Converting the Curious
I was in a Sprint store last week to swap out a bad Blackberry battery (can’t wait to get the Evo May 1), when a group of people wandered in as if they were lost. The helpful Sprint associate explained that they were from the warehouse wholesale event next door. It had become a common occurrence, he said.
“Are they really looking or just curious?” I asked. “They’re just curious,” he responded quickly. “But that’s my job — to take the curious and make them customers.”
Wow. I went in for a battery and came out with a business lesson. That is my job, too, and probably yours. Get people in to your store — or on to your website — and then convert them. Make them believers in what you do by explaining the value of what you offer and how it will make their life better.
They don’t have to be fans before they arrive, just after they leave.
Chip — great points. Thanks for sharing. I really don’t like the idea of “selling,” but I love talking to people about their needs and exploring how I might be able to help. Good stuff.
1. Generating curiosity is part getting attention and then literally raising a question (literally or figuratively) that is compelling enough to motivate one to investigate further.
2. Turning curiosity into commitment is fundamentally an exploration by the marketer of the prospect’s interests and needs, then presenting a solution. People tend to do business with those they KLT (know, like, trust). Starting the interaction with a smile, introduction and then lot’s of questions will get one way down the track to commitment. Guiding the prospect to see how your solution is a good fit for them (assuming it is of course) is where the truly adept salespersons excel! Requires great product knowledge, ability to think creatively (quickly) and integrity. As Dr. Osteryoung says, “You can do this!”
Thanks for the comment, Joe. And don’t worry, it’s the words, not the spelling, that are important!
He calls himself a Doctor and can’t even spell “marketing!”
Yes, this is what mareting is all about. How do you make them curios enough to stop by?