Selling the features of a product is important, but they are often not why the customer decides to buy. The customer is often looking at the outcome; how will this purchase look down the road after they take it home? Will it be the outcome they wanted when they came in to see you, or will they ultimately be disappointed in their purchase?

As a salesperson, it is important that you sell to the customer with the outcome in mind. At the point of sale, features such as price may matter, but making sure the customer is satisfied in the long run is the real goal.

A customer comes in to see you and is looking for an engagement ring and has an idea of what he wants. The two of you begin looking at rings and it’s obvious that there is nothing in his price range that has him excited, you can see it in his face.

You’ve done your best to show him what he wants in his price range but the outcome is not going to make him happy. Therefore it’s time to take a chance and show him a ring that is slightly out of his price range, but would probably accomplish the outcome he is looking for.

The second you show him the ring, it’s obvious that this is the outcome he is looking for. If you had addressed the price before showing him the more expensive ring, then the customer probably never even gives it a look. By showing him the ring with the outcome in mind rather than price, you’ve already overcome any price objection.

Customers are always going to have some sort of a price range for whatever it is they are buying, but a lot of times they will go higher if they have to in order to get exactly what they want. It is up to the salesperson to show every customer the outcome they are looking for.

The last time I bought a laptop, I had my mind set on one model. After explaining what I would be using it for to the salesperson, he asked if he could show me a model that was slightly more expensive. I agreed and that’s the one I ended up purchasing. The salesperson listened to what I wanted and sold me the laptop that gave me the best outcome.

Features are important, but it’s the outcomes, or the benefits, that will ultimately make the customer happy, thus increasing the perception of value.

FINAO - Brad Huisken