How to sell furniture? What furniture retailers need to know

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

An unprofessional seller who is unable to answer not only objections, but also simple customer questions about the cost, packaging and discounts for goods is a fairly common occurrence. Also, there are often overly intrusive and illiterate “specialists”, from whom, as if from a cornucopia, product characteristics that are uninteresting to the buyer and do not meet his needs are pouring in.

Main disadvantages of sales training

Furniture sales is one of the areas where employees go through a lot of training that is divorced from real sales technology and learn skills that only scare customers away. Intrusive and aggressive sales assistants make them want to refuse cooperation. The buyer needs clear answers to his questions, therefore incompetent consultants who do not understand the advantages of their product and have not studied its elementary characteristics are also unlikely to be successful in their business. The best way to get the necessary skills is through experience, studying the product and working with customers. It is also important to communicatewith experienced successful employees and learn from them sales techniques using real examples.

Who should ask questions

There are many techniques for effectively selling furniture, but learning them does not guarantee the emergence of professionalism when working with people. Success depends primarily on the seller himself and his activity. It often happens that the client himself throws questions at the consultant, and he only answers, and often inappropriately. But the one who asks the questions controls the conversation. Therefore, if a consultant or furniture sales manager himself does not ask a potential buyer anything, he is unlikely to be able to make a good deal.

The situation on the market is constantly changing, so the seller should not wait until the client himself makes a decision to buy. Due to the wide range, constant sales, promotions and discounts, and the opportunity to purchase used furniture on free ad sites at lower prices, it is becoming increasingly difficult for a client to motivate a purchase. What can be done? What does the furniture seller need to know in order to manage his behavior himself, and not leave him alone with the goods?

Why do we need an individual approach to the buyer

Today, when working with a buyer, there are no universal schemes that would be suitable for everyone and work regardless of the nature and preferences of the person. The approach to the client should be individual, and the seller's behavior should change depending on who he communicates with. To understand how to sell furniture, onAt the initial stage of work, the consultant needs to study the main types of clients, sales techniques and work with objections. At present, the simple sale of a product with a story about its benefits is not effective, the seller should learn a customer-oriented approach.

Customer focus: basic steps

The customer-centric approach consists of several steps that must be followed one after the other:

1. Preparation.
2. Getting in touch with the customer.
3. Identifying his needs.
4. Product presentation.
5. Working with objections.
6. Deal.

The first step is preparation. It consists of the following items:

1. Product knowledge.
2. Understanding the customer.
3. Research competitors.
4. Appearance.
5. Sales skills.
6. Planning.
7. Appearance.

The basic principle of customer-oriented sales is: "Don't sell the product to the customer, help him buy it." To do this, you need to understand the desires of the client and be able to put yourself in his place. But how to do it and learn how to help the client with the choice of the product he needs?

Importance of product learning

A seller who wants to figure out how to learn how to sell furniture, first of all, must thoroughly study the product with which he works. It is important that the consultant could answer any question about him immediately, without hesitation and without asking anyone again.

The most common questions customers ask when buying furniture:

1. Complete set - what items are included incost, and what you need to buy separately. For example, is a mirror included in the cost of the hallway.
2. Colours - the furniture is chosen according to the interior, so it is important for the client to know if a suitable shade is available and, if not, whether it can be ordered.
3. Manufacturer - Most people prefer well-known companies that they have heard a lot about and can trust, as well as domestic brands. If the firm is unknown, they want to know more about it.
4. Possibility of additional configuration - is it possible to add or change something in the furniture set. Sofas, for example, may have a variety of covers that the customer is willing to purchase in the future if their color scheme changes.

Discounts as motivation to buy

When making a purchase decision, the cost of a product is not as important as it might seem. According to marketing research, the average buyer is able to change his mind about the acceptable cost of goods up to + 20%. The cost is always on the same scale with the goods, and the seller's task is to make these scales swing in the right direction. But the client must clearly understand why he should pay more in this particular case.

Discounts are the last thing customers are interested in, since most of the promotions can be repeated in other stores, so they have ceased to be an advantage. But they can serve as an additional motivation when buying, if all other factors, except for the cost, are satisfactory. Having studied the product, the seller needs to learn how to find out the needs of his client and become familiar with the basic sales techniques in order to learn how to plan communication with potential buyers. Next, you need to study what similar positions competitors offer and how they work with customers.

Dress code for a furniture sales assistant

At the next stage, even if the organization does not have a dress code or corporate uniform, the consultant himself must bring his appearance in line with the standards of business attire. When entering the store, the client should immediately understand that he is in front of a specialist who can be contacted with a question, and not the same potential buyer as himself. As a representative of the company, the seller must look appropriate and stand out, inspiring the trust of the client with his appearance. How to sell expensive furniture if you yourself look unpresentable at the same time? Business attire makes you feel more confident and comfortable.

How to get in touch with a client the right way

Working with a client begins with a greeting. Here it is very important to choose the right form for it and not to use hackneyed phrases that make everyone nervous, for example: “Do you have anything to suggest?”, “Have you already chosen?”, “Is there anything to help you with?” etc. At best, the buyer will laugh it off, but more often than not, such greetings cause everyone negative emotions and a desire to respond in a rude manner and leave the store. For typical questions, the client will always find a typical answer that does not encourage the continuation of the conversation.

"Hot" and "cold" customers

According to one of the theories, out of the total number of people, those who are ready to make a purchase right now will be no more than 5-10%. Such clients are called "hot". Trivial questions will make them immediately decide not in favor of the seller who asks them, and look for someone more professional. Doubtful customers who want to buy, but have not yet decided on the desired characteristics of the product or its cost, will be about 25%.

