Sam Manfer, Sales Mastery
Sales Force Training and Development - Focusing on Executive Relationships and Selling
Retail Sales: People Buy and Buy When They Have a Pleasant Experience.
Part I in a IV-Part Series of Selling Techniques
By Sam Manfer
I was on a mission to do a few things at the Mall the other day. One was to check out if designer sun glasses 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’d like to look stylish, but also see where I’m going. This is what’s called a motivated buyer.
So I dashed into Lens Crafter and there at the reception counter is a middle aged women talking on the phone. She was gabbing to a friend about being reprimanded or something. Seeing me she then continued to discuss her career. 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 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 sentence 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 she has 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 snotty voice, “Well sir, we’re busy”
Now here’s the killer. There was, not another customer in the store. I left totally frustrated. My eyes will bake naked in the desert sun before I go back to that Lens Crafter.
So why did this happen? Management, Management, Management.
See 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 forms or talking to colleagues.
Theses employees like most employees probably feel they are doing their job, are overworked and under paid. They are not concerned enough to change because nobody in authority says anything. They feel they have lots of customers - maybe too many. So we lose this guy looking for some help. Who cares?
Now, I’m not the only one who experiences 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 differ 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. They have morning messages over the PA before opening. The managers always rally to help the customers. The people get trained – fed the purple juice and directed how to handle situations. There selling skills leave a lot to be desired, but they do get conditioned to attend to customers and make them feel special. This is huge and minimizes other issues.
Unfortunately, most managers in the retail world and other businesses never leaned service the customer themselves. It’s made worse because upper management wants reports and status data that requires non-customer related activities. This pressure causes the front line managers to push the front line sales people to provide information and do tasks like forms, inventory, 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 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 store. If you’re hung up on the people doing nothing, then you have to give the message that all busy stops as soon as a prospect (a motivated buyer) enters.
Let’s go back and look at the words I used, “Help customers to buy” and buy and buy. People buy when they feel good. The experience is pleasant. The sales person is courteous and helpful. Frustrations are eliminated or never have a chance to arise. Expectations are met. Desires are fulfilled.
They key word here is help. Notice I didn’t say sell people, or convince customers, or cajole or push. How to help is never taught, so people do what they think they should do – push or try to impose what they think. Some even feel selling begins when the customer says, “No.” This is aggravating and doesn’t make for that pleasant experience. We’ll get to this in another issue.
Be Attentive
Wal-Mart congers up some images, yet one thing Wal-Mart does to make people feel welcome is they have a greeter. Even K-Mart announces “Welcome K-Mart shoppers.” Unfortunately, after the greeter, you get lost in the sea of people and merchandise and it’s next to impossible to find someone to show you where to find what you’re looking for. They’re too busy stocking shelves.
So think of greeting your customers. If all your people are busy with other customers, someone should at least acknowledge the new entrant. Even the post office gives you a number. Don’t ignore them or make them feel like an intruder. Let them know how long the wait will be. Point them to a sitting area where people can peruse or sit with a bottle of water, look at a video promo or experience pleasantness. This is a good captive advertising moment. If your facility is big with lots to see, have a map with a numbered walking tour.
Burn this into your head. People are coming into your establishment for ideas and/or to buy. Both are good for your business. The better the experience the more they will buy and buy and buy.
Lose “Can I help you?”
It’s like asking the Pope, “Are you Catholic”. People, as I said above, come into your place of business for a reason. Of course you can help them. However, to do this your front line people have to: (1) Make them comfortable. I even have a CD seminar “Matching Chemistry’s” on how to make people relate to you immediately. (2) Find out why they came in (motivation). You’ll learn more how to do this in the next issue. (3) What their perfect something looks like that they are willing to spend and spend and spend. This you’ll learn in lesson 3.
Now let’s wrap this up. Make your customer have a wonderful experience in your store, department or center. To do this you will have to first convince yourself that it’s all about the customer. I’m not saying to succumb to abusive people that give no energy and waste your time. I am saying, however, if they are a motivated buyer and they have a pleasant experience, they may buy a lot more than they originally intended and they will tell their friends how great it was.
Second, show your employees what to do. Don’t think for one minute they should know what to do, or that you will insult their intelligence by spelling it out. This is your center, and it should be done your way. They don’t know your way and it’s your responsibility to tell them explicitly. Otherwise, they won’t succeed. You’ll get upset and the demotivating cycle will begin. See my article “Recovering from Motivational Bankruptcy.”
Finally, you have to monitor and give feedback. Look for the positives. “That part of what you did was good.” Don’t tell what was done wrong, but rather how to do it next time. “In the future try doing this or that.” Realize, you can not just instruct and turn you employees loose. Until there is recognition, reinforcement and reward, the behaviors you desire will not happen.
So to insure success make your store, department, center a pleasant experience.
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.
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