We all know what usually happens when customers come in and just look around. They don't know what they are looking at and just see price tags and then they say thank you and goodbye. Being a tour guide is an important part of our job. Figuring out what is best for the customer by using the PSE and the comparison center makes it easy to lead them to their color cluster and present the different options in that comfort. Sometimes describing what the customer is about to feel before laying down can show that you know what you are talking about if they feel what you are telling them.
I like to say to myself, "Self, don't get stuck with Auto Pilot Syndrome." Stay with your customer as much as they need and leave them alone when they show signs of wanting to have some space- but not Fur Long. only for short periods.
Being an effective tour guide starts when the customer comes in the door. Making them feel welcome is probably the most important part of what we do as salespeople. If we fail to connect with our customers than very little of what we say will matter to them; however, if we are successful than earning their business should be easy. Mattress shopping is obviously something most people are not going to be experts at when they walk in the door. Comfort by color gives us a powerful tool to educate our customers and if we use it effectively by the time our customers leave the store they can feel confident in their buying decision.
We have an arsenal of tools at our disposal to instill confidence in our customers. Pressure mapping, the low price guarantee, and the comfort guarantee are just a few ways we can seperate ourselves from the competition and ultimately close more deals.
After the customer goes thru the CBC comparison center and complete the PSE I begin their tour by congratulating them on their decision. If they let me I guide them to their color saying things like "As YOU can see all of the beds are grouped by color" Then I refer back to the PSE and again using YOU as much as possible explain how the Exclusives will help solve their sleep issues. I show them how easy it is to go thru the line in their color by pointing to the info tags and pop and answer any questions they may have. byron
It is very important to be a good tour guide, but the most important thing is that the customer knows that that is what you are. If your customer understands that you are there as a guide (assistant) and not a sales person, they are automatically less defensive. As a tour guide, it is important that people know where they are, who their tour guide is, and what the destination is. So at the beginning welcome them to MF, intro yourself, and explain you are going to helpm them find what they are searching for. Along the way, be sure and bring to light points of interest, such as sales, exclusives, and special promotions. Understand that your customer does not sell mattresses and has a very limited amount of knowledge (even though some think they are experts), so K.I.S.S. in the end if the tour is truly effective, the customer will enjoy the tour, and hopefully bring others to take the tour.
I feel like not only are you the tour guide but your store wide add is your tour guide assistant. I know with myself personally sometimes I get so engaged with a customer that there are certain specifics or exclusives I fail to mention. But if I have that ad in my hand usually all it takes is a glance to spark my mind into making sure I've given the customer all the information they need to make their tour complete. Also the add can really help to prevent you from giving the farm away when you can show actual savings to a customer. Too many times customers think we pull these prices out of the air, when there actually is a basis behind our pricing. Using the ad to assist you in your tour is a great thing to have.
The PSE is an excellent tool to use for being a good tour guide. If you use the PSE correctly, you can use that information to recommend 3 beds for the customer to try within their comfort cluster. This will make the process much easier for the customer in helping them funnel down to the best bed for them.
I start the tour by welcoming them in, and laying out a SWA immediately, including personalizing it with their name(s)on the front top, explaining that the SWA is going to be their ROAD MAP to the store AND the experience. I use it to show the brands AND the five comfort feels (pointing out the colors) that the store is divided into, highlighting that once they make a decision on "their" comfort feel, we will eliminate approximately 80% of the store, and that is what makes it the "New Way" to buy a mattress in less time with guaranteed success.
After they have completed the Comparison test, and the PSE, which I find is more easily accepted and utilized if done while they are testing (that way I can control the pace and qualify how they feel about each bed), I actually cross off the colors they have not chosen, again highlighting how easy the experience and tour of the store is. I am constantly referring to, and using the SWA to steer the "Tour", having them make notes on it as we go around the store, such as the timelines for the Comfort Guarantee, RCD cost, Low Price, etc. I believe that by having them do it, it involves them and reinforces the point better.
The SWA legitimizes the CBC strategy and helps to create value and trust with the consumer. I can tell you that this methodology for conducting the “Tour” works for me.
When I am dealing with a customer, I try my very best to disengage Auto Pilot so that I can literally wake up and pay attention to the customers' needs.
Using the PSE and the SWA allows for great engagement and interaction, adding to our collection of ammo for qualifying and uncovering true objections.
Also, building rapport helps to create a friendly environment for the customer. One final strategy that I use is to ask for their business.
One of our main goals in this business is for profit, so we should attempt to transition from that tour guide to being the sleep expert that gets their business at the end of the "expedition."
