By the Glass…Selling made Simple by John Stanley
I don’t know about you, but I love simple ideas, the often obvious ideas that increase sales. When I hear them I often shrug my shoulders and think I knew that, but I have never used it as a selling technique
I had one of those moments recently at a farmers market.
More and more small distillers are getting into the gin, whisky and drink flavouring market. It is becoming a crowed place and individual businesses need to differentiate themselves.
That is exactly what Wildebeest Handcrafted beverages are doing with their Pomegranate Tonic. Except for them it is not just the product, it is the sales approach as well
Their printed marketing highlights the benefits
“Our handcrafted tonic, made in small batches, is crafted to bring out the best in your favorite drop. Made in Western Australia. with fresh whole ingredients, spices and cinchona bark to give you a true tonic taste.”
But, this is not their point of difference. It is the way they communicate the benefits face to face with the consumer. The beverage is made from local Pomegranates which in itself is unique. This also means that tastings are essential to get the product into someone’s mouth. The average consumer in Australia has not tasted this exotic flavour even though it is one of the oldest berries in the world and was believed to have been in the Garden of Eden. The fruit gets it name from Carthage, the old North African city, but it actually comes from Afghanistan, S.E. Pakistan and Iran.
The sales approach of this exotic drink does not focus on the size of the bottle or the price, but on the amount of standards drinks that can be made from the bottle. This brings it into perspective and a figure the consumer can easily relate to. Plus, they have removed the price barrier in co most consumers’ minds
As I mentioned, not rocket science, but a powerful message that we all already know, but rarely use with the consumer.
How could you develop this thinking in your own business?
If you are a garden centre you could for example
Sell hedging plants by the metre length of hedge or ground covers by the square metre of ground or rather than selling pot colour you could sell a front porch display for the season.
If you were a farm market you could sell produce based on an average meal size.
The key is to put yourself in the customers mindset and ask yourself how does the consumer uses the product and then construct a sales message that meets this need and desire and one that is unique to you.
In my opinion verbal selling skills as an art has declined in recent years with the increase in social media. It is therefore a pleasure to see a professional salesperson know how to interact with the consumer and identify the hot buttons that increase a sale