Retail Contrarian

Believe and Discover Your Way to Higher Sales

The other day I had an errand at the mall and decided since I was there to spend some time shopping stores. It's an experience that is both rewarding and maddening.

I had a very nice conversation in one store after the employee, seeing my Apple bag, asked if I had bought an iPhone. I replied that it was just a boring power cord in the bag but I did get a chance to try one an iPhone while in the Apple store. (It is quite slick.) We went on to discuss the iPhone as well as the joys of owning a Mac. I enjoyed my conversation and off I went - without the salesperson ever mentioning anything to do with her store.

In another store, an employee told me about the good deal on the products that were no longer current and then went back to her phone conversation. In another store I asked a salesperson if she had a particular product. She said, "What you see is what you got" and walked away. Alrighty then. My favorite was when an employee asked how I was doing and before I could even answer he had turned and walked away.

In almost every store I was ignored. Even the Apple store where I made a purchase was less than stellar. Nobody talked to me about the products and the person who rang up my sale asked me, "That it?" Of course I had to reply, "That it."

On my way out of the mall I stopped in one last store, where I encountered the best retail salesperson of the night. She was friendly, engaging, and focused on me. To be honest I hadn't even planned to buy anything but she was so good I opened up my wallet. It was a pleasant experience and I was happy with my purchase.

On the ride home I got thinking about what made her so much more effective than all the other salespeople I encountered. Had she had better training than the others? Did she have a strong manager who worked to develop her skills? I can't answer those questions but I do know that it had nothing to do with price or selection. She and she alone made the sale happen.

Then I realized what made the difference. She was the only salesperson in any of the stores I had visited who believed I was there to buy something. From the minute I walked into her store she graciously matched me up with the products she sold. She wasn't pushy but rather she engaged me with purpose, which resulted with her showing me products specifically for me.

She was also the only person to discover why I walked into her store. The woman in the store who talked to me about Apple products didn't and neither did the Apple salespeople themselves. The woman who told me about a sale in her store didn't. Obviously, everyone who ignored me or barely answered my questions didn't know or care why I was there.

I must have engaged with 25 or so salespeople in the course of that trip to the mall. One store rang up a sale but didn't actually make it. About 23 employees made no sale at all. And one woman created a very nice sale because she assumed I was there for a reason and she took the time to find out what it was.

So let me ask, do you believe your customers are in your stores to make a purchase? Equally important, do you take the time to find out why they're there? Do that and I know you'll make more sales. I know that for a fact. . . . I have the receipt to prove it.

25 Ways to Increase Sales TODAY

1. Sell more. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

2. Be "on" from the moment you walk onto the sales floor. You have an important role to play so play it well.

3. Be genuine. If you can't, you need to change either your attitude, mindset, or job.

4. Never stalk a customer. If when you first engage a customer she gives you the cold shoulder, back off and give her a chance to get comfortable in the store and to see for herself that you're different from most salespeople. The way you engage others allows them to experience for themselves that you're interested in them as a person, not just as a customer.

5. Engage with purpose. For most of us that means developing a relationship with our customer and making sure he/she has a great experience in our store. Remember: never ask a customer a question if you don't care what the answer is.

6. Listen more, talk less.

7. Never talk over your customer. It's not only bad manners but it tells her you're not listening.

8. Don't show products, sell them. The difference is that when you're selling a product it means you know enough about the customer to choose the right product for him.

9. Focus the conversation on the outcome of the product and its benefits. As an example, people don't buy luggage for the sake of buying luggage but because they wish to transport clothing and other belongings from one location to another. Focus on how the end result at that destination will be enhanced because of the product itself.

10. Assume the customer is buying. Remove the idea that anyone is a "looker."

11. Do something nice and unexpected for your customer. It will almost always result in a stronger relationship that often translates into a sale.

12. Never ask a customer how he's doing. The phrase is trite, completely overused and most people who ask it don't really care about the answer. The same is true with "May I help you" and "Can I answer any questions."

13. Don't over greet or over welcome your customer. Once a customer is well into the store a simple smile and "hello" is sufficient. Customers would rather be ignored than greeted excessively.

14. Having a large selection of products for the customer to choose from increases the likelihood that the customer will make a purchase.

15. Reducing the number of products you show a customer increases the odds of making a sale even more.

16. Recommending one or two of those products improves the chance even more.

17. Skip telling the customer everything you know about a product. Instead give them the information they need to make an informed decision.

18. The only way to be able to do that is to gather information from the customer. That's why just showing products costs sales.

19. Help the customer make the purchase. If we've done our job it is only appropriate to give the customer an opportunity to buy what we're selling.

20. Forget trying to "add-on" to a sale. That's completely internally focused and self-serving. "Enhance" the customer's life with the products they're buying and you're guaranteed to sell more.

21. Don't stop enhancing until the customer says so. We like to compare it to the all-you- can-eat buffet. Your customer will tell you when he's full.

22. Use the kind of manners during checkout that would make your mother or grandmother proud. Use a lot of "please," "thank-you" and "you're welcome."

23. Always see a customer bringing a product into the store as an opportunity, not a burden. Assume it's a return until you've learned otherwise.

