The Green Sheet Online Edition

March 25, 2024 • Issue 24:03:02

Street Smarts^SM

Navigating customer confusion—plus a farewell

By Nick Cucci
Fluid Pay LLC

Editor's Note: [With this article, we bid farewell to Nick Cucci as Streets Smarts^SM author, but he will remain our true partner in advocating for best practices and ethical relationships within the payments industry. For the past year, Nick has displayed not only mastery of his subject matter but also a genuine interest in all who cross his path in our ever changing industry. We can't wait to see his next step in leadership. And beginning April 8, 2024, Allen Kopelman will author this column. We'll tell you more about Allen, an industry powerhouse, in April.]

The goal of every salesperson is to make sales, but some sales are easier to make than others. When offering something simple, like a pen, you can focus entirely on quality and presentation, but selling more complicated products takes more effort. Part of that involves getting potential customers comfortable with your product's level of complexity.

Handling the too-complicated objection

As we solve new problems with new technology, today’s products and services look a lot different than those of the past. But their complexity means they have more to offer. Some customers will worry if a product or service seems too complicated, which can lead to lost sales, but a good salesperson can avoid this.

As a sales rep, you must demonstrate your products' ease of use and value, and convince prospects that the value they gain is worth what you say it is. Following these simple steps can help you turn hesitant customers into repeat customers for years to come.

• Listen to their concerns: The most important step any salesperson can take when dealing with sales objections is to listen to customers' concerns. If someone is worried about an element of a product, help them navigate these concerns. Instead of only listening to the customer complain that a product is too complicated, ask them to further explain their needs.
• Customers that feel heard are often more open to working with you—even if they aren’t yet sure about your offerings. Dig deep. Get to the root cause. Make a clear list of their concerns so you can address each issue individually.
• Identify the source of concerns: Sometimes the biggest problem with a customer’s concern is the source of their information—not the concern itself. Bad reviews from other customers or digital influencers can negatively alter a customer’s perception of a product or service.

  Marketers understand that negative reviews are often part of competitors' strategies, but the average customer doesn’t know or expect that. Talk about the source of customers' concerns and address third-party issues when applicable.

• Offer high-quality resources: The best way to help customers accept complex systems and services is to give them the tools they need to navigate them. A truly useful guide, a series of instructional videos and even third-party tools can all be used to help increase a customer's comfort level. With the right resources, users won’t feel overwhelmed—they'll feel empowered.
• Demonstrate ways to simplify the process: Although a full-featured product or service might be fairly complex, that doesn’t mean it has to be. Well-made products and services often grow with the user, offering different levels for different needs. If your product can adapt to different experience levels, share that with your customers. They'll likely be relieved.
• Connect them to additional support: Most modern companies have dedicated support, whether it is an in-house team or a third-party group. These resources can make it much easier for customers to transition to what you are selling. When you offer help lines and chatbots that make it easy to get answers, customers feel supported. Make sure you provide these tools.
• Offer a demo: Explanations of features and perks can be overwhelming and exhausting for potential users. While it's beneficial when a product or service offers more, this can be intimidating for customers. To dispel the notion that your system is too complicated or does too much, offer customers a demo so they can see it in action. Sometimes, just seeing the product is enough to help them realize they can use it.
• Talk about the benefits of complex features: A complex product is complex for a reason: it offers more than the average product. To paint potential complications in a positive light, explain why those features exist and what their benefits are. This can motivate customers to learn and explore the product without fear.
• Define the learning curve: Products that redefine an industry can cause initial confusion. When products change significantly or offer a novel approach, people who are used to the old way can feel trapped in the past. If your offerings come with a learning curve, be upfront about that and talk about how plenty of people have made the transition. A little transparency can go a long way, so don’t hesitate to define the timeline.

Focus on the future

Complicated products change industries and help us to do more, but a little hesitation is natural. As long as you work directly with your customers to help them understand what they have to gain, you can increase their comfort and make the sale. Point out that today’s concerns will likely be a thing of the past in a matter of weeks. This can empower them to see themselves in a brighter future—one where the product or service isn’t too complicated for them at all.

Wrapping up my Streets Smarts^SM tenure

I’d like to take the last part of this article to say what a pleasure it is to have written this Street Smarts^SM column for The Green Sheet during the past year.

I’ll leave you with this: My hope is that this year, you make mistakes! When you make mistakes, you are creating new normals, trying new things, learning, living and changing the world. Do things you have never done before. Don’t freeze or stop; don’t worry that it’s not good enough or that it’s not perfect. Make your mistakes—this year and forever!

When you are young you tend to see yourself through the eyes of others, and every mistake can seem like the end of the world. But the reality is that other peoples' judgments are just noise.

Your value is never measured by likes, your number of friends or what anyone says about you. It’s measured by your courage and your desire to grow and get back up whenever you’re in doubt or feeling judged. Your journey is unique; it’s normal to not have all the answers right away. Move forward at your own pace because no one but you can write your story.

Nicholas Cucci is the co-founder and COO of Fluid Pay LLC. Cucci is also a graduate of Benedictine University and a member of the Advisory Board and Anti-Fraud Technology Committee for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, as a CFE himself. Fluid Pay is the ONLY 100 percent cloud-based Level 1 PCI Payment Gateway processing transactions anywhere in the world. Contact Nick at >.

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