If you’ve been in retail sales at all, you’ve had an experience selling to a difficult customer. It’s like this…
You’re going along in a sale and somehow, somewhere a light bulb goes off and you realize you just aren’t clicking with your customer.
They’re difficult. Continue reading Selling Tip: How To Sell To Difficult Customers »
The retail world is upside down. And I don’t mean because of Amazon…Once upon a time merchants purchased the cheapest items to draw people in and then because they held high regard for their retail sales training, upsold what was the best answer for their customers.
In today’s topsy-turvy world, retailers are now showing the cheapest thing as the ANSWER. Continue reading Retail Training To Sell The More Expensive Item »
Here are several case studies from some of the smallest retailers to largest who’ve used me as their retail consultant. While I don’t rely on a sales staff or cold-calling to get new business, use these case studies to familiarize yourself with my work as the Retail Doctor. I help various sizes of businesses, these case study successes are theirs.
The way you get buzz, buzz that is sustainable and leads to higher profits, is to be a business worthy of buzz. That means you have to earn it. This is the transformation story of one of my first clients, Polly’s Gourmet Coffee with lessons on how to grow your business.
Retail Consultant Results: How to Attract Customers to Your Retail Store Location a problem? This case study spotlights the results of creatively leveraging your location. So many times the thing that can most attract a customer – or make them drive right on by – is the exterior of your store.
When people ask for success stories of working with me as a retail consultant, I offer case studies. This owner wasted his marketing dollars on people who would never try his food product no matter how low-fat or high-quality it is. And he’d lost sight of their most important selling point: taste.
Retail Consultant Sales Training Results In Double-Digit IncreaseThis is a case study that featured a custom program developed to incorporate a new store design with custom phone scripts, retail sales training, personal coaching and role playing for owners and their salespeople.
This case study spotlights changing a company’s entire culture from one of nurturing to nurturing and selling. From the CEO, “We had become bogged down in survival. And it wasn’t a healthy place to be… Not for me as the leader or my team. I needed someone to help me work on a new direction for my business and help me hear and observe what was going on. I was looking for a shift change in who we were.”
This 3-part study of a culture change shows how the client focused on a remarkable experience for their customers. And the revenues followed.
In an increasingly turned-on world, one of the biggest turn-offs for retailers is trying to wait on a shopper who is actively engaged in a cell phone call.
They generally aren’t doing it to upset you – it just feels that way at times.
The short answer to how to handle a customer on their cellphone is: wait.
That’s not the most helpful so here are a few tips based on answering this fundamental question:
Randy, a friend of mine shared a story with me that might resonate with you about mixing up your sales process.
He was in a high-end retail shop and spotted a white shirt to try it on. He came out of the dressing room and the salesperson said, “Wow, that shirt looks great on you.” Randy took notice, felt good at being complimented on his choice, picked up another and returned to the dressing room.
He came out, stood in front of the mirror and the salesman again said, “Wow, you look great in that shirt.” At first he thought, wow, two in a row.
Then he saw a woman come out of the dressing room next to his and the salesman said… wait for it… “Wow you look great in that.”
Randy returned to the dressing room, removed the shirt and left with nothing.
My Take
You can see from one aspect that the salesman was doing a great job of complimenting the customer. He aced his training and if there were no one else in the store, he might – might – have gotten away with it.
But the fact is, he didn’t. Why?
One of three reasons:
That’s a shame because the concept was right, just the implementation.
As you know, I train the Five Parts to a Successful Sale in my speeches, on my DVDs and in my book.
One of the parts I like to be the same is “Good morning, good afternoon or good evening.” I think it sets the stage that it is different than the rest of stores who are silent or can only say, “Can I help you?” It could be changed up I suppose but then I might just get, “How’s it hangin’ dude?” or “How are you today?”
Both of which are unacceptable.
The reason so many people struggle with retail sales training is that much of it is created like we were writing computer code, “If this… then do this.” The reality is you can’t script every interaction perfectly. That’s why you also need to hire people who can be trained to a higher level of education.
As you train someone, you have to educate them on the why you want it done a certain way.
Not because “I told you so,” but that it makes a better experience for the customer. Once they understand your goal is to honestly help customers choose from your merchandise, you’ll never hear the same thing when the customer comes out of the dressing room because every customer is different.
Training is only the first step, high sales come from educating.
