Maria Weiskott

Tap into Your 'Inner' Customer
April 10, 2008

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it: get consumers to open their wallets and make a purchase. It’s an especially tough job these days when we don’t know from one week to the next which way the economy is headed.

The good news, however, is that we all have what it takes to tackle this particular tough job. It’s our ‘inner customer.’ Sure, we may be retailers, vendors, reps, (editors), but we are also consumers. We often forget our consumer side when trying to “sell.”

Next time you are in the midst of a hard sell, try looking inward. Tap into your inner customer and ask: “What would it take to get me to buy the item I’m trying to sell? What would it take to get me to fork over my hard earned cash when I’m worried about the price of my next tank of gas?”

To help you start getting in touch with your consumer self, we tapped into our shopper side here and asked colleagues of both genders: "In the current economic climate, if you were buying someone a gift because it was a must, what factors would be absolutely required before you would open your wallet and make the purchase?"

Cost and value aside, (which, of course were the numbers one and two factors, respectively), my colleagues overwhelmingly said the gift had to be unique and not in large supply: No cookie-cutter gifts or knockoffs for this group (good news for independents, I’d say). They also said that in tough economic times, they would be more likely to “shop around” to see what was available and to compare prices. And considering the price of fuel, the shopping around will probably be on the Internet.

Colleagues also said the gift must reflect both recipient as well as giver, and especially take the recipient’s personality and lifestyle into consideration; and preferably be useful. Additionally, the gift must not date itself: “I don’t want it to be ‘so 2008,’ that in 2009 it looks dated,” commented an editor.

The question of self-gifting in tough economic times was also presented: "What would it take for you to buy a non-essential gift for yourself?"

Here’s where the penny pinching really came into play. One colleague actually said there was nothing that could get her to buy herself a gift: “I would not buy a non-essential gift for myself even if it was on sale for only $1.” That’s one tough customer alright!

Fortunately, even in the current fiscal climate, while not thriving, self-gifting is still alive, with the strongest pull being an item that is rare. A colleague said that the gifts he’s bought for himself are usually bought “because I thought I wouldn’t have the opportunity to buy it again anywhere else.” 

What does your inner consumer think?

Posted by Maria Weiskott on April 10, 2008 | Comments (0)