Think of a time when everyone just “bought” from you. Weren’t those days really great? Think it was all coincidence? I don’t think so. You brought it on yourself. Think and say to yourself (and others) “No ones’ buying” and guess what happens? Self-fulfilling prophecy, no one’s buying from you.But it’s hard isn’t it? Sometimes we really do feel that way. How to handle it?
I was speaking at the Sturbridge Inn & Convention Center in Massachusettes recently and had to print something at the business center. A guy was on the one computer checking email quickly and then a woman and her daughter got on. They were searching for something to do with dolls. After about 10 minutes I [...]
Your employees gave you a gift by acknowledging they had “survivor’s guilt.” But the heart of the problem is how they feel like a sham selling at retail. Clerking is what they are comfortable with because their self-image doesnt’ allow them to put themselves out there to risk rejection.
Without mentors to help teach this concept and mirror it, we end up with my swimming buddies questioning why they have to do something. The assumptions they make translate into thinking the minimum is what customers want. It isn’t and employees like this can kill a business.
What’s wrong with old-fashioned selling? It’s pushy, it’s aggressive, it sizes you up immediately either into a sucker or a tire-kicker. The salesperson needs you more than you need the sales person. The trouble is everyone hates it. You hear it when they reference used-car salesman, say “He could sell ice to Eskimos,” or compare them [...]
Whle one could say, “It’s made from cold-brewed coffee, milk chocolate and ice with whipped cream,” customers’ eyes would glaze over. That’s why we had to teach the barristas to say, “It’s like a chocolate milkshake with coffee.” Simple. Easy to understand. That’s because most people had a common reference point.
Make the first sale of the day. Not greet the first customer but make the first sale.
Instead of complaining about the state of the economy in general and retail in particular, go out on your sales floor and see the folly of your “customer service” program as employees text each other how bored they are.
It’s easy to be nasty. Higher sales comes from making relationships by valuing both your employees and your customers. Don’t get comfortable being in the audience.
You want to survive in this doom & gloom economy? Get the pant stackers out of your business. Hire salespeople. Keep the Wal-Mart employees at Wal-Mart and find the salespeople for your business. It’s not easy but neither is closing your store.
