Educating Your Customers Part 3, Words That Sell
In Part 2 of this series, we said there’s more to know about selling repairs than simply explaining what the car needs. It’s the same when you attempt to educate customers. They don’t usually want to learn how cars work; instead, they’re trying to get a sense of whether they should trust you.
Professional salespeople know that everyone has a unique method of learning. This can help teach customers complicated concepts about how cars work. If you use certain words, they’ll resonate with a customer’s learning style. That builds trust.
Let’s look at five general learning styles, and how you can cater to them. Remember, though, that some people may use a mix of two or more styles, so pay attention to what seems to work and what doesn’t.
The Hearer
Few adults can grasp information simply by hearing it. A person who learns new concepts by hearing them explained, though, will say things like “I hear that” and “It sounds good to me.” Those words are clues that they learn by hearing.
Therefore, when talking with these customers, it’s best to use phrases that emphasize hearing and sound, like this:
· The car should sound like…
· What I hear from your description of the problem is this…
The Visual Learner
Many people learn by seeing. Demonstrations are great for these folks. People who learn well visually are very analytical, often like mathematics, and are detail-oriented.
They will give you those clues as they talk. For example, if you ask about their car’s gas mileage, they will answer to the tenth of a gallon.
In addition to being very precise — they hate estimates or general answers — visual learners are very logical people. They tend to express themselves with analytical terms like “I think” and “It stands to reason.”
To explain things to visual learners, don’t use estimates. Be specific. Use words that appeal to their sense of reason, like:
· I see…
· I think…
· Logic would dictate that…
· Let’s reason this out…
· Do you agree with that reasoning?
The Hands-On Learner
Some people don’t grasp new concepts by hearing or even seeing a demonstration. They learn by doing. They relate to the physical world better than to theoretical concepts. They think in terms of touch.
They’ll say things like “The car feels like it’s struggling” or “Something does not feel right.”
Match your language to theirs, like this:
· I feel the car would be better off if we did this…
· To smooth out that problem, the car needs this…
The Reader
You’ve met these people. They’re the ones that read the literature in your waiting room and then read the work order before signing it. They’ll even tell you they learn by reading by using phrases like “I read somewhere that…” or “I read online that…”
Most importantly to you, though, these people don’t feel comfortable with a big buying decision until they’ve read something about it first. If they ask you for something to read about that big repair you are explaining, give them something to read.
The Comparison Learner
Yes, you’ve been very frustrated with these people. They ask a lot of questions that seem only vaguely related to what you are telling them. They can’t focus, right? And they can’t seem to make a decision. It’s agonizing.
Relax. Their minds learn by comparing new information to something they already know. It’s subconscious, and they may not even realize they’re doing it. But they sure enjoy sifting through lots of information. These folks often prefer estimates and best guesses.
Just be patient with them. Say things like:
· Let’s compare this issue to the other problem your car had.
· This problem is related to this other issue.
· Let’s compare notes.
