Adapting for Sales and Engagement Success

One of the ways GREAT retail salespeople differentiate themselves from good retail salespeople is in their ability to adapt their sales and engagement approach to the customer. Most retail salespeople will engage the customer based on their own style and approach. Some are high energy, some are low key, and most are somewhere in-between. Good retail salespeople will deliver the same quality experience throughout the day with little difference between the first and last customers of the day.

GREAT retail salespeople deliver a quality experience but they adapt each experience to the customer themselves. They are able to quickly size up a customer and completely adjust their sales and engagement approach based on the customer's style and mannerisms. It's a real art, but it's one that can be learned.

Years ago I worked with a guy like this at The Sharper Image in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The man was a master retail salesperson. Or at least he was when he hadn't stayed out all night before coming to work. But when he was on, he was on! His ability to adapt to each customer was unbelievable.

The result was that customers just loved him and were practically begging him to sell them things. For the life of me I can't remember his name so I'm going to call him Bob. These are four ways Bob personalized his approach to each customer that made him a GREAT salesperson.

1. Bob mirrored the customer's energy level. Bob's own energy level was extremely high. Sometimes he'd get talking so fast you weren't sure if he was speaking English or not. You knew when he arrived at work because it was if a whirlwind had hit the store. But when he was with customers you would only see that energy level with customers who also had high energy. He always welcomed a customer in his natural style but would ramp it down if needed based on the customer himself. Within minutes he would be at the almost same energy level as the customer, always remaining just a bit more energetic. He didn't just adapt how he spoke to the customer but he even adjusted the speed he walked with them.

2. Bob always got - and used - the customer's name. This is one of those things we know will make us better salespeople but we simply don't feel comfortable doing it. Or maybe we've convinced ourselves that people don't like it so we don't do it. The reason most people don't like salespeople using their name is because it seems forced. This happens because salespeople are using a customer's name just for the sake of using her name. Bob set out to create a relationship with each customer and if you're going to have a relationship you should at least know the other person's name.

3. He personalized the pace of the experience he delivered to the customer's own pace of shopping. It's always easy to see when a customer is in hurry but each and every customer wants to shop at his/her own pace. Some customers are slow and deliberate while others want to move the process along quickly. Don't confuse a customer's energy level with pace. To judge a customer's pace you should observe how he is moving between products and how focused he is. Customers who like a quick pace are often misjudged as in a hurry or "cranky," while customers who are slower and more deliberate are mistakenly labeled as browsers and non-buyers. The more you are aligned with your customer's desired pace the more likely you are to complete a sale.

4. Last but not least, Bob always assumed and asked for the sale. Bob was our top salesperson practically every month because he spent his time working with buyers while the rest of us waited on customers. The difference lies within our own thoughts and attitudes.

So try this out on your customers this week. Adapting to your customers might just get you adapting to higher sales.