Despite significant changes in marketing and customer environments, the sales process is still alive and well. The principles of connecting with customers and offering something of value continue to ring true, and your top buyers need information from your brand before they buy.
While the concept of selling remains strong, the methods of connecting with customers are changing. More customers connect with your brand on a digital level or within your store before they interact with your sales team.
That means customers are more informed than ever and expect the best from your sale staff. It’s time to update your sales process to answer the challenges of modern shopping. Check out these multi-media sales tips to guide your customers through the buying process.
Offer In-store Digital Demos and Video Walkthroughs
One of the biggest challenges your business faces in regards to sales is competing with the Internet. There is so much information online that many shoppers are well-informed before they visit your store. As a result, brands are having to step up and offer value that the Internet cannot provide.
A recent study by Salesforce found that 32% of customers visit stores because they value the overall in-store experience, and 77% of customers avoid stores as much as possible. You have to give your customers reasons to visit your store.
One of our top multi-media sales tips for connecting with customers is setting up interactive touchscreens, demos, and walkthroughs. You can set up an area in your business with video walls or interactive guides to help customers learn about different products and even get their hands on them. Your customers can feel what it is like using the product without your sales team actually showing it to them.
A great example of this concept in action is Bass Pro Shops. They set up digital and analog simulations throughout their stores to give customers real experiences with the products. This way customers learn more about how a fishing line handles or tent set up works before they actually buy it.
Personalize Suggestions Based on Customer Needs
The digital era silenced “one-size-fits-all” marketing. If the information you provide isn’t relevant to your customers, then they are going to tune it out. If you want your digital sales process to be successful, then you need to make it customizable.
Consider the earlier study from Salesforce about customers visiting stores. Almost 70% of customers say it is important that a customer service representative understands their unique challenges and needs.
However, 44% of customers say they often know more about a product or brand than the customer service specialists they talk with.
Digital tools can provide information where salespeople cannot. By offering free WiFi and promoting your website or app, you can direct customers to visit your website for information related to your products and services.
You can even invest in tools that provide personalized suggestions for shoppers when they log-on with customer data. You might show new product offerings based on their purchase history or direct them to a sale in their favorite department. Not only are these digital tools valuable, they also help you offer personalized shopping experiences.
Display Information to Free Up Your Sales Team
Your sales staff likely answers the same questions throughout the day. They address the same concerns and give the same directions to customers as they enter and exit your business. This takes away time and resources from your sales staff who could be helping customers with complex problems.
Consider turning to digital solutions to solve complex problems. This might mean broadcasting important information through overhead messaging or displaying information on digital signage. The more information you can have clearly displayed, the more problems you can solve without human salespeople.
The goal of these multi-media sales tips isn’t to eliminate your sales team entirely, but rather to free up more time for them to close deals instead of providing basic information that customers could find throughout your store.
Make It Easy for Customers to Get More Information
While digital sales options can answer basic questions and provide information to customers, you always want to keep your sales team close by to address any questions and concerns that may arise. Just look at the self-checkout kiosks at Target; there is always a salesperson standing close by to jump in when someone gets stuck.
According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania of more than 63,500 associates at 330 stores over two years, customers enjoy talking to salespeople and actively seek them out. Roughly half of all shoppers will seek out a sales representative for advice.
Furthermore, sales associates who provided information and were knowledgeable about the product brought in 69% higher sales on average.
Use your signage to direct customers to find salespeople, and even consider tapping into digital options for calling representatives. This way your human employees can step in where digital solutions fail.
Develop Sales Strategies Based on Information Gaps
As you test these different options to grow your selling power digitally, make sure you are addressing the concerns of your customers and providing solutions for their needs.
Brands often don’t take the customer’s concerns in mind when they provide sales information. As a result, the content is irrelevant to customer needs and buyers ignore it. This leads to significant effort and financial investment without real results.
Consider surveying customers about what they want to know about your brand and asking employees what questions customers ask them. Then, develop sales content around it. This makes your sales efforts more reactive and effective when your customers see their questions are addressed.
Get More Multi-Media Sales Tips
If you’re ready to relieve the burden of basic customer service from your staff and allow them to answer in-depth questions and close sales, talk to Spectrio today. We can brainstorm ways to clearly display information at your brick and mortar location and invest in digital tools to enhance the sales process.
To learn more about how you can use multi-media sales tools in your business, get our free guide to digital signage. It explains the many ways you can use display and interactive screens to support your in-store sales process.