The rest of the people are “cold” customers who are either aimlessly wandering around the shops, or simply not ready to make a purchase right now. A separate question is how to sell furniture over the Internet, when the client simply looks through the offers, and does not communicate directly with the seller. Thus, most potential buyers are “cold”, but they are able to bring maximum profit to the store with the correct work of the sales assistant. So if you ask them a question to force them to make a purchase decision they are not ready for, it will only scare them away and seem like pressure to customers.

How to greet a customer the right way

The seller, addressing the client, must first of all greet him and introduce himself. Further, experienced salespeople can act in different ways, for example, not to offer help in choosing right now, but to inform the client that they can be contacted with questions about the product. Sometimes consultants continue to obsessively follow the client on the heels and tell him about the characteristics of the product, without waitingquestions. But in this case, the potential buyer will still not remember most of the information, and the sensations from communication will be unpleasant for him. People prefer to buy, but they don't like to feel like they're being sold. Even customers who are ready to make a purchase are likely to leave the store without listening to the seller. Excessive intrusiveness and information flows make you feel obligated to buy something, which causes discomfort. A conversation with a client should be a dialogue, not a monologue of one of the parties.

Identifying customer needs

Before selling furniture, the seller must find out the purpose of the client's arrival and in no case leave him unattended. Friendly communication without pressure and negativity is the optimal behavior strategy. Unfortunately, very often, before selling furniture, sellers, instead of revealing the values of the buyer, begin a thoughtless presentation of the product or begin to dryly list technical characteristics. Efficiency and obsession are two different things. The client should feel comfortable and be able to walk around the store without the close attention of the seller. It is important to use an individual approach, speak the language of a potential buyer and talk about what is relevant to him. The conversation should be about the client, their goals and needs. If the mood is negative, the seller needs to back off.

How to ask the right questions

When working with a client, it is important to ask him the right questions. They can be of two types - open and closed. In the first case fromthe buyer will need a detailed answer, and in the second - confirmation or disagreement. Both options help to identify the needs of the client and are one of the important components of the sales technique. For example, before selling antique furniture, you can ask about what antiques the client already has. This will allow you to suggest an option that will be combined with them.

High-income customers prefer one-of-a-kind items. The identification of such a desire will be one of the answers to the question of how to sell handmade furniture. If the client answers a question with a question, the consultant can give a short presentation and talk about the benefits of the product, moving from the general to the specific. Then you need to take the initiative again and ask an open-ended question. When a salesperson knows how to ask questions and uses this skill effectively, they can quickly find common ground with buyers and respond to their needs. If you show initiative and activity, then there will be no problems and questions about how to sell furniture.

Product presentation

Product presentation is an important selling technique. Having identified several needs of the client, you can move on to it, or you can first find out the details. Only laudatory reviews about the product cause distrust of the buyer. Before selling upholstered furniture, the seller needs to look at it through the eyes of his client and find out what questions he may have. Presentation based on needs, notcharacteristics, is of great interest to the buyer. Talking about new furniture, used furniture or just a project should be in a certain sequence. First, its properties are described, obvious characteristics that do not raise questions from the client.

How to describe the benefits of the product

Before selling cabinet furniture or another product, the consultant needs to carefully study both their and non-obvious characteristics or advantages that distinguish the product from others. At the end of the presentation, the seller should talk about the benefits that the client will receive if he purchases this particular furniture. The properties of the product tell the buyer what exactly he is buying, the benefits - why he does it, and the benefits - what he gets as a result of the purchase. It is important not to forget that the customer is looking for a product that can solve his problem. The seller only needs to help solve this problem.

In this case, Maslow's pyramid and focus on the needs of the buyer can help. For example, before selling old furniture, among its characteristics one can mention the natural materials from which it is made. This will satisfy the customer's basic need for security.

Working with objections

A common mistake sellers make is arguing with customers instead of getting to the bottom of their objections. But the real work of a professional begins when the customer says, “No.” In order to understand how to quickly sell furniture, the consultant must understand how to deal with objections and not be afraid of them. After listening to them, it is worth thanking the client andgive additional arguments in favor of buying your product. If you use Maslow's pyramid again, then it is worth considering that when working on this system with a complex client, you need to transfer him to a level with higher needs. This will allow you to sell furniture more expensive. For example, from the basic need for safety and he alth, switch his attention to the need for belonging. If the client is not particularly concerned about his own safety, he will definitely think about the safety of his loved ones.

Deal closing

The final stage of the work of any seller is the conclusion of a deal. At this time, you need to act decisively and not overdo it, repelling the desire of the buyer to purchase the product. Completion of the sale and payment is an important moment when you can not be wrong. The seller should pay attention to the client's signals about the readiness to make a purchase, stop the presentation in time and lead him to the checkout. After confirming the order amount, you can offer additional products and services, such as an additional guarantee. It's also important to get the paperwork right. The seller should then thank the customer for the choice and send it off with a friendly goodbye.

If the customer is not ready to buy now

Another common mistake made by non-professional salespeople is to lose interest in a client if they are not ready to make a deal right now. At this point, you can lose not only the future reward for work from one person. Offended by an inattentive attitude, the buyer mustwill take advantage of word of mouth and share their dissatisfaction with relatives and friends who are unlikely to decide to purchase something in this store. Thus, the seller loses several potential customers at once. A professional will definitely give you time to think, tell you about additional discounts and bonuses in the future, so that the buyer leaves with pleasant impressions and returns again some time later. You can ask the client for a phone number and offer to call him back later if a better offer appears. For an effective sale, the main thing is to do everything right, to solve the client's problem. Then he will definitely come back again and recommend the store to his friends.