The Art of Greeting: Guest, Friend, and Customer
It's not hard to notice that so many store staffs rarely acknowledge customers until they make a purchase. It's like you're invisible or unimportant until you decide to spend your money.
There are also store staffs that are clearly following a company policy of greeting every customer are as about as friendly as a dark alley at 3:00 a.m. There's a quick acknowledgement and the obvious hope that you don't want to talk to them.
What is the right way to greet and engage customers? Some people say you should do it within the first ten seconds a customer is in the store, others say within a minute, and clearly many retailers seem to think you should let the customer be the one to engage the employees.
First and foremost, it is extremely important to welcome each customer as he/she enters your store. Not greet, welcome. When you welcome customers you acknowledge that they are your priority; it is the first step in creating a great experience that will lead to a sale.
You want to engage your customer and treat them like an old (or new) friend. Inevitably, when I bring this up in a seminar or training I hear that "customers want to be left alone" or "they say they're just looking no matter what I say or do."
That's true. Sometimes customers want to be left alone and sometimes they say they're just looking, but most of the time they do that because the salespeople aren't adding value to their experience. They're following a script, or doing something because they've been told to and not because they want to. Customers know when a salesperson isn't being authentic.
Don't try to "help" your customer. Don't get in his face and ask if he has any questions. Treat each and every customer like they're special. Show them you're happy to see them in your store and that you're going to exceed their expectations. Be an ambassador for your store.
If you welcome your customers and engage them like an old or new friend, more than 85% will respond in a positive manner (give or take a few percentage points based on where you live). So what if 15% of the people blow you off? Don't look at it like 15% of your customers didn't let you get to know them, look at it like 85% of the people who came into your store are now your friends! And friends help friends make purchases.
Once you have welcomed your customer, you can learn more about him/her and how the products you sell can add value to his/her life. The best customer experiences are when customers walk out with purchase they're happy they made.
That's why every single person who comes in your door should be welcomed like a guest, treated like a friend, and shown products so they become YOUR customer. That's what makes a specialty store like yours special. Forget customer service, it's all about the experience!
Over the summer one of my favorite shopping experiences was at