I just got back from Vancouver. Great session with some managers and one of our conversations turned to customers and their being sometimes wrong. Specifically that they are many times flat out wrong. Despite an alleged thought that they are incredibly right.
Now in sales, we have been taught that “the customer is always right”, and ask ourselves if “we want to be right, or rich” and that the customer is now better informed due to the internet. All of these things are important to note. I love a quote which I have always attributed to Stanley Marcus (of Neiman Marcus) that “the customer is not always right, but they are still the customer”. Whether Mr. Marcus stated this or not, it makes perfect sense. Sometimes the customer is not only wrong, they can be incredibly wrong. What is a sales person to do?
It depends.
I still believe the customer is the customer, right or wrong. So what does the context tell us? Is the customer making a decision that they would make anyway calling the widget an ‘XYZ 123’ when it is really called the ‘ABC 123’? No biggie. But what if the decision is based on incorrect information that might very well lead to a return or a disgruntled buying choice? Different. Is it OK to risk correcting a customer? Wait for it…yes. I believe there is a time and place for a sales person to, in a very empathetic and confident way, correct a customer if what they believe is in fact…wrong.
Time to go cross-eyed. Wrong is relative. Is it wrong wording or wrong product knowledge or wrong guidance from their best friend Sam? The default is not always to say, “Well, excuse me sir or madam, that is not right and let me tell you the truth because you obviously do not know what the (you know what) you are talking about.” In my day, I have been a bit of a product knowledge geek. And yes, I have defaulted to the above statement. Not in so many words. I just had to ensure the customer had the right information. Wasn’t thinking about how that may have made the customer feel. Didn’t really need to be right at anyone’s expense. I wasn’t trying to be smart or smarter, if you get my meaning. I just wanted to make sure the customer was completely aware of that widget thing. You know, the thing they were incorrectly talking about. Innocent choice that led someone to think I was just being arrogant.
Let’s face facts. Customers are our reason for being, period. They do have more access information than ever before. There will always be a spectrum of customer knowledge; from research junkies to those who know zero. We must always be the expert in the store. And the key is the bridge from information that is need to know and then there is the solution information. If that is our reality, what if the customer is wrong?
One, what have you found out so far? What is the itch that needs to be scratched? They showed up because they wanted something, regardless of their proverbial PhD. Have you ‘sussed’ out (investigated) what they need…really need and why? Why is the best question in sales (and in life mind you; another post to follow). Are you clear about the information / solution they really need?
Two, is the “wrongness” really a big deal? Think about this one. Is this a battle where you need to be right or that you need to win? You know when I worked for Ralph Lauren, people always called it Ralph Laurein. A completely incorrect accent on the last part of Lauren. Like it was somehow French. It isn’t. An in retrospect, it drives me utterly crazy. It isn’t freaking French. During the time, it wasn’t a battle I needed to win. Call it whatever you want, just buy it.
Three, wrong can lead to a bad decision with repercussions. We are and will always be accountable to what we are positioning, selling or consulting. If the customer is saying, doing or giving the wrong information, I believe it is OK to correct the customer. Granted, we must do it very carefully. Keep it simple…
- “Excuse me sir or madam (or their name if you know it), may I share what I know?”
- They will not fight you on that so give them the data without calling them liars or having them feel like they are grievously silly for not knowing the truth.
- Ask them for their impression after you give the information. If they fight back even in the slightest, state “OK, thank you, I have had a customer with a similar (need, want, desire) and this is what we decided based on what we learned.”
Four and lastly, and really this should be at the beginning, know your stuff. And not in an arrogant way. Take that from me. It is OK to have the information for your customer. In fact it is necessary. Just remember that there are three types of information: features, advantages and benefits. And they all fit in the right context with every customer. Pick the right place by being very aware and a good listener. You’ll find the right place to plug in that thing about the thing that makes the thing do that one thing. Sorry, it is a thing with me.
I am thinking about my brother in law right now. He is a sales persons dream. He does a lot of research and most of the stuff he buys…he does online. But if he does walk in, he will know A LOT about the widget. Chances are, he won’t be wrong. I walk in. I haven’t done the research and I am expecting you to know A LOT. I will probably say something about the widget that is wrong. Then there is another customer who will say their cousin’s friend’s sister’s cat said it was supposed to do “x”…and it doesn’t. They do not know A LOT. How wrong is the ‘wrong’ you are dealing with? Your battle. Pick it.
Cheers