We should all strive to be experts in our respective fields. Only then can we really provide our customers with the kind of knowledge and service that will keep them coming back time and time again.;

And if we’re not experts, we need to go away and put the hard yards in to learn and be better. Even if we are considered experts, we should never stop learning and pushing ourselves.

But what about our customers? How much should we expect someone who wanders into our showroom or clicks onto our website to know about our products or services? It’s a tough question to judge, but it’s one that, as salespeople, we all should address.

Should we:

a) Play to the lowest common denominator and presume our customers know absolutely nothing?

b) Treat them with a bit of respect and presume they’ll have done at least a little bit of homework beforehand?

c) Expect them to know all the ins and outs having researched the topic to within an inch of its life?

It’s actually secret answer d) all of the above. We need to be prepared for absolutely anyone to approach us and ask for help or advice, and the real challenge that befalls us is to recognise which of these categories our customers fall into and react accordingly.

Keeping it simple

We need to be able to explain even the most basic of concepts, and do so in a manner that is easy to understand and in no way condescending. You may roll your eyes when being asked something you deem to be incredibly simple, but to some, what you do or what you offer is an alien concept.

Some may see those with no knowledge of the subject as an opportunity to impress, and they’d be right to a certain degree. It gives you the chance to really help someone who may well be feeling a little overwhelmed and intimidated, but you must resist the chance to mislead them or manipulate their lack of knowledge for your own business means, as tempting as it may be.

A battle of the brains

At the other end of the spectrum is an equally tough task - to stand toe to toe with other experts on the subject. But this is also an exciting prospect, and one that we shouldn’t be afraid to learn from.

It’s natural that some might find it intimidating when dealing with knowledgeable customers, especially those new to a job, but this is a great opportunity to test your own knowledge and your skills as a salesman. Can you sell even to someone whose understanding of the subject is greater than yours?

For those of us who consider ourselves experts, it can be tempting to try and out-knowledge someone, and have them do the same in return. This can be an interesting exercise but it shouldn’t get in the way of trying to make that all-important sale.

The digital dilemma

If you’re a bricks and mortar establishment, then it’s pretty easy to tell how knowledgeable a customer is. A quick chat will establish that. But what if you have a digital space? How do you judge your online customers’ comprehension of your industry and target them?

Even for those who aren’t computer-savvy, it’s relatively easy to delve into your website’s analytics to discover the type of people visiting your website.

You can see the ages and locations of people on your site, as well as the pages they’re visiting the most. This can really help you build up a picture of who you should be tailoring your website towards and how to do it.

If you find that most of the people visiting your website have little knowledge of the subject then it could be worth your time creating beginner’s guides or simple tutorial videos. However, if you’re attracting the aficionados, then you’ll need to spend more time producing technical information that would appeal to them.

Understanding your customers is vital to your business’ success, whether on- or offline, and no two customers are the same. You should never presume your customers know a single thing about your products or services, but at the same time, you should be prepared for someone who knows a lot more than you.

Author: Max Breindel (pictured), managing director at Ignitionline