Controlling the Conversation

by Haley Evans, WPICC

Good customer relations are all about making the customer happy. In order to help your couples find the products and services that they are looking for, it is important to investigate and fully understand all of their needs. You can do this by asking a series of probing questions to get an idea of what the couple is looking for and then make appropriate recommendations. In order to do this, you must keep in control of your conversation.

It is extremely important to control the conversation when making a sale. If you don’t control the conversation, here is what might happen:

• You may end up spending far too much time with one couple who might not necessarily be interested in purchasing your product or service. This can cause you to neglect other potential customers.
• The customer will have trouble making a decision and will likely end up giving you the dreadful “I need to think about it” answer. This is often because the customer feels overwhelmed.

Controlling the conversation doesn’t necessarily mean talking more; it means having a focused discussion about the couple’s needs. It is only when we fully understand what a potential customer needs can we recommend an appropriate solution.

The easiest way to start a valuable discussion with a customer is to ask open-ended questions which will allow you to get more than a one-word answer. Open-ended questions start with words like “what”, “how”, “why”, “when” and “where”.
For example:

• What is the most important element of your wedding?
• How do you want your guests to remember your big day?
• Why haven’t you considered having a summer wedding?

This type of question will get your customers talking and give you an idea as to what they are looking for.

Once you get a rough idea as to what your customers need, you can start to really show you understand by asking more focused close-ended questions. This type of question usually only requires a one or two word answer. Close-ended questions often start with words like “do you…”, “have you…”, “are you…”, “is that…” etc.
For example:

• Have you considered hiring a band to play during the ceremony?
• Are you going to have real flowers in the centerpieces?
• Do you prefer silver or gold?

Close-ended questions help clear up specific needs or wants and confirm that you understand what the couple desires.

The key to customer service is helping your customer find exactly what they are looking for. Sadly, not all couples know exactly what they are looking for when they come to us! Asking a combination of open and close-ended questions not only benefits you from a sales point of view but will help the customer zone in on what it is they want. Once the customer see’s that you understand their needs, closing the sale will be a breeze!

Haley Evans is the owner of From Menus to Venues Wedding and Event Planning, which is a proud part of Natasha’s One Stop Wedding Shop – a one stop showroom for special events.  Haley is also the  WPIC Regional Representative for St. John, NB.