Sam Manfer, Sales Mastery
Sales Force Training and Development - Focusing on Executive Relationships and Selling
Increase Retail Sales by Being Attentive
I was on a mission to do a few things at the Mall the other day. One was to check out if designer sunglasses come in prescriptions—you know, the cool ones that cost a lot but you have to have perfect eye sight, or look hot but not see much? Well, I like to look stylish, but also see where I’m going. This is what’s called a motivated buyer.
So I dashed into one of the optical chain stores, and there at the reception counter is a middle-aged woman talking on the phone to a friend about being reprimanded or something. After seeing me, she continued to discuss her career with her friend. Well, my fuse is short, so I gave her the look, which she caught and said, “I’ll be with you in a minute,” and continued to chit chat. Ready to pop, I looked to the right and to the left in an effort to restrain myself.
Meanwhile another sales lady finishes up with a customer and noticing my irritation says, “Can I help you?” Relieved, I start explaining that I’m looking for some cool prescription sunglasses. That being said, two of her colleagues approach. One sat at her little fitting desk and the other stood to her right, and all three started discussing something. Since there was no “Excuse me sir” or no “Sorry for the interruption,” I said in an irritated tone, “So what part of ‘Can I help you’ did I miss?” The young lady looked at me and said “Well sir, we’re busy.”
So I huffed and puffed back to Lady #1 and by now, she’s hung up the phone and is starting to fill-out a form on a clipboard. I sigh, “Can you help me now?” To which she pleasantly says “Just a minute, I’m not good at multi tasking. Besides, wasn’t she helping you?” So I quip, “She blew me off!” “Well, let me finish these and then I’ll see if I can help you,” she says in her put-out manner.
At this point I’d had enough and growled, “I’ll come back another time.” To which she retorts in a rude voice, “Well sir, we’re busy.” Now here’s the killer. There was not another customer in the store and I left totally frustrated. My eyes will bake naked in the desert sun before I go back to that store!
So why did this happen? Management, Management, Management.
Somehow these people were never told to make customers welcome and happy. Nor was their behavior monitored, corrected or rewarded to reflect “Make the prospective customer feel welcome.” They never got the message that customers come before filling out forms or talking to colleagues or friends.
Theses employees, like most employees, probably feel they are doing their job, and are overworked and under paid. They are not concerned enough to change because nobody in authority ever says anything. They feel they have lots of customers—maybe too many. “So what if we lose this guy whose looking for some help? Who cares?”
Now I’m not the only one who has experienced this at this store or in other stores - like yours. Does it matter? You can do the math. Even if you have a captive audience, how much they buy from you and how much they defer to another time somewhere else, will depend on how they are treated.
Retail sales people will do what they want unless instructed to do it differently. The more astute employees will follow the lead of their bosses. If the boss preaches, “Take good care of customers,” and does it, the employee will model it. Take Nordstrom’s, for example; they have morning messages over the PA system before opening. The managers always rally to help the customers; the salespeople are trained and are directed on how to handle situations. Their selling skills may leave a lot to be desired, but they do get conditioned to attend to customers and make them feel special. This is huge and certainly minimizes other issues.
Unfortunately, most managers in the retail world and other businesses never learned to service the customer themselves. It’s made worse because upper management wants reports and status data that require non-customer related activities. This pressure causes the front-line managers to push the front-line sales people to provide extraneous information and complete tasks like forms, inventory, stocking shelves, etc. When I was in retail, the key to avoid more work was to look busy.
Get a Clue
The front-line sales people and those working around the store or Design Center are there to help customers to buy. They are not there to fill-out forms, answer phones, stock shelves, chit chat, eat lunch or be busy. The only busy is when they are with a customer—face to face. Everything else (including answering the phone again) is a distant, second priority. How annoying and rude is it when you’ve finally got someone’s attention and they answer the phone and ignore you? If you can’t handle this, then you need to rethink your reason for your Design Center. If you’re hung up on the people doing nothing, then you have to give the message that all “busy” comes to an end as soon as a prospect (a motivated buyer) enters.
Sam Manfer delivers key note speeches and in-depth selling work shops for those anxious to increase sales. His hands-on coaching turns individuals and sales organizations into selling whirlwinds. Sam’s selling awards and $ Million sales recognitions support his methods. His book, TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER$ along with his Matching Chemistry’s CD and sales seminars replace selling myths and clichés that frustrate decision makers with a proven approach that captures their attention. Follow Sam’s C-Level Selling Blog for more insights. Sign-up for his free Selling E-Zine.
Call Today for More Information 1-866-Sam-Manfer or Send an E-mail Now!!
Just click mailto:sam@sammanfer.com
Check-Out Sam's Other Websites
TakeMeToyourLeaders.com • TakeMeToYourLeadersForEngineers.com
•
|
