Interactive Touchscreens...website redux? Not!

There's no doubt the Internet has changed many things including the sales process -- whether in a retail store, new home sales office, car dealership ... to be frank, just about every consumer sales location.

There's also no doubt consumers have become better educated shoppers as a result of Internet use.  They come to the "Point of Sale" better informed about you and.. your competitors.

When today's consumer gets to your door, the sales process is no longer the basic, "Here's what we have" as the consumer already knows the basics.  Geoff Keifer, with Keifer Consulting, suggests you need to "immediately sell YOUR VALUE!"

A good sales agent not only talks about the product but works to differentiate your product by asking questions, providing information that meets the consumer's needs and the like. They're not just a human website, in other words.

Some people think an interactive touchscreen is pretty much a website...just larger.  A well-designed system, however, does something far different: it sells YOUR VALUE!  Here's how:

(1) There's no need for a touchscreen system to repeat everything that's on the website: depending on your market, over 80% of your consumers have already been to your website.  Your website performed: it drove the prospect to your sales location.  They're at your door, ready to make a decision.  No more driving needed.

(2) Now that your shopper is at the "Point of Sale", they're looking for a response to specific needs and questions in order to make that purchase decision. 

And, many businesses try to do that with a brochure.  It may be possible but..today's consumer wants directed information, quickly.  Brochures are best at "broadcasting" general information vs. "narrowcasting" specifics. And, brochures can't help at all with the social media aspects associated with purchase decisions: sending pictures out asking for feedback, etc.

(3) Your specific product is only part of the purchase: it needs to provide answers ("Yes; that's a fabulous living room!") and solve problems (e.g., "My current home is too small," "I want to live on my own," "I want to reduce my power consumption.").  A well-designed touchscreen system, used on its own or by a salesperson, will answer questions very specifically and build your brand not only as an innovator but a problem-solver.

(4)  Good sales people will incorporate touchscreen use into their sales process: using it to "ask questions" or provide specific answers, drive decisions with information about inventory availability, offer the ability to "create your own" as a result of interactive floorplans, mark-up features and the like. 

The well-design interactive touchscreen system will take the "general" and narrow it down to the "specific" so your consumer thinks of your product as their own...at the point of sale.