Talking "Her" Talk: Selling To Women In Their Language
Consider this: by some accounts people learn 60% of information visually vs. 40% through spoken words. And when it comes to women, this disparity in information gathering is huge. Women want you to "show them" benefits vs. "telling them." They want to learn about a product through the look, feel and experience of it. Try these tips when showing your customers - especially your female customers - around your store and talking to them about your products: Comfort your customers.
Simply focusing on a woman's likes and dislikes won't connect with her. Instead you want to be sure to find out and speak to her needs, desires and long-term goals. Make her life easier. Do you help women see how better sleep can enhance
their lifestyle? Do you ask customers about how they currently sleep and what they wish they could change? This information allows you to craft a sales message that highlights the benefits that are most important to a customer - and brings them comfort. Demonstrate the benefit.
The words "better sleep" and "motion separation" may go in one ear - and out theother. But, when you encourage your customers to lie down on the mattress and do the "flop" test, you give these benefits a visual component that becomes highly memorable. Remember - conversation without demonstration equals lack of compensation. You don't want to fall into this trap!
Let women know the care that goes into building a Simmons mattress.
Women care about things that are "crafted" and "designed for them." It gives a product a personal quality that they feel good about owning. When showing women the finer details of a mattress - such as quilting, fabrics or even a Beautyrest® convertible unit - be sure to note that many components are fitted by hand or checked by staff at one of Simmons domestic manufacturing plants. Also, let them know that these products were designed using feedback from focus groups made up primarily of women.
Choose your words carefully.
According to studies, women tend to be more sensitive to "hedging" words (such as "probably," "maybe" or "possibly") in advertising.** When presenting a product's features and benefits, position yourself as the expert by avoiding these confusing words. When a visual doesn't exist, create one with your words. .
Leading marketing insight firm TrendSight Group notes that women love a story. It engages them and encourages them to remember something - and the more personal the story, the better. Incorporate antidotes about other customers' experiences - or your own - with the product to create a "visual" experience a woman can relate to. "I had a customer who just recently had a baby, and she was sleeping terribly"
Try these tips to incorporate more "show" into your "sell."
When greeting customers, be sure to offer them a visual tour of your store. Point out specific elements throughout your showroom that can help them with their purchase decision.
When working through the discovery process, make a point of doing it in an area of your showroom that is visually calming. Move away from the front of the store and other customers.
Presenting solutions is the perfect time to incorporate merchandising elements such as convertible units and demonstration techniques. Whenever possible, demonstrate a benefit as you explain it.
When closing a sale, provide as much written information as possible regarding delivery, set up and warranty. A handwritten thank you after the sale can also add a memorable touch to the interaction.
Selling the Up-sale
1. Sell first and tell later.
Never, ever attempt to up-sell or cross-sell until you have all the information necessary to fulfill the first order. In our rush or excitement to up-sell we sometimes forget that the customer has an order to place. Selling additional items too early in the call might turn the customer off. You could lose the original sale.
2. The rule of "25."
The value of an add-on sale should not increase the overall order by more than 25%. For example, if the original order is $100.00, you should be cautious in your attempts to exceed that order by $25.00. Despite the fact that people are motivated to buy, they still have a mental limit as to the amount they will dispense. For whatever reason, that figure rarely exceeds 25%. Generally, going above that value is only marginally successful.
3. Make a profit.
This is more of a management, rather than a salesperson decision, but the whole point of the exercise is to make money. The item(s) you choose must make enough profit to at least cover the cost of the additional time you spend on the phone. One source I've read claims that you must show at least a $4.00 profit on each add-on sale.
4. Don't dump junk.
There is, on occasion, the urge to use cross-selling and up- selling to move unwanted inventory. This in itself is okay provided the customer isn't saddled with useless or defective products. If you are clearing stock that won't be replaced, let the customer know. If it is a discontinued line, don't hesitate in letting the customer know. If you don't, you'll be sorry later.
5. Limit and relate.
Limit your choice of add-on items to those that clearly relate to the original purchase. If a customer were buying a blazer he has seen in a catalogue, suggesting a shirt and a tie makes sense. Suggesting a goose-necked garden hoe, however, does not.
6. Familiarity breeds success.
The more familiar your customer is with the add-on item, the more likely he or she is to buy. Cross-selling and up- selling is not the time to introduce a brand new product, unless the price is unusually low (Refer to #3.) New products take time to sell using features and benefits. This will take additional time. The purpose of the up-sell is to increase the order while the buying motive is strong. Introducing something unfamiliar will only confuse the customer.
