A customer looking to upgrade a wireless phone is considering a smartphone that offers e-mail, online shopping, and navigation features. The customer is nervous that the new phone may be too difficult to use. What is the sales associates BEST approach for guiding this customer to an upgraded model?

• A. Point to the variety of smartphones on display and give the customer time to practice using the various models.
• B. Describe the benefits of different smartphones and let the customer test the different functions to see how easy they are to use.
• C. Ask about the customer's budget and narrow down the models based on price considerations so that the customer can test out the different features.
• D. Talk with the customer about the best-selling smartphones and give the customer time to evaluate the differences.

Answer: (B)

The best approach centers on addressing usability directly by connecting the model’s benefits to what the customer wants and giving them a hands-on feel for the device. By describing the benefits of different smartphones and letting the customer test the various functions, you show how features like e-mail, online shopping, and navigation work in real use and allow the customer to experience how intuitive the phone is. This builds confidence because they can compare how easy the menus are, how responsive the touch screen feels, and how quickly they can complete common tasks. It’s more effective than merely offering models on display or focusing on price or popularity, because it pairs clear relevance to the customer’s needs with actual trial, helping them choose a device they’ll be comfortable using every day.