Acting as a tour guide for our customers is made easy with CBC! Like a tour guide, we should set expectations for our customers early on. Introduce CBC, sell the sale, and give them a guide to follow along with (SWA). In the comparison center we should give a brief explanation of what the customer will experience with each of the different colors. Once we transition to their comfort cluster, we should introduce points of interest to them (best, most popular, least expensive) within their color. Finally, after they have made their purchase, we should walk them to the door and thank them for visiting Mattress Firm.
I feel that the PSE is a great tool to assist you in being a tour guide. It allows you to build rapport with the customer and it makes them feel much more at home in your store. The PSE also allows you to find out their problems without being too overbearing. Another great tool for you is the storewide ad. This will help you to pave the way for each customer in their search.
Being an effective tour guide in our store consists of being a good listener. When a customer enters our store they usually have needs that need to be met so it's our job to guide them through our showroom and match their needs with the features and benefits of our mattresses. The PSE is a good tool as well as the SWA to use on the tour. Jermaine 2404
I feel that the PSE is a great tool to assist us in guiding the customer thru the store. It allows us to build rapport with the customer and makes them feel much more comfortable with purchasing from us. The PSE also allows us to find out their problems without being too forceful. Another excellent tool for us is the storewide ad. All this will help us guide the customer to positive outcome.
The SWA is an essential tool for me as a tour guide. When they walk in, they're walking into a completely different experience with CbC. The Comparison Center is a great tool that you can use to minimize what may be an overwhelming task of picking a mattress. You can explain to customers, as a tour guide, that they use the Comparison Center to find the feel they prefer. Then from there, we only have to look at that 1 color. As they rule out colors that they don't like, I mark it off the SWA and they can see on their "road map" what they don't need to look at. When we've narrowed down the store to the particular color, they can actually look at the road map to see what they want to focus on.
I agree with Becka. The SWA is the tour guide tool that I use the most effectively. It has all of the info in it for the customers to look at and backs up all of the facts that we give them during their "tour" of our showroom. It also explains our process of taking them on the tour. Find your comfort follow your color. It doesn't get any easier than that and the customers know its true. -Skip Charlotte 2411
17 comments:
We all know what usually happens when customers come in and just look around. They don't know what they are looking at and just see price tags and then they say thank you and goodbye. Being a tour guide is an important part of our job. Figuring out what is best for the customer by using the PSE and the comparison center makes it easy to lead them to their color cluster and present the different options in that comfort.
Sometimes describing what the customer is about to feel before laying down can show that you know what you are talking about if they feel what you are telling them.
I like to say to myself, "Self, don't get stuck with Auto Pilot Syndrome." Stay with your customer as much as they need and leave them alone when they show signs of wanting to have some space- but not Fur Long. only for short periods.
Ryan 2403
Being an effective tour guide starts when the customer comes in the door. Making them feel welcome is probably the most important part of what we do as salespeople. If we fail to connect with our customers than very little of what we say will matter to them; however, if we are successful than earning their business should be easy.
Mattress shopping is obviously something most people are not going to be experts at when they walk in the door. Comfort by color gives us a powerful tool to educate our customers and if we use it effectively by the time our customers leave the store they can feel confident in their buying decision.
We have an arsenal of tools at our disposal to instill confidence in our customers. Pressure mapping, the low price guarantee, and the comfort guarantee are just a few ways we can seperate ourselves from the competition and ultimately close more deals.
-2404
David Norris
After the customer goes thru the CBC comparison center and complete the PSE I begin their tour by congratulating them on their decision. If they let me I guide them to their color saying things like "As YOU can see all of the beds are grouped by color" Then I refer back to the PSE and again using YOU as much as possible explain how the Exclusives will help solve their sleep issues. I show them how easy it is to go thru the line in their color by pointing to the info tags and pop and answer any questions they may have.
byron
Use YOU oriented statements
Congratulate them on their selection in the comparision center
Make them feel comfortable
Using the PSE advise them which features and benefits in a particular section will offer solutions
Show the customers the pop on the beds and around stores to validate your answers to their questions
lisa 2410
It is very important to be a good tour guide, but the most important thing is that the customer knows that that is what you are. If your customer understands that you are there as a guide (assistant) and not a sales person, they are automatically less defensive. As a tour guide, it is important that people know where they are, who their tour guide is, and what the destination is. So at the beginning welcome them to MF, intro yourself, and explain you are going to helpm them find what they are searching for. Along the way, be sure and bring to light points of interest, such as sales, exclusives, and special promotions. Understand that your customer does not sell mattresses and has a very limited amount of knowledge (even though some think they are experts), so K.I.S.S. in the end if the tour is truly effective, the customer will enjoy the tour, and hopefully bring others to take the tour.
ced
I feel like not only are you the tour guide but your store wide add is your tour guide assistant. I know with myself personally sometimes I get so engaged with a customer that there are certain specifics or exclusives I fail to mention. But if I have that ad in my hand usually all it takes is a glance to spark my mind into making sure I've given the customer all the information they need to make their tour complete. Also the add can really help to prevent you from giving the farm away when you can show actual savings to a customer. Too many times customers think we pull these prices out of the air, when there actually is a basis behind our pricing. Using the ad to assist you in your tour is a great thing to have.
