July 2010
5 Reasons You Need to Sell “Unique”
By Retail Expert Doug Fleener
Doug Fleener is a veteran of more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. He has also owned and operated his own specialty stores. Doug is the author of The Profitable Retailer: 56 surprisingly simple and effective lessons to boost your sales and profits. Doug is president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group LLC, a Lexington, MA based retail consulting firm dedicated to helping retailers of all sizes increase their sales and profits. Learn more about Doug Fleener’s profit building services and products at www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com.
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I recently asked a store employee to tell me the difference between three different brands of the same type of product. He answered, "They're all pretty similar. Take your pick." Of course I couldn't help but ask, "So why do you carry three different brands?" He said, "I don't know. I just work here." I bit my tongue and purchased the least expensive one.
While it's easier to describe the unique quality of some products than others, just about everything you sell has something unique about it. Sometimes the uniqueness is a feature, sometimes a benefit, and sometimes it's the story behind a product.
Here are a few reasons to share the unique qualities of a product.
1. You increase the perceived value of the product. A lot of customers will pay a premium if they understand why a product is priced higher. That means that retail associates must articulate that reason, and all too often they do not. A product that is not unique is just a commodity.
Example: "Because this window cleaner uses an ammonia byproduct it requires 33% less effort to clean your windows. (feature and benefit)
2. It makes an emotional connection. Customers buy with both their head and their heart, and the heart is a bigger spender than the head. Connect the product uniqueness to the customer's heart and chances are you've made the sale.
Example: "These delicious cheeses are made by a local farmer who only uses milk from cows that have been equipped with gas-catching devices that are much better for the environment. (benefit and story)
3. It creates the customer's story. Customers love to show their friends and families what they buy, and when they can include a story behind the product it makes it that much more special. Many of you are quite good at doing this, and most of you should be.
Example: "These pictures frames are made from the South Pacific Monkey Tree and can only be harvested between four and six o'clock on a cloudy day. (story and feature)
4. It makes the product more memorable. I love when a customer comes back after looking at a product and says how they couldn't quit thinking about it. On the other end of the spectrum is when a customer comes back for something and they can't say what it is or even what it looks like. Sharing the uniqueness continues to sell the product even when the customer has left the store.
5. It increases conversion rates and ultimately sales. Need I say more?
So let me ask, are you demonstrating and/or telling the customer what's unique about every product you're recommending.
Here's a quick tip. In your Daily Take Five meetings today have everyone show two products and share what's unique about each one. |
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