Do You Have Expert Power?
The doctor has diagnosed your condition and prescribed medicine. Most of the time you will accept the diagnosis and accept the medicine that the doctor has prescribed. The power the doctor has over you is derived from their expertise and knowledge in their profession.
Of course, at times you will go for a second opinion or may even look around for alternatives, but this is when the diagnosis and treatment options are severe or invasive. For less serious ailments you are more likely to accept the doctor’s treatment options. The most you may tell the doctor is that the medicine they’ve prescribed did not suit them previously, so they may alter the medication prescription slightly.
Does the sales person have the same power over customers? Would the customer trust you and accept the product or service you prescribe as a solution to their problem? Are you considered an expert in your field so people will spend less time second guessing your opinion and more time buying from you?
The answer to all these questions is yes, you can develop power over your customers so your opinions and suggestions are valued and acted on. For this you need to establish trust with your customer just like the doctor establishes trust with the patient.
Listen to the customer attentively
Take time to question them to find out more
Eliminate options
Discuss what your understanding with the customer
Suggest a course of action
Suggest a product or service
Make adjustments according to the customer’s needs
As in the case of the doctor patient analogy, if the product they are buying is low involvement, the customer may go with your suggested product. As the involvement in the product or service increases, the customer will search around for alternatives and will check other places selling similar products. If your product or service gives the better value, your reputation is solid, and you can be referred to as a superior option by others, the customer will go with what you are selling.
You can sway the opinion of customers into buying the product
or service you offer by using your expert power. Therefore, it is important for the sales person to develop expert power in the product or service they are selling.