Just Looking

Asking for the Business

I found a great new blog with a great post about Staying Focused and asking for the business.  The blog is Ideas Leadership and Vision by Matt Sunshine

While the sales Matt discusses were not retail, I think there is a very strong point to be made here.   The sales person in question was doing everything right and following all the steps but forgetting to check with the customer to make sure they were following along.

During your conversations with the customer, do you check to make sure you are both on the same page?   I have a habit of always asking "Does that make sense?" or "How do you feel about that?" as a way to gauge how the sales process if flowing.   It helps me keep in touch with where the customer is during the sale.

And always ask these magic words. "Would you like to get that today?"

I can guarantee you that you will improve your sales by 20% if you just make sure you ask for the sale after every presentation.    Most retail sales associates don't and I bet you don't ask as much as you think you do.    I challenge  you to focus on asking for the sale in your next 10 customer engagements.   I bet you will be suprised at the results.

I recommend Matt's weblog as one to add to your weekly reading.    Great blog!

Selling the Box

Susan Abbot over at Customer Experience Crossroads talks about her recent visit at Blockbuster and how the customer experience has changed.

"On a recent visit there, I kept seeing a fellow with a clipboard... asking people if he could help them find anything.  Not only did he know where things were, he was prepared to make comment on the rentals!   He helped me find The Princess Bride, and also told me what a great flick it is, that it's fun, but kind of witty too, and he definitely would recommend it to anyone."

She feels that during the process there wasn't any attempt by this person to sell her something else.  She appreciated the low pressure.  I think they just did a good job of selling Susan on coming back into the store again instead of choosing the alternatives she mentioned.     And because she was impressed and wrote a post on her weblog, I am sure a few hundred other people will run down to their local Blockbusters to rent their next movie. 

Retail salespeople need to remember that the biggest thing they sell the customer, is the company they work are working for.  I call this Selling the Box.    I good retail sales person sells the benefits of working with his company as well as the benefits of the products.   Sometimes this is done more obviously, like when you talk about the return policy or your money back guarantee. But sometimes it is the subtle things like creating an environment of helpfulness without being pushy that bring the customer back for more.   Or actually knowing enough about the products to help the customer feel more satisfied that they are making the right decision.

A good article and a great website for any retailer to read. 

A Presentation without Demonstration is just Conversation

Here is a link to a great article Why Demonstration Compels Customers To Buy
By Sean D'Souza at www.psychotatics.com

While the article, and website are aimed at marketing, the discussion is a good one for anyone in retail sales.

Too many retail sales people forget to take the time to give a customer a good demonstration. I worked with a great sales person, Rich Mickle, and he taught me the art of the demonstration. He showed me how to take a simple sales presentation and add demonstrations that got the customer involved. Rich was a master at selling refrigerators and his demonstrations were eyebrow raisers. Rich would take out crisper drawers and stand on them to demonstrate the high impact construction. He would take a glass of water and pour it on the shelves to demonstrate the how they were spill proof. And when he didn't have a physical demonstration, he pulled an analogy out that aptly described the benefit in a way the customer quickly grasped.

Does your sales presentation include a demonstration? Most retail sales people have the benefit of a product in front of them, but I am amazed at how many never use it as part of the sale presentation. They have a golden opportunity to show the customer exactly what they are talking about and lose more sales because they don't demonstrate the product.

Keys to a good retail demonstration:

- Involve the customer. Put your product in the customers hands as often as possible and have them demonstrate the product for you.

- Demonstrate what is important to your customer. Don't do a demonstration just for demonstrations sake.

- Make it interesting and exciting enough to attract the attention of others around you. You would be surprised how many people will stop to watch and you might just earn another sale.

- Prepare for your demonstration. Make sure everything is working, all the pieced you need are in place, and you are comfortable with doing the demonstration. No demonstration is better than a bad one.

- To the articles point, if you don't have a good demonstration, find a way to use props.

And remember - Presentation without Demonstration is just Conversation.

Cash Register Spam

Have you noticed the increase in sales that are attempted at the cash register these days? It seems like you cannot pay and leave with your purchase without being "sold to" at the cash register. And the most frustrating part of this trend, is that the people at the register are not even "Selling", they are just repeating some scripted presentation to every customer.

This creates some amusing situations, like the time I was paying for a purchase for my wife at Motherhood Maternity and the cashier asked me if I would be interested in learning more a local breastfeeding seminar. Since she didn't look up during her speech and notice I was a man, she keep talking about the great things I would learn at the seminar and how it would build a great bond between me and my baby. I politely declined...twice.

If you are a retailer and do sell at the register, here are some suggestions on how to achieve better results:

- Get the staff excited about the product. A monotone presentation about the product usually gets an enthusiastic NO!

- Prepare your customer for the presentation. Best Buy offers to sell you a subscription to Sports Illustrated at the checkout. They would see better results if the sales person on the floor said "And don't forget to ask about our great offer on Sports Illustrated at the checkout". This prepares the customer for the pitch and might even encourage the customer to ask.