Joel 5219
The PSE is an excellent tool to use for being a good tour guide. If you use the PSE correctly, you can use that information to recommend 3 beds for the customer to try within their comfort cluster. This will make the process much easier for the customer in helping them funnel down to the best bed for them.
Andrew 2406
I start the tour by welcoming them in, and laying out a SWA immediately, including personalizing it with their name(s)on the front top, explaining that the SWA is going to be their ROAD MAP to the store AND the experience. I use it to show the brands AND the five comfort feels (pointing out the colors) that the store is divided into, highlighting that once they make a decision on "their" comfort feel, we will eliminate approximately 80% of the store, and that is what makes it the "New Way" to buy a mattress in less time with guaranteed success.
After they have completed the Comparison test, and the PSE, which I find is more easily accepted and utilized if done while they are testing (that way I can control the pace and qualify how they feel about each bed), I actually cross off the colors they have not chosen, again highlighting how easy the experience and tour of the store is. I am constantly referring to, and using the SWA to steer the "Tour", having them make notes on it as we go around the store, such as the timelines for the Comfort Guarantee, RCD cost, Low Price, etc. I believe that by having them do it, it involves them and reinforces the point better.
The SWA legitimizes the CBC strategy and helps to create value and trust with the consumer. I can tell you that this methodology for conducting the “Tour” works for me.
Mark Graham
5204
When I am dealing with a customer, I try my very best to disengage Auto Pilot so that I can literally wake up and pay attention to the customers' needs.
Using the PSE and the SWA allows for great engagement and interaction, adding to our collection of ammo for qualifying and uncovering true objections.
Also, building rapport helps to create a friendly environment for the customer. One final strategy that I use is to ask for their business.
One of our main goals in this business is for profit, so we should attempt to transition from that tour guide to being the sleep expert that gets their business at the end of the "expedition."
Theo B- Miami South
Acting as a tour guide for our customers is made easy with CBC!
Like a tour guide, we should set expectations for our customers early on. Introduce CBC, sell the sale, and give them a guide to follow along with (SWA).
In the comparison center we should give a brief explanation of what the customer will experience with each of the different colors.
Once we transition to their comfort cluster, we should introduce points of interest to them (best, most popular, least expensive) within their color.
Finally, after they have made their purchase, we should walk them to the door and thank them for visiting Mattress Firm.
The above post was submitted by:
Jon
Charlotte
I feel that the PSE is a great tool to assist you in being a tour guide. It allows you to build rapport with the customer and it makes them feel much more at home in your store. The PSE also allows you to find out their problems without being too overbearing. Another great tool for you is the storewide ad. This will help you to pave the way for each customer in their search.
David
2404
Being an effective tour guide in our store consists of being a good listener. When a customer enters our store they usually have needs that need to be met so it's our job to guide them through our showroom and match their needs with the features and benefits of our mattresses. The PSE is a good tool as well as the SWA to use on the tour.
Jermaine 2404
I feel that the PSE is a great tool to assist us in guiding the customer thru the store. It allows us to build rapport with the customer and makes them feel much more comfortable with purchasing from us. The PSE also allows us to find out their problems without being too forceful. Another excellent tool for us is the storewide ad. All this will help us guide the customer to positive outcome.
Ronnie 2412
The SWA is an essential tool for me as a tour guide. When they walk in, they're walking into a completely different experience with CbC. The Comparison Center is a great tool that you can use to minimize what may be an overwhelming task of picking a mattress. You can explain to customers, as a tour guide, that they use the Comparison Center to find the feel they prefer. Then from there, we only have to look at that 1 color.
As they rule out colors that they don't like, I mark it off the SWA and they can see on their "road map" what they don't need to look at. When we've narrowed down the store to the particular color, they can actually look at the road map to see what they want to focus on.
*Becka, Team Blue of Dallas North*
I agree with Becka. The SWA is the tour guide tool that I use the most effectively. It has all of the info in it for the customers to look at and backs up all of the facts that we give them during their "tour" of our showroom. It also explains our process of taking them on the tour. Find your comfort follow your color. It doesn't get any easier than that and the customers know its true.
-Skip
Charlotte
2411
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