Galt's Strategic Retail Sales By Design Tip #4: 3 Keys to Selling More Without Being Pushy or Salesy

Furniture World News Desk on 3/19/2018

Do you remember in the iconic classic movie “Pretty Woman” when Richard Gere, well dressed and handsome, comes to pick up Julia Roberts, decadent in a red evening gown, and he offers her a velvet box.

That was INTRIGUE!

Then he popped the lid a couple of times and tempted her with the dazzling contents, a diamond necklace worth hundreds of thousands, on loan for the night, just for her.

That was TEMPTATION!

She was beyond excited when he finally placed it around her neck. Her white kid gloved hands went to her throat to feel the luxury of the diamonds that lay there. And she basked in the attention he gave.

That was EXCITEMENT!

When you create intrigue, provide temptation, and stir with excitement, your potential buyers will become buyers (and if you do it right, they’ll become lifetime buyers.)

Creating Intrigue
Furniture today has come a long way. Whether it’s a concealed button that turns that attractive chair into an unexpected and entirely welcome recliner or the night stand that actually has a built-in night light and charging station, or that desk with the drop down keyboard drawer and power outlets, there’s instant intrigue.

Too often we forget that the customer isn’t aware of these benefits and we fail to mention them. And it doesn’t have to be as nuanced as those stated, it could be good old fashioned 8-way hand tied and down-wrapped cushions. An educated consumer buys more because they understand the value better.
Furniture offers its own intrigue, you can even create intrigue around where it was made, who made it and if it’s sustainably produced or supporting a village in a third world country. (Made in the USA is always an intrigue button worth pushing.)

Provide Temptation
Temptation can come in the form of a limited sale opportunity, a limited edition of furnishings (rare but possible), anything custom is tempting because ostensibly it’s a one-of-a-kind made just for you. (Yes, I know another customer may order the same thing, but most customer’s aren’t thinking about that!)
It’s also about how the pieces are put together. When a room comes together it is a beautiful thing. The sum of the parts is far greater than any individual piece could be. Tempt customers with design that exactly suits, serves, and supports their lifestyle priorities.

Stir with Excitement
Excitement is about a feeling place. When you buy something from need, it’s a mind decision. It’s not emotional. When you buy from want, it becomes about desire and emotion. Need will trap your customer in the land of budget, while want will free them to the land of investment.

Your customer wants to be excited and not just when they are in your store, but when they are at home imagining their new furnishings and what it will do for them. When you understand this and steer the conversation with customers to what the furnishings will achieve for them, they’ll be hooked.

It’s not about the sofa. It’s about having a place to curl up as a family and watch movies on a Friday night with a coffee table big enough for feet and food.

It’s not about that chair. It’s about having a special place to put their feet up at the end of a long day and relax before dinner. (Because it’s replacing that uncomfortable little French accent chair that no one sat in, they perched on it!)

It’s not about the dining table and chairs. It’s about how amazing it’s going to be to have the entire family in one place enjoying a Thanksgiving feast together.

It’s not about the stools at the breakfast bar. It’s about having a convenient place for the kids to do their homework, while mom cooks dinner and can help as needed.

Create intrigue, provide temptation, and stir with excitement and you’ll find your potential buyers becoming customers for life and brand ambassadors for your business.

More about the Author: Melissa Galt is a sales generating, referral building, relationship maker who doesn’t just show you and your design team what to do, but leads you through a remarkable experience that will forever change how you do business. You’ll be able to ditch the clichéd sales speak and been-there-done-that strategies that haven’t been working and step into genuine engagement that gets rave results.

Melissa is your resource for increasing sales by design. Schedule an in-depth discovery session today. The insights you’ll gain will provide immediate clarity, confidence, and opportunity.