24. Follow-up a customer's purchase with a thank-you note, email, or phone call.

25. Contact a good customer to tell him about something new in the store and why you think it's something he would like.

26. Always go above and beyond for every customer. If it doesn't result in a sale today, it will tomorrow.

Labels: Increase retail sales, retail advice, retail training

Some Birthday Lessons

Today is my 49th birthday. It's hard to believe I only have 365 days left in my 40s. I hear that the 50s are the new 30s, but until then I'll enjoy where I am in my life today.

Because of some dear friends who are kind enough to invite us to Martha's Vineyard during this week, I have for the past several years had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday on the beach. This is pretty special to a guy whose astrological sign is Cancer the Crab. According to the Chinese zodiac I was born in the year of the dog. I'm pretty sure I was also born under a sign that read "Retail."

I've had a lot of ups and my share of downs in life, and I consider myself extremely blessed. Blessed because of the wonderful people who have been in my life and shared with me the lessons that enabled me to succeed in retail and in life. For me, they're really one and the same.

Here are a few of those lessons that stand out today:

- You're only as successful as the people you have around you. Never be afraid to hire the best possible person and learn from her.

- Ask for help when you need it. Offer to help when you don't.

- Surround yourself with positive people who love life and love you.

- Never regret the past. Use it to create a better tomorrow today.

- Always remain teachable. Learn something every day.

- Stop saying why something won't work and start asking how you can make it work.

- Stop repeating, "I really need to." Either do it because you need to or decide you don't "really need to" after all.

- Prioritize your day and always put the customer first.

- Treat your employees well, they'll treat your customers well, and they'll treat you well.

- No matter what your title, if you're in a leadership role you always go first.

- Passion trumps knowledge and skill. Never try to cover the lack of knowledge and skill with passion.

- Never shy away from a difficult conversation with an employee or a friend. You'll both be the better for it.

- Be happy for others.

- Always say, "thank you," "please," and "you're welcome." Expect the same from your staff and your children.

- Refuse to allow gossip in your store. It kills more sales and profits than any big box competitor could.

- Sometimes bad things happen. It's one thing to be a victim; it's another to stay one.

- No matter the cause, if I'm bent out of shape about something the problem is always within me. If I don't believe that I'm giving others the power to control me.

- If you don't take the time to enjoy the rewards of your hard work why work hard?

- It's okay to know that you can't please every customer, but you can sure try.

- And last but not least, at the end of my life it won't matter how much money I earned or how much praise I've received. What will matter is how well my children will have learned and applied their own lessons for a good life.

Labels: advice, retail advice

Buyers and Decision Makers

Years ago, while working at a Sharper Image in Boston, I was helping a couple who were thinking of purchasing one of the massage chairs. While the husband was sitting in the chair I went over its features and benefits. After a few minutes I asked the wife if she would like to try it out as well. Her answer was something I never forgot. She said, "Sure. He may be the buyer but I'm the decision maker." While she said it half-jokingly, she wasn't really kidding. He was going to buy the chair only if she made the decision that he would.

One way you can increase your sales productivity is to understand and apply the buyer and decision maker concept. It doesn't matter if your average ticket is $20 or $1000, knowing who is a buyer and who is a decision maker will have a positive impact on your business.

For this exercise we'll define the buyer as a person or persons who wants to purchase a particular product or products. The decision maker is the person who ultimately decides if the purchase is made or not. A person can be either or both. Just because a person is shopping alone doesn't mean they are both. They could be a buyer but the decision maker isn't with them or vice versa.

It's important to know the needs of each person to help him or her make an informed purchase. Retail salespeople often focus more on the buyer only to be tripped up by the decision maker. You'll see in the following example that it is important to engage and involve both in the sale process.

Here are some examples of the buyer/decision maker concept:

* Two women are shopping in a jewelry store where one of the women is considering buying herself some new earrings. The one looking at the earrings is both a buyer and a decision maker. Her friend is also a decision maker. To successfully help the buyer make a purchase the retail associate must also involve the friend. Ask the friend some questions that will demonstrate for the buyer her friend's approval of the purchase. One example is, "Don't those look beautiful on her?"

* A mother and her teenage daughter are looking at cell phones. If the phone is for the daughter then she is the buyer and the mother is the decision maker. (It could the opposite.) To complete this sale the retail associate must understand what is important to each party. For the daughter it's about fashion and features. For the mother it might be about cost and safety. If you don't satisfy both the buyer and the decision maker you probably won't make the sale.

* A husband and wife are considering taking a cruise and are meeting with a travel agent. Couples are always a little tricky since one might be a buyer and the other a decision maker, or they might each be both a buyer and a decision maker. The mistake many salespeople make is that they only engage the person who is showing the most interest, who is usually the buyer. When interviewing, it's essential to uncover what is important to both individuals so each of their needs and concerns are met. Just because they're a couple does not mean they agree on what's important to make a purchase.

Today try to identify which customer is a buyer, a decision maker, or both. Just that little exercise will be sure to boost your store sales.

Labels: Increase retail sales, retail selling