I can be impatient and impetuous – which makes me the perfect buyer on sites like Living Social and Groupon. I see those daily deals and with a click or two I’ve got to have them. Half off at a American Apparel today? Yes, thank you. I’m sure I could use a new hoodie or t-shirt Groupon. And apparently so could many other Groupon users.
What’s more? We’re urged to hurry up about it. The deal is on.. and it only last so many more minutes before we’ll miss out. There’s something powerful about urgency. The idea that we could possibly miss out on a special offer if we don’t “act now” can encourage some seriously erratic behavior.
Here at eBoot Camp headquarters, it reminded me of an interesting post about “unselling” I saw on Copyblogger.com. Yael Grauer shared tips on “How to Build your Business by Walking Away from the Sale.” She detailed how out of place a certain pair of shoes seemed in her closet. She bought them on sale but never wore them.
Instead of selling customers something they don’t need, Grauer suggests helping them find the right fit. Be helpful and keep an eye on the future of the client relationship and you’ve fostered a connection that will last. Making the sale isn’t always the top priority, she notes. As customers, we remember those sales people who have taken time to help us, advise us and we return to them.
That’s a form of currency too. And it translates to any business.
Returning to her shoe analogy, Grauer wrote:
Giving up a few sales that will make your customers unhappy isn’t just good karma, it’s also a good long-term strategy for customer loyalty.
Tell someone the too-small shoes look great on her, and you’ll sell a pair of shoes your customer will always regret buying.
Tell the same person the shoe doesn’t really fit, and you’ll have a customer for life.
Can you recall an instance where you chose to be helpful rather than to make a sale? Share it with us in the comments section below. We’d love to hear about it.