Try these five tactics - they just may help you be wildly successful this last week before the holidays.
1. Review and improve your impulse items. Take a look at the impulse items you have at the counter. Are these products selling at or above your expectations? If not, you need to take action and not wait for them to magically start selling. Even if your sales and traffic are off you should still be moving impulse items at the counter.
I've heard that a number of national retailers are switching out their impulse items for lower price points to increase sell through. We're also seeing retailers repositioning impulse items in the aisle to increase attachment rates with related items and to increase units per transactions.
2. Make sure your staff knows how to properly answer the "What's on sale" question. This is especially important if you're a specialty store with limited sale items. Even more to the point is using the opportunity to engage the customer and identify the opportunities to create a sale.
Customer: "So what's on sale?"
Employee: "We do have some great values. Are you looking for yourself, someone on your list, or even both?"
Customer: "So what's on sale?"
Employee: "We do have some wonderful specials right now. Whom on your list are you shopping for??"
Don't show any specials or sale items until you know the answer to your question.
3. Remind customers who else should be on their list. Instead of just asking the customer whom else they need to buy for, remind them of some people they may have forgotten such as hairdressers, babysitters, blog writers (that's a joke!) and others.
4. Remind your team that they may need to work with multiple customers from here on out. When a store gets slammed, employees must shift from working one-on-one to one-on-many. The sales process doesn't really change, you just break away at different points. Here's a simple example:
One-on-one
This cable sweater will look beautiful on you. I know that both the blue and green will both look fabulous. Let's go have you try them on.
One-on-many
"This cable sweater will look beautiful on you. I know that both the blue and green will look fabulous. Why don't you go try them on and I'll meet you in the dressing room in a few minutes." (Employee them jumps back to another customer.)
Here's another example
One-on-one
Based on what you've told me about your husband, I'd recommend this XYZ by Motokia. You mentioned that he gets lost a lot so let me show you how the GPS in this works.
One-on-many
Based on what you've told me about your husband, I'd recommend this XYZ by Motokia. (Employee turns to a customer next to them who is also looking at the same phone.) Hi, if you'd like to join us I can also show you some of the features I'm showing Mrs. Smith. (Back to the Mrs. Smith) You mentioned that your husband gets lost a lot so let me show you how the GPS in this works."
You do have to be careful that the second customer doesn't try to dominate the conversation. If that starts to happen then you can either ask another salesperson to step in and assist them or you can tell them you'll be with them in a moment. When done well you can close both sales at the same time.
5. Post today's Daily Retail Quote.
"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." - H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Here's wishing you a wildly successful Crunch Time.
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