Single most important step in optimizing a sale.

Have you ever walked into a store, any store to buy just about anything and you have been entirely ignored by the staff as if they didn’t even see you. Well yes, I know it has happened to you, it has happened to me not once not twice but most of the times. It has happened so much that somehow in a way or another we have accepted it as a norm.  

On an average 7 out of 10 times when a customer walks, she is never greeted. Does this not make greeting a walk-in customer a thing that you need to do just to grab her attention and find out why she is here…?

Isn’t it logical that whenever someone visits you at your home, office, area, and hangout you greet that person? Then the question arises why it is so that when a customer walks into a shop the sales person totally ignores the customer. Well simply there can be a few reasons:

1. Afraid to start a conversation. Lack of confidence: This can be managed by providing ample amount training about how to interact with a customer providing the sales rep with ample amount of training on the products which are being offered, make her prepared.
2.   Generalizing the customer is simply looking around and not going to buy: No one leaves the comforts of their home / hangout just to walk into a store to look around, there is always a single reason to walk into a store and that reason is pretty simple- to buy something. It your job as a sale rep to grab the opportunity of converting a walk-in into a customer
3.   Being busy with other store related works or other customers: Yes it makes sense working in a store is not only about attending customers. But the point is all this merchandising, inventory checks cleaning etc. is all done to make sure that the shop is good enough for the customer to buy. In case you are short on staff and already busy with other customer acknowledge the presence of the new customer walk-in by at least making eye contact and nodding your head.
4. Occupied in group talk or busy looking at mobile phone. Alright its FIFA world cup these days it’s the best and the hottest topic in every group and all your coworkers are being football fan. But the point is you are here to sell and you can only sell when you attend to the customer. Remember we need them more than they need us. 
5.  Being out right lazy. Change your attitude towards retailing or find another place to work where being lazy is accepted.

In simple words you have got to open a sale by greeting a customer with a smile.  Trust me a smile goes a long way. Try to be creative look for cues like weather, FIFA, children, etc… try to build a relation with a customer, don’t make it a sales person and customer, and try to make it person to person. Try to start a conversation and find out the real reason of why the customer is in the store to buy something, probe what she is looking for. We will talk more in detail about probing in our next post.

Until then happy selling.

I hope the above post was insightful and of value to you, if it is so then I encourage you to share this. And if you have any comments I will be happy.

Photo Credit Just Ard /Flickr

Get Prepared to Sell

 

Being a customer imagine a situation that you walk into a store and you need some specific item that you like or want say it’s a nice pair of shoes, you search for a sales person in the store and finally get her attention and ask for it. And the response you get is a blank look “ummm aaaahhh?? Let me check back in the store or ask my supervisor” you really want this shoe it perfectly matches that one dress that you have saved for this special occasion hence you wait for about 10 minutes and then the sales rep comes back and she says “Sorry but that’s out of stock.” As customer you are totally devastated your plan falls apart and now since you waited for so long, it adds to your negativity and you finally black list this store and spread the word to your peers do not go this place its very ……

Now looking at it from the sales person’s perspective a perfect opportunity sell someone a pair of shoes who was ready to buy has been lost. Had she been prepared and had stock count at the back of her mind of what’s in stock and what’s in display, she could have had immediately said “Sorry we do not have that specific one in stock anymore however please have a look at these shoes which are very much on the same lines of the one you want” result the customer would be satisfied that I didn’t get I really wanted but I got some alternative and is happy does the and transaction with the store and spreads a good word.

More similar situations would be like no change in the cash register, the price tag being missing and you wonder what the price, customer asks for a feature and you have no idea what she’s talking about. These are a few of the hundreds of examples which show unpreparedness.

"You are not prepared!"

           -Illidan Stromrage

What is being prepared

Being prepared encompasses 2 things:

1.       Being physically prepared self-groomed.

a.       Wearing a proper attire or uniform.

b.      Looking fresh.

c.       Combed hair.

d.      Clean shoes.

e.      You get the idea…

2.       Being aware of your role in the store:

a.       Spic and Span store: Make sure that the store is shinny clean. No one really like a messy place.

b.      Know your merchandise: As a sales person you need to know what all are you required to sell so that you can sell it.

c.       Know the prices: Being stuck just because the price tag is missing puts you in a vulnerable situation and causes you to lose confidence.

d.      Have product knowledge: you become the professional the customer is looking for, you can manage customer objection more effectively. You will believe in the product and will sell better. Giving you a better chance to sell.

e.      Move around in the store: Makes you aware of the other categories being sold, help you put misplaced items back in place, awareness about new product etc.

The importance of being prepared is extremely essential when it’s about retail sales as it’s about facing the customer who is in hurry and we need them more than they need us.

“To be prepared is half the victory.”

-Miguel de Cervantes

Now that you are prepared, it’s time to greet he customer. More on that in my next post.

Until then happy selling.