Why Show Beats Tell
Replace Words With Visuals For a Better Sales Experience
Custom framing is viewed by many customers as intimidating and filled with too many choices. Scientists tell us that humans don’t want to think hard about making decisions and will try to avoid situations where they have to work at making difficult choices. Maybe this is one reason why only a small portion of our population uses custom framing. Scientists also tell us that the human brain stops listening to sales talks very quickly by tuning out the words being said.
Knowing how the human brain works can help us become better sales people. By eliminating or minimizing the behaviors that keep us from engaging customers, we can change the perception of custom framing and relate to more potential buyers. One way to do that is to reduce the words we use. Since picture framing is a visual experience, we can easily use examples instead of words to describe designs. Reduce brain overload by eliminating technical terms like “float” or “dry mount” and replacing them with samples that illustrate these complex concepts. In fact, showing samples of design and construction techniques allows customers to improve their understanding of the fantastic things you can create for them.
Because picture framing is a visual experience, we can easily use examples instead of words to describe designs.
Remember that it is not necessary to show or demonstrate every aspect of a design. By clarifying only the key areas where decisions need to be made, or using samples to answer questions, you can make decision making simple and easy.
Shop samples can be used to illustrate many key aspects of design you use. Start by making a list of the key design techniques you want to demonstrate and then use them in showroom samples (or download this free list for a head start). Production techniques, like different types of mounting, cannot easily be viewed in framed designs; a sample of these can be created and kept under the sales counter for easy reference when illustrating a technical aspect of construction is important to your customer.
The easier we make the decisions involved in custom framing, the better chance we have of engaging more customers. Since picking up those wonderful projects is a totally enjoyable event for our customers, anything we can do to make buying easier will go a long way to building our industry.
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