7. Plan, plan, plan and plan again.
Again, likely a management issue, but your life will be much easier if the program is well planned and implemented. For instance, not only must you decide which products to sell, you must determine what product(s) they relate to. So, if you are going to up-sell with ties, you've got to decide, in advance, which blazers they will match.
8. Train to avoid pain.
Ensure that you are trained on the products or services offered. Make sure you understand them. Rehearse the skills necessary to get the customer to say "yes." One catalogue firm spends 40 hours on training designed to demonstrate how a particular add-on applies to and benefits the customer.
9. Test with the best, then roll with the rest.
Okay, another management issue that you might want to make your manager aware of. Test your cross-selling and up-selling with your best people. They have the drive and initiative to work out any of the kinks. Introduce the cross-selling and up-selling program to the rest of the sales reps only after you are sure of the test results.
10. E=MC2.
Your cross-selling efforts (E) will be directly dependent on how motivated (M) you are. Cross-selling and up-selling takes additional time and effort. If there is no reward ... if you are not motivated ... chances are the program will not be a rip roaring success.
Compensation (C) is always a critical factor in selling and perhaps more so when you are asking for that little extra with each sale.
The other C stands for Control. Whether you are a sales rep or a manager, the ability to control the direction of the cross-selling and up-selling activities will determine success. In other words, measure your productivity, your performance and your profitability. If there is something lacking in any one of these areas, make changes.
While it began as a breakthrough design over 86 years ago, the Simmons® Beautyrest® mattress has continued to evolve ever since. Today it culminates with the latest innovation: Beautyrest® Smart Response™ Pocketed Coil® technology.
In 1925, John Franklin Gail, Simmons' top engineer, designed a machine that would coil wire and insert it into fabric sleeves quickly and independently. Gail's Pocketed Coil® spring machine generated the unique independent Pocketed Coil® design that formed the basis of the Simmons® Beautyrest® mattress.
In 1950, Simmons became the first mattress company to introduce the king and queen size mattresses. Years later, they were featured in Life magazine and other national publications.
In 1995, Simmons introduced "The Bowling Ball Mattress" advertising campaign to illustrate dramatically how the movement of one person on the mattress is less likely to disturb his or her partner on a Simmons® Beautyrest® bed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VG_TymZ8h8&NR=1
In 1999, Simmons designed the HeavenlyBed® for Westin Hotels and Resorts®. Guests from around the world were soon experiencing the joys of sleeping on Beautyrest® Pocketed Coil® springs.
In 2000, Simmons developed the first "No-Flip" mattress - an innovation that had the rest of the industry scrambling to follow.
In 2003, the Advanced Pocketed Coil® spring was developed and launched - continuing a legacy of innovation from the originators of Pocketed Coil® spring technology.
In 2006, the famous Beautyrest® mattress was made even more luxurious with the introduction of the Beautyrest Black® mattress. This line featured enhancements in opulent fabrics and foam layers as well as stronger, motion dampening coil spring technology.
In 2008, Simmons brought crossover technology to bedding with the introduction of the Beautyrest® NXG® mattress. It combined the contouring comfort and pressure relief of NXG® Memory Foam with the support, pressure relief and motion separation of Beautyrest® Pocketed Coil® springs.
In 2011, with a commitment to innovating Beautyrest® Pocketed Coil® designs for better sleep, Simmons introduces new Beautyrest® Smart Response™ Pocketed Coil® technology. Featured in the Beautyrest Elite™ and NXG® models, these new coils offer a revolutionary shape that provides greater motion separation, conformability, individualized back support and pressure relief.
When it comes to selling mattresses, knowing the facts certainly helps - especially when it comes to explaining the differences. Below are some key facts about Beautyrest® mattresses. "For the same price as mattress X, the Simmons Beautyrest® Classic offers you up to 31% more steel in its Pocketed Coil® spring unit - and the coil unit is really the heart of the product."
Ever heard of the old adage "show don't tell?" It's easy for consumers to get lost in technical specs and numbers, so you have to make it easy for them. When explaining motion separation, be sure to encourage couples to lie down and experience it firsthand.
"Simmons puts more steel in their mattresses because it really helps create a more restful night's sleep. Lie down, and I'll show you what I mean"
STEPS FOR TORSO BOARD AND CONVERTIBLE UNIT DEMO
Step 1 Use the Torso board to demonstrate the upper half of your body (torso).
Step 2 Show the Pocketed Coil® springs of the Beautyrest® coil unit. The Pocketed Coil® springs provide unsurpassed motion separation and conform to the unique shape of your body.
Step 3 Talk about the Classic Edge Support Coils - represented by Pocketed Coil® springs in the colored fabric pocket. Classic Edge Support Coils provide a durable seating edge and the maximum sleeping surface.
