The image of the pushy salesperson can be extremely damaging, as customers will often remember negative experiences and assume all salespeople are the same. Nobody likes being put in a high pressure environment, meaning that the pushy approach is not necessarily conducive to sales. But from the salesperson’s perspective, they know that they need to be persuasive to ensure that they are hitting or exceeding targets. Can pushiness be effective in sales?
A key part of selling is to show how your product or service will help the customer. A shift in mindset from ‘I need to make a sale’ to ‘I need to show this customer how my product will make their life easier’ can help a salesperson to reduce the perception of pushiness. By asking the potential customer questions and establishing what problems they may have, it makes it easier to sell the benefits of a product or service in a way that is more appealing to the customer.
However, within the helpful benefits-led approach, there is space for salespeople to start pushing their customer towards the product once they have demonstrated its benefits. People are naturally hesitant to part with their money, even if it will benefit them in the long run. Salespeople need to have faith in what they are selling and ensure they can convince others. This does not mean being aggressive or harassing the customer, as this will definitely ensure they never buy from you. It means being persistent, ensuring the customer does not get distracted, forget about your pitch or make a decision that could harm them in the long run. This is part of being a helpful salesperson.
Where do you think the line is between helpful and pushy? How far is it acceptable to pursue a customer for a sale?
