With the increasing competition, these days the patio dealers are finding it very difficult to sell their patio elements. Due to cutthroat competition, the pricing has to be competitive. If one dealer is selling a patio umbrella for $50, the other dealer also needs to sell it at $50. The customers check out the dealer who sells the patio umbrella at the least cost. Sometimes, cost of the patio items is not always the reason for the sale. Quality and good customer service is also two of the key factors that can influence the sale of the patio items.

If a patio cushion costs $40 at a dealer A and the a similar looking patio cushion costs $45 at a dealer B. The customer may still go in for the patio cushion that sells at $45 at the dealer B. There can be two reasons for this. The first reason is that the quality of the patio cushion at the dealer B is excellent. The second reason may be that the service given by the dealer B is very good. Experts believe that today it’s the buyer’s market and not the Seller’s market.

Respecting the customer whenever the customer enters the patio showroom is very important.
Good customer service will surely spread the good word about your patio items. The staff of the patio showroom needs to be very polite with the customers and the customers need to be treated at the first come first serve basis. So, what is the first come first serve basis? Well, as per this right hand rule, the sales staff needs to cater to the needs of the customers who have come first.

For example if customer A comes in the patio showroom looking out for outdoor patio furniture and just behind that customer, there is another customer B who comes looking out for a patio cushion, then as per the first come first serve basis, you will have to cater to the needs of customer A. If the customer B asks for the patio cushion, you will have to request customer B to wait for few minutes till you cater to the needs of customer A.

As a sales executive, you need to be very receptive and alert for the signs that are given by customers. When a customer wants the elegance of wood, but cannot afford the cost of the teak furniture, you will have to direct the customer to wicker outdoor furniture. Sometimes, customers find it very difficult to come to terms to the low cost wicker outdoor furniture. You need to get the confidence in the customer and convince the customer that their selection will not let them down.

Building the confidence in the customer is very important. Most walk in customers may want to know the authenticity of the patio items that are in display. As a sales executive at the patio dealer, you will have to keep some statistics ready. If there are any certifications or guarantee cards that can supplement those statistics, then it will do a lot good. Take for example if a customer asks for the quality of the patio cushion. You can have some statistics on the quality of the material used.

You can tell give the characteristics of the material that is used for the manufacturing of that patio cushion. If the patio cushion is hand made, you can explain the process of making the patio cushion. There are many other ways of gaining the confidence level of the customers. To get some comprehensive training on this customer confidence building, you will have to either get into some kind of training program or get some good hands-on experience from your mentors or seniors. Understanding the needs and wants of customers can help you do a better job.

The after sales service is very important for all the sales executives of the patio dealers or retailers. For example, if a customer has a problem in opening the patio umbrella, you will have to see to it that you give that customer the instructions of opening the patio umbrella. Good customer service is a key to good sales and it also strengthens the name of the patio dealer or retailer. The customers need to:
-    Be treated with respect
-    Be shown all that they ask
-    Be given a chance to voice their opinions