Step 4 Show the layer of Bloc Foam located beneath the Pocketed Coil® unit. This foam is designed to provide stable support for the Pocketed Coil® unit, while helping to decrease the amount of motion that transfers across the sleep surface.
Step 5 Push the torso board into the Pocketed Coil® unit. Show how the coils in the shoulder and hip regions are conforming to your body. This conformability helps reduce pressure points and helps reduce motion transfer across the sleep surface.
Step 6Next explain how the Pocketed Coil® springs support the lumbar.
Step 7 The torso board also includes helpful speaking points on features and benefits of the Beautyrest® brand.
1925 was a good year for sleep. It was the year the Beautyrest® mattress was born. What made it stand apart were the Pocketed Coil® springs that offered a whole new experience in comfort and support. Word spread, and soon renowned innovators Henry Ford and Thomas Edison heralded the bed. Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and starlet Dorothy Lamour gave it their approval. A mattress was no longer just a necessity; it was an indulgent pleasure. As new Simmons® patented sleep technologies have been created, Beautyrest Black® has evolved to become the ultimate in comfort. Today it is the choice for those who simply seek the best, every night.
Luxury is in the details Everything in the new Beautyrest Black® mattress is designed with comfort in mind - from the luxurious fabrics and specialized components to the cutting-edge comfort technology including Advanced Pocketed CoilTM springs. Think of them as the DNA of the mattress - a triple-wrapped helix in soft fabric for the ultimate in support, durability, motion separation and conformability. In addition, the new Beautyrest Black® mattress features Transflexion® Comfort Technology - a patented process to ensure the bed will retain a more consistent comfort throughout the life of the mattress. And with a 20-year limited warranty, that's a long, comfortable life, indeed.
Going Beyond
For those customers looking for something more, there's the new Beautyrest Black BeyondTM mattress. It is the most luxurious, distinctive bed in the entire Beautyrest Black® line. This is the bed your customers might wait to attain, and then never wish to let go.
Beautyrest Black® mattresses featuresAsk yourself a few simple questions: How does a customer buy a bed? What process do they mentally and physically go through to select the right product? How can you use this information to help them with their purchase?
Believe it or not, customers want to do more than just find a comfortable bed. In fact, they want to experience the product in a way that makes them more confident about how the product will feel in their home. That's why it's important to actively engage customers with the product the moment they enter your store. Focusing on the look and feel of the product -- and the experience the product delivers when the customer lies down -- will help you sell in a way the customer is looking to buy.
"The Look" is the first thing a customer notices when they walk into a retail store. It's the critical moment of contact where a consumer decides to enter further or turn around. A sale can be made or lost in these first few minutes, and you'll want to make sure your store "greets" the consumer in a way that invites them to investigate further. Everything in the bedding department -- the product, staff and point-of-purchase materials -- plays an important role in "wowing" the customer.
"The Feel" involves the customer's first physical contact with the product. If consumers see a mattress that interests them, they are inclined to run their hands over the bed, pushing down on it before they make the leap to lie down. Covers, foams and overall appearance are what set a product apart.
"The Experience" is the moment when the customer lies down on a bed. This is where the sale is made, and products that offer a noticeable and measurable difference will win the sale every time. This is where the Simmons® Beautyrest Black® mattress can help you win. When customers are looking at the product, discuss covers and fabrics, coil height and/or product finishing touches, like stitching. When they run their hands over the product -- or feel it -- talk about memory foams or latex foams, foam encasement systems and coil support systems. When they lie down and experience the product, begin talking about the more in-depth better sleep benefits that the product's coil or foam construction provides. And always offer the customer time to experience the product in private.
Traditional memory foam mattresses are known for motion separation and pressure relief. Unfortunately, they're also known for a sinking, hard-to-move sensation and heat build-up. That's why Simmons, has created a superior memory foam.
ComforPedic® Advanced NxG® Memory Foam not only responds quickly to your movements, but also dissipates heat to help keep you at your ideal sleeping temperature. The result is a mattress that provides the ideal combination of comfort and support - without feeling like you're sleeping in quicksand.
Uniquely formulated memory foam dissipates heat to help keep you at your ideal sleeping temperature.
Proprietary foam technology responds quickly to move more freely with your body's contours.
Conforms to your body from the moment it arrives to help eliminate any break-in periods or changes in feel due to room temperature fluctuations.
Blue Sky™
Free Spirit™
Harmony™
Mystic™
Fiji™
NXG
Progressive Support Latex
360 Gradient Edge Support
Certi-PUR-US® certified
If you have some great tips of your own, email us at salestips@simmons.com