- Don't sell me something that doesn't make sense for me to buy. A shotgun approach to sales at the register isn't efficient. If your a clerk, take time to look at the stuff that your customer is buying. Do you have something that might compliment their purchases? That is what you should be selling. Just because you have candy bars on sale for 8 for a dollar, doesn't mean I need to know about it, especially if my cart is full of Lean Cuisine.

- Recommend, Recommend, Recommend! "We have a great deal on pistachios today, I bought a few packages and I highly recommend them" not "Did you notice we have XXX on special today?"

- Be aware of the customers mood. When I have my check/cash/credit card out, I am ready to pay and get out of your store. That is the worst time to introduce me to some new offer or items you want to sell. I view this person as a cashier, not a sales person. Be aware of the customers patience level and sell only when it doesn't slow down the process.

- If you are going to have your cash registers sell, then teach them how. Your effort won't be wasted and you just might find a hidden sales person that could be moved off the register and onto the sales floor.

Hope this helps!

Are you a Crab in A Bucket?

A few years back I went crabbing on the Washington coast. I spent most of the morning hauling up crab nets; re-baiting them and throwing them back in. Occasionally, I would find a crab that was the right size and throw it into a five gallon plastic bucket. It was a long morning filled with sore arms and soggy chicken necks. After about 5 hours my bucket was had about 8 crabs and I began to watch the activity within while I waited to pull up the net once again.

Every now and then, one enterprising crab would scramble on top of the heap and attach a claw to the top lip of the bucket in an attempt to escape. The first time that happened, I moved to push the crab back down but another crab took care of that for me. One of the other crabs on the bottom reached up and grabbed the crab and pulled it back down with the others. I sat and watched for awhile and eventually this same crab moved to the top and attempted to escape. Once again another one of the crabs grabbed a hold and pulled him back into the pile. It happened a few more times then eventually the crab was worn out and another would give it a try. After a while I stopped worrying about a crab escaping because I knew that one of the others would pull him back in or eventually he would give up in exhaustion.

What does this have to do with retail sales?

On a retail sales team you always have a new person who is willing to rise above the group and try something new. They see that the standard method of doing things may be holding them back and head in a different direction in order to exceed their goals. Invariably when this person branches out and tries something new, a couple of sales people will "pull him back into the bucket" by saying "oh we tried that before and it doesn't work" or "that's not the way to do it around here". After awhile the new person gives up and just joins the group "in the bucket" because it is not worth the effort.

Are you one of the crabs pulling back the one trying to escape? Maybe next time someone grabs the edge and pulls himself up, instead of pulling him back, you should try watching to see how he does it and get out of the bucket yourself.

If your the crab trying to escape the best solution is to make sure you don't get into the bucket in the first place. Don't be tempted by the bait. Interview the sales team before you take the job to see if they are willing to try new things.

If your the manager, is it time to empty the bucket of a few tired old crabs?

And if your someone who likes to eat crab, I would skip catching them yourself. Go to one of the local fish markets and buy cooked and cracked crab. The good crabs are never found off the dock but out on the bottom of the bay.

Increasing Sales through Self-Checkout

In the July issue of Intergrated Solutions for Retailers Matt Pilar writes about the growing adoption of self-checkout lines in Self-Checkout: Self-Serving Or Customer-Centric

From the article:

Mike Webster, FastLane VP and GM at NCR (Atlanta), says that while there are proven labor savings related to replacing front end labor with self-checkout, that shouldn't always be the primary driver of its adoption. "I honestly believe most retailers are deploying self-checkout to improve customer service, not to take labor hours out of the equation. But, in addition to empowering your customer with checkout options, the technology gives you the ability to either eliminate or re-deploy labor hours." Webster cites NCR customer The Home Depot, which claims to have cut queue sizes by 40% with a self-checkout option, as a good example of labor redeployment brought on by self-checkout. "Customer service has improved at the checkout, and it's also improved in the aisles," he says. "Front end labor hours have been redeployed to other areas of the store, where customer service is needed more. I don't need an associate in an orange apron to help me purchase a screwdriver at the POS. But if I have questions about my plumbing project, I want customer service in the plumbing aisle," he explains.

Some great information here for those of you thinking about adding Self-Checkout to your sales process. The article also covers some interesting points on how self-checkout helps reduce shrink.

Food for thought:

How much of an increase in your average order value would you see if you traded the cashier labor hours you saved using self-checkout with sales people hours out on the sales floor?

As a retail salesperson do you CARE during every sale?

In the Business 2.0 July 2004 issue there is an article titled Best Buy Selling Machine This is a great is a pretty article on Best Buy's sales tactics on the retail sales floor. It is a good read for sales managers and sale staff alike, especially if you happen to be one of their competitors.

Their sales force is training in the CARE Plus selling strategy.

C is for Contact - Approach the customer and inform them you are there to help not sell
A is for ASK - Qualify for needs, wants and readiness to purchase
R is for recommend - Close them on their needs/wants and Upsell and Add-on
E is for encourage - Remove buyers remorse by telling the customer they are making the right decision

It is a simple sales process and it obviously works.

The article provides a few examples of successes using the program. If you have ever sat and observed Best Buy "Blue Shirts" work, they are one of the most agressive non-commissioned sales force around. Of course part of that is due to the fanatical attention their managers have on their peformance.

So, it is time to start CAREing for the customer?