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Thread: assessing consumer needs

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    Featured Member xoxoGracexoxo's Avatar
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    Default assessing consumer needs

    A lot of sales books advise you to find out what your customers needs are, so you can taylor your approach to showing them how your product will meet their needs. For instance, in a club context, a customer might be buying dances to celebrate something good, to relax after a stressful experience, just to kill time, to impress their friends, and so on. In each case, you would approach differently.

    When I can figure out what a customer wants and taylor my approach accordingly, selling dances is way easier. Sometimes it's easy to figure out why customers are in the club. Like, if a group announces to you that their celebrating a bachelor party, or if a customer starts telling you about their tough day. Other times, it's less obvious. So I'm wondering what questions you ask to find out why a customer is in the club. The obvious question, of course, is something like "What brings you in today?" But this seems to make some customers defensive, or else you sometimes get answers too vague to be useful. Any ideas? Am I over-thinking all this? I do tend to do that...

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    Veteran Member Candy Apple's Avatar
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    Default Re: assessing consumer needs

    I ask what they have done that day. It usually leads to "oh I've worked so hard all day and now I want to have a beer and relax" or "hung out with my buddies, he's getting married" or "my wife left today", etc.

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    God/dess colleen's Avatar
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    Default Re: assessing consumer needs

    When they say they jsut wanted a beer, I ask them, "Of all the bars on Manheim Road, what made you choose THIS one?"


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    When you perform... you are out of yourself--larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly.

    --Agnes De Mille

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    God/dess doc-catfish's Avatar
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    Default Re: assessing consumer needs

    Quote Originally Posted by xoxoGracexoxo
    So I'm wondering what questions you ask to find out why a customer is in the club. The obvious question, of course, is something like "What brings you in today?" But this seems to make some customers defensive, or else you sometimes get answers too vague to be useful. Any ideas? Am I over-thinking all this? I do tend to do that...
    No, no, not at all. I wish more dancers would take some time to peer inside their customer's heads and see what takes to scratch their itch. Thats a smart way to get them on the hook. God knows that I hemmorage a lot more cash when a dancer implicitly (or explicitly) tells me that she's more than happy to taylor her performance (approach included) towards what I desire.

    As far as guys being defensive, I think it stems from the fact that they have a sense of shame about being in an adult business and are uncomforable with the fact that they are objectifying you, or that they probably shouldn't be there (because they are married, because God would disapprove, etc.).

    You need to set a non-condemning tone for those guys and help them realize that some the mores of the real world do not apply in here, and that as long as they're respectful they can open up to you. Try to get them to draw out their fantasy for you. You may not like some of what you hear, but at least then you'll know who you're dealing with.
    Former SCJ now in rehab.

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    God/dess DancerWealth's Avatar
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    Default Re: assessing consumer needs

    Actually, the importance is in the answers, not the questions in this case. Sometimes asking "what brings you in here" is a more powerful question than you realize. It's all in the details of the answer you get is what is even more important. Should you get a vague response like, "I just wanted to have a drink" the next question you ask is extremely important. Asking, "Well, why this one and not the other dozen bars in the area" is a bit sarcastic and you obviously know the answer to that question as does he, so it's pointless to ask that question to begin with because everyone already knows the outcome and it doesn't benefit your sale any. In addition, sarcasm is always perceived of as an attack. So, be prepared with a better follow-up question. A good one would be, "Well, I would also imagine that with that beer you wanted to have a great time as well, right?" Say this question while nodding your head "YES". This forces an outcome of something positive and not negative. Now you're on the road to a sell. Once he agrees to this (which he will) then start with the chit-chat and then close the sale.

    The ORIGINAL Stripper Sales School
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    Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. ~Abraham Lincoln

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    God/dess colleen's Avatar
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    Default Re: assessing consumer needs

    DW, I tried this tonight and it went over well. We had VERY few custies but of the ones we had, ther ewere two who gave the "just here for a beer" answer. Sold both of 'em! Thanks!

    IN a realted question, I cannot bring myself to ask "Besides myself, who eles WERE you thinking of getting a dance from?" Because I can't figure out how to use that information. I mean, if he says " I meant to get a dance from susie, and my favorite is Sandy" where do I go from there? I tried thsi one time, and the custy refused to tell me who he was thinking of getting a dance from.

    So then what??


    My MySpace Page:


    When you perform... you are out of yourself--larger and more potent, more beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth. And it is yours, nightly.

    --Agnes De Mille

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