How to create a more successful retail sales experience
by Jim Connolly
I would like to share a retail sales tip with you today. It’s an idea, which is often overlooked or misunderstood. It’s all about the interactions you have with your customers and how they can be improved, to make your business massively more profitable.
One of the oldest sayings in sales is that people buy people. In other words, if somebody is going to make a purchase, they are more likely to make that purchase, from a person they like. This is very obvious in some areas of business.
For example, if somebody wants to buy a beer, so long as it’s the same brand of beer, it should taste pretty similar wherever you buy it. What makes somebody choose to buy it in one bar, rather than another, is often the relationship we have with the bartender and the atmosphere this creates.
So, how do your customers feel about you and your business?
I’m not talking here only about your repeat customers, but those people who came into your store today and met you for the first time. What kind of an impression did you create with them?
What we know from the most successful retail businesses, is that they create an atmosphere, which customers find approachable and helpful.
Here’s why this is so important for you and your business.
Be approachable
It’s really important that the people who enter your store, feel comfortable about approaching you with a question. As you know, this is not always the case. We have all visited stores where the people working there looked bored or disinterested. As a result, we feel less comfortable asking questions… questions that could have led to us making a purchase.
It really doesn’t take much to make customers feel comfortable approaching us. Simply by making eye contact with them, with a friendly smile, and saying “good morning” or “good afternoon”, you show that person recognition. You also let that person know you are approachable and happy to help.
They are now massively more likely to tell you what they need and help you find the best product for them.
Be helpful
There is often a misunderstanding, when you look at the different ways a retailer and the customer view the buying process.
People love to buy things, but they hate being sold to. The retailers who misunderstand this and try to sell to customers, leave money on the table every day.
What the most successful retailers have found, is that when a customer enters the store, what the customer is looking for is assistance in making the best buying decision possible. In other words, the customer is looking to somebody to help them, rather than sell them. This is why it’s so important to adopt a helpful approach, where the customer can see you are trying to be useful, rather then just trying to make a sale that benefits you.
In summary
Business is all about people. Building better connections with your customers and creating a better atmosphere for them, can increase your profits, encourage customer loyalty and motivate customers to tell their friends about you.
I hope you found this information useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with it.
To find out how CTS Wholesale can help your retail business, simply click here.