I was talking to a friend of mine, discussing our sales process. I noticed we have two kinds of customers, or they can be broken down into two groups:
1. Customer comes in and says: "I'm thinking of doing/am doing triathlons and would like to get measured and buy the bike you determine is optimal for me based on your measurements, techniques and expereince."
-OR-
2. Customer comes in and says: "I underatand you are good at selling triathlon bikes, I want a 53cm Brand X with 700c wheels please."
Now clearly, both customers are "good" customers, but I always have the sense the first customer (open minded and trusting) has a better chance of getting the optimal bike than the guy who has "done his research" and is no longer open to new ideas (closed minded and opinionated- the guy who says "I want 700c wheels no matter what!"). I have my own thoughts on serving both these customers, and we do serve both, but what are your thoughts on how the second customer should be handled? Do we just "knock 'em where they lean"? We have never done that, but we sometimes wonder if we are being rude or disrespectful if we ask "May I ask why this bike is of interest to you?"
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
1. Customer comes in and says: "I'm thinking of doing/am doing triathlons and would like to get measured and buy the bike you determine is optimal for me based on your measurements, techniques and expereince."
-OR-
2. Customer comes in and says: "I underatand you are good at selling triathlon bikes, I want a 53cm Brand X with 700c wheels please."
Now clearly, both customers are "good" customers, but I always have the sense the first customer (open minded and trusting) has a better chance of getting the optimal bike than the guy who has "done his research" and is no longer open to new ideas (closed minded and opinionated- the guy who says "I want 700c wheels no matter what!"). I have my own thoughts on serving both these customers, and we do serve both, but what are your thoughts on how the second customer should be handled? Do we just "knock 'em where they lean"? We have never done that, but we sometimes wonder if we are being rude or disrespectful if we ask "May I ask why this bike is of interest to you?"
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com