The real representative of any brand is the sales person interacting with the customer in the store. A sales person is ultimately responsible for showcasing and demonstrating the product and convincing the customer of the its features and their benefits.
Now imagine a scenario where the sales person himself is unaware of the product’s features and utility. Any potential customer would like to know the specifications, function or purpose of the product before considering purchase. With the sales person being unable to provide the answers, the prospect will quickly lose interest in the product and ultimately will lose confidence in the brand.
Having thorough understanding of the product can help the retailer in many ways to bring a partially committed prospect to sales closure. Things a sales person should know about their product are:
- Brand heritage
- Product features
- Product make
- Technology/any special manufacturing process
- Type of models – eventually help in providing relevant product as per customer’s need
- Pricing structure
- How to use the product
- Product distribution and delivery
- Servicing, warranty and repair information
Once a sales person is familiar with the features of the product, he can now go on to explain the customer about how these features will be of benefit and this is what any customer really craves – to see value in the product they are about to purchase and know how it is going to solve the problem/need they are buying it for.
Some sales person even gather sound product knowledge of competition brands in the segment which helps close the loop for the customer if they are eager to compare.
While conducting a shop, as a mystery shopper one should already have the knowledge of the concerned product so you can tell if the sales representative is able to adequately represent the product and the brand or not.