You hesitate, you cringe, you buy!

May 1, 2012 under Retail Sales Resource

Never ask your customers how much they’re looking to spend or how big their budget is.

Think about Christmas… Or your spouses birthday… You go shopping, looking for a gift. You go into a store, and after a few minutes of browsing a helpful salesperson approaches you. After a little small-talk and your generic description of your gift-idea, the sales person tries to determine which product to show you: “How much did you want to spend?”, he asks.

“Around $300”, you might answer. So the salesperson shows you a first item, a second item, but eventually you leave, because you just started shopping and you still want to check out a few other stores. The products you saw you could get anywhere. Click here to read more.. »

What’s in it for ME?

Cross-Selling

Upselling is one strategy to improve your bottom-line — and your customer’s experience. Has this ever happened to you: you bought a tool or a toy in a store only to realize after you came home that you didn’t have the right batteries? The “order-taker” at the store failed twice: first, he disgrunteled you, the customer, and second, he missed an opportunity to make money. Don’t make the same mistake.

Click here to read more.. »

Super Size Me!

Upselling is the best way to improve margins and profit immediately, and it is essential during promotions.

When was the last time your server at your favorite burger place did NOT ask you if you would like to “Super Size” your meal? As much as we recommend “selling down” (see our Retail Sales Resource Vol. 2), during promotional periods, we have to sell up.

Promotions are done to drive traffic to the store. If both the manufacturer and the store participate in the advertising, they can be very successful. Anyway, promotions and advertising bring customers to the doorstep — not further.

Promotions work

It is our job in sales to ensure that the store, window decorations, entrance and showroom are in such good shape that the customer is actually pulled into the store. Click here to read more.. »

Mirroring – What’s That?

February 29, 2012 under Retail Sales Resource

Have you ever been in a meeting or conversation with a customer when you realized that both of you are in the same posture? Both of you had your arms crossed, or both of you have had the elbows on the armrests in the exact same position?

Mirroring is actually a way of bonding, we mirror each others body language to create rapport and get accepted. You can build rapport through mirroring the body language, the tonality and also the choice of words. Usually we are not even aware that we’re doing it.

Social studies about body-language show that people who are on the same wave-length and are likely to be experiencing a rapport, will begin to match each others body language and expressions. You can also say they are in sync. By the way, that is also why background music during a date (or in your store) can be effective: both get into the same rhythm

The last time when you went out with friends to a restaurant and ordered…some might have checked “What are you having?” – as they try to mirror their meals. Click here to read more.. »

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Learn from Baseball

February 20, 2012 under Retail Sales Resource

How can batting practice help us understand the perception in our sales pitch?

When you watch a baseball game and you see the players warm up and practice, have you ever noticed the weight ring around their bat?

When you ask the players… swinging the heavier bat makes the bat without the weight feel lighter.

You might have the same experience when your at the gym and pick up the 10 pound weight…it feels heavier after working out with the 5 pound weight and then go back to the 20 pound weight…20 pounds feels lighter!  Click here to read more.. »

Sell to Millionaires

February 18, 2012 under Retail Sales Resource

I Can Get it Cheaper

February 6, 2012 under Retail Sales Resource

When customers think your price is too high…usually it is because they do not have enough information to justify the price.

It doesn’t really matter how they say it, “Your price is to high” or “I can get it cheaper somewhere else” because weather the customer is correct or not they will think they are right.

How would you react to a statement like this from your customer?  Are you defending your price?  Are you making concessions?  The fact of the matter is…your customer may be thinking “The features and benefits are not worth the price you are asking”!

Your customer will always think “What’s In It For Me” (W.I.I.F.M.)?  In sales we need to find a way to communicate all questions that your customers may have.  Let me assure you…the answers will be different every time! Click here to read more.. »

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Learn from Angry Birds

December 29, 2011 under Retail Sales Resource

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Losing Customers?

December 14, 2011 under Retail Sales Resource

Are you missing the “really good” customers? Are you getting only the “shoppers” and “lookers”?

It is really too bad. You could outsell your biggest competitor, even the big box stores, if you could get a few really good customers. But all you get in these tough times are shoppers and lookers. “No thanks, I’m just looking.”

Sales Person:     “Can I help you?”
Customer:     “No thanks, I’m just looking.”

A little bit later… Click here to read more.. »

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