Five steps to improve your sales

Many would agree that our world is changing at a record pace. There is a lot of talk about how the shopping habits of Millennials differ from those of our 40- or 50-something customers. It’s easy to get swept up in the hype and think that you need to completely reinvent your marketing program. Although some needs are different, the basic process of decision making remains the same no matter your age. In fact, the decision to buy a product has not changed much since “Consumer Behavior” authors James Engel, Roger Blackwell and David Kollat developed their 5-step model of the consumer buying decision process back in 1968. Here is a quick summary of how the average person makes a buying decision.

Step 1 - Need/problem recognition: First, your customers identify that there is a gap between their current situation and one they desire — a “need.” This not only means that they want something, they will also evaluate to see if this goal is attainable, affordable and worthwhile. Most psychologists agree that after our primary needs are met, people have a few other common needs:
1.    The need for acceptance/ the need to belong
2.    The need for attention
3.    The need for adventure, or at least rescue from boredom
Playing off these needs with your signage and displays will help get your customers in the door and through this first critical decision-making step. An example would be putting up a marquis or road sign that reads, “Friends love getting flowers” or “Don’t let your neighbor’s yard win!”

Step 2 - Information search: Here your customer searches for information on how to solve the problem. Studies show that when looking for gardening advice, she will usually ask a friend or search the Internet. The key here is that the more information she already has, the less searching she will do. Make information clear and easy to read at the point where the decision is made, and she won’t have to go anywhere else. A demonstration garden or mannequin planter would be a great way to get started, but don’t forget POP. Benary has a new line of consumer friendly designs for tags, posters and bench cards from MasterTag so you can easily provide the information your customer is looking for.

Step 3 - Alternative evaluation: Next, your customer evaluates the choices available and decides whether to make a purchase or not. The more involvement the person has had, the more likely they are to make a purchase. So now it’s time to let your customers get their hands dirty! Organized classes are great, but a more informal potting bench where customers can get help planting their masterpiece might be more appreciated. Be sure to put this near a spot that is normally well staffed, and have some information posted with some planting basics.

Step 4 - Purchase decision: Even if your customers have made the decision to make a purchase, you are not home free just yet. Their decision to purchase may be affected by their perception of the shopping experience. A long checkout line, inattentive staff, or even an unpleasant past experience can derail their purchase. There are several great books on the science of the shopping experience — too much to recap here. But I will share one insight — one thing that is frequently overlooked is seating. When making decisions, people often want to sit down to look at their phone or jot down a note. Do you have a seat for them in or near your display? This may seem trivial, but to your customer it is very important.

Step 5 - Post-purchase behavior: Now your customer will evaluate how well your product addressed her needs. If she feels good about her purchase, she is more likely to bypass the 5-step decision process and thus become a loyal customer. If not, she will go through the same decision process all over again.
If you make it easy for people to do what you want, they will. Any one of these steps can be done independently, but when combined, you are making it as easy as possible for your customers to decide to purchase your products and become your loyal customers — no matter what their age.
You can read more about this at http://bit.ly/1PQKT4E and http://bit.ly/1EibZ3F.