 Anne M. Obarski |
According to Urban Dictionary, the term “pester power” describes how young children between the ages of 5 and 10 years-old can make their parents do anything they want by bugging them until they give in. If you are reading this and grinning I bet at one time you were the best at “pester power.” Though in some houses it may not work—and it just might have the adverse reaction. Pestering in my home was usually followed by the line, “If you ask me one more time…” and an unsavory consequence. So I quit pestering. With children, pestering seems to come naturally. They never worry about pushing limits with their questioning. Better yet, they learn how to ask the same question in different ways hoping for the “yes” response they are looking for. When did adults become afraid to pester? I think as grown-ups we remember how frustrated our parents got with us and we really didn’t want that same reaction from other adults. Can pestering be useful in your garden center? It depends. I believe a good salesperson is a talented “pester-er.” They know which questions to ask and how to re-word the same question in order to get the sale. The difference in a good salesperson and a pester-er is that one listens carefully and develops an answer to the customer’s problem, while the person who pesters keeps bugging the customer with irrelevant questions hoping they will buy. Janine Driver in her book, “You Say More Than You Think,” said that “listening is a critical skill many of us overlook.” She also favors asking powerful questions that start with the words “how” or “what.” “How” questions to use in the garden center:
“What” questions to use in the garden center:
These questions will help build a relationship because it requires the employee to listen while the customer does all the talking. If the customer feels comfortable, they will tell you the details you need so you can form a plan of action for the customer. Listening can be one of the harder things employees have to do in their job! These probing questions can also provide the employee useful information that they can store in their memory (or even their database) to use as a conversation starter the next time that customer comes back to the garden center ... “Mr. Wing, I was hoping I would see you back here again! How is that new rhododendron performing? I know your wife loved the color, and I bet you get lots of compliments from your neighbors.” Just remembering to start your sentences with the words “how” or “what” will turn you into a caring and powerful sales person versus a pester-er with no power. Garden centers whose employees remember customers and their past buying experiences create long-lasting and contagious relationships. Anne M. Obarski is a retail strategist and frequent speaker regarding customer retention and relationship building. Join her group for garden center professionals at www.merchandiseconcepts.com/gcroundtable. |
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