follow all the rules presented, it is not difficult for the seller to persuade the client to buy any item.