{"id":959,"date":"2024-01-31T22:55:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T22:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guided-selling.org\/guided-selling-best-practices-5-actionable-steps-to-succeed-guided-selling\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T20:05:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T20:05:18","slug":"guided-selling-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guided-selling.org\/guided-selling-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Guided Selling Best Practices \u2013 5 Actionable Steps to Succeed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following the call for personalized digital experiences, we are seeing more retailers and brands discovering Guided Selling as a means to drive engagement and growth. The concept of \u201cEasy shopping\u201d<\/strong> is no longer just a fancy nice-to-have feature but has become a mandatory asset and USP for businesses that want to attract, satisfy, and convert visitors to improve their bottom line.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided Selling<\/a> is not a brand new concept though. The first application popped up around 1996\u00a0and since then the solutions we are seeing\u00a0have grown in sophistication and interactivity. While early applications were not more than better filters (no offense), current solutions integrate more customer-orientation and functionalities that leverage analytical data to simulate a conversation with the buyer, determine his or her needs, advise, educate, and ultimately sell the needed product to the prospective buyer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided Selling has all the potential to provide users with convincing arguments for buying a product and actually converting them to buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important word in the last sentence, however, is \u201cpotential\u201d<\/strong>. If you\u2019re planning to integrate\u00a0Guided Selling, be aware that not every Guided Selling solution<\/a> is automatically a winner. Some of the solutions we are seeing out there do the opposite of what they are set out to do:
Making choosing less complicated and facilitating the next action of value.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the more reason for us to look at Guided Selling Best Practices<\/strong> to help you get started on the right foot.\u00a0In a previous article, we shed some light on the 4 essential elements of good interactive product advisors<\/a>. Here, we will go a step further and provide you with 5 actionable steps\u00a0to succeed with your Guided Selling solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Prepare your Environment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Involve the team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Well-performing interactive product advisors are a product of great team work<\/strong> \u2013 Data managers, Category managers, UX designers, Marketers, and Business owners \u2013 get them all on board to share their perspectives and help you create a sound Guided Selling concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use consistent and complete product data as a foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Effective Guided Selling solutions rely on consistent product data<\/strong> \u2013 You won\u2019t be able to help and advise users on the best match if you don\u2019t have the necessary information about the products or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Develop a Guided Selling Concept<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Know who you are advising<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have a clear image of the users<\/strong> you want to support. Literally, imagine them using your solution. Who are they? Why do they want to use the solution? What type of support do they need? How experienced are they? Questions like these will help you figure out how to design the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But also have a clear understanding of what your Guided Selling solution should do for you and keep your business goals in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do your research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do involve research<\/strong> by consulting category experts. Explore external blogs, forums, and user reviews or analyze existing user data to understand what your shoppers care about in your products and which questions they have about them. This will help you to step outside the \u201cexpert box\u201d, put yourself in the shoes of your potential buyers, and come up with the right questions to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Create a list of question candidates and paths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you have a picture of the target groups and your objectives, create a list of questions<\/strong> you would ask each of them to help them figure out the best product for them. Consider that you might need different paths and questions for different target groups. This will ensure that you can create relevant and personalized product finders for each user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camera advisor with different paths for different users \u2013 found at Canon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put the questions in the right order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Edit your questions, put them into a logical order, and cut down the number <\/strong>to the ones that really matter in the purchase decision process. Here, it can make sense to involve your team (even from different departments) to provide you with valuable feedback in terms of usefulness, relevance, and comprehensibleness of your concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associate each answer option with a product feature<\/strong> (or combinations of product features) and make sure you have the right product data to support each answer \u2013 Example: The answer option \u201cI will travel with my laptop a lot\u201d<\/em> could be associated with a maximum weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Extra tips:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n