One Person CAN Make a Difference

A friend of mine send the following link to me. It's a short video relating to customer service and how one person can make a difference. It's worth watching.

Service From the Heart

Cheers!

Kelley

Industry Trends Worth Considering

A few newspaper articles caught my attention in the past couple of days. These articles give some interesting insights into new trends affecting retail and business.

Trend#1-Bigger is Not Better.
The first was an article that outlined Home Depot's plans to build smaller stores. The plan is to create stores approximately 26,000-45,000 square feet compared to the 105,000 square feet required for a typical store. This certainly means they have to think outside the box and significantly adjust their approach.

This could spell trouble for the small independently-owned hardware store. After all, one of their competitive advantages is their size because it takes much less time to run in and pick up a few home improvement items compared to shopping at a Goliath like Home Depot.

Watch out Home Hardware!

Trend#2-Change Your Approach to Marketing
The second article focused on Proctor & Gamble's marketing ploy of opening a retail store in downtown Toronto. Called LookFab, its primary goals is to promote a variety of new P&G products. The store is divided into three makeover station and will showcase 6 beauty and personal-care lines. Consumers can get treated to a makeover, receive a free skin analysis, get simple beauty tips, and leave with a bag of freebies. What a great way to promote new products!!

A marketing professor stated that this could be much less expensive than creating a national television ad and I have to agree. An ad can cost as much as $500,000 just to create not to mention the expense required to air that advertisement. In all, P&G would likely spend several million dollars if they took they approach. Imagine how far a million dollars could go with their current approach, especially if they opened stores in major metropolitan areas in Canada.

BTW: The store will be open for less than a month.

Trend #3-Taking Care of Business
The bigger a company gets, the press it usually receives. And not all of that coverage is positive. In the last few years, Wal-Mart has had its share of negative press, particularly due to it perceived labour practices.

According to a recent poll, 71% of shoppers said they view the company "favourably" down from the 76% in 2005. Twenty-seven percent of the people polled said their perception of Wal-Mart has become more negative in the past year. And 11% said they shop at the retailer less because of concerns about the company's practices.

I'll be the first to admit that I do not shop at Wal-Mart. However, I do respect many of their business practices such as; just-in-time inventory, ordering systems, and their ability to command (dictate) terms of doing business with them if you are a supplier.

However, in my opinion, they could have done a much better job at managing this situation if they had taken of their less-than-favourable business practices the moment they came to light.

Trend #4-Utilize Technology
In recent years Starbucks has undergone a massive expansion and found, Howard Schultz, has plans to increase this even more. One of the challenges with this anticipated growth is maintaining consistency from store to store. In fact, I have personally seen a rapid decline in the consistency of their coffee drinks. What is a latte in one store seems to be a cappuccino in another, depending on the barista.

A few years ago I was in Manhattan, where, by the way, there seems to a Starbucks on every corner. I actually heard that there were over 1000 Starbuck just in Manhattan!! Anyway, every store had an automated espresso machine and every coffee I had was perfect. Now, the Canadian seem to adopted this approach. Plus, it also seems that their baristas have undergone an intensive training because virtually every coffee drink I have had lately has been consistently made. Technology works when it is ultilized properly AND when people are taught how to use it.

Take a look at these trends and consider how they affect your business. What can you do to improve your competitive advantage?

Cheers!
Kelley

How Comfortable Are Your Customers?

Most retailers pay a great deal of attention to the merchandising, layout, and design of their stores. However, many fail to consider the comfort level of their customers.

Somethig as simple as temperature can affect a person's decision to buy from you or how long they spend in your store. And, we know that the longer someone spends in your store, the more likely they will increase the amount the spend.

I came across this article and thought you would enjoy it. http://www.stores.org/archives/2007/4/edit1.asp

The concepts may not be directly applicable to your type of retail store. However, with a little thought and brainstorming, I'm sure you can think of ways to use this information to improve the shopping experience for your customers.

Cheers!
Kelley

The Case of the Shrinking Inventory

Loss or theft of products, commonly known as shrink, is always been a challenge in retail, regardless of what you sell. Here are a few tips that can help you reduce this loss.

First of all, it's important to recognize that there are three source of shrink: Suppliers, Customers, Employees.

Supplier Shrink
Very few ethical suppliers will intentionally short-ship products. However, some of your products may be of value to a less-than-honest driver and if you don't carefully check every delivery against the original order you could be losing money without realizing it. This can be challenging especially during a busy day. However, if your driver knows that you habitually don't check shipments for accuracy, you make it easy for him/her to "misplace" one or two items.

It is also critical to check invoices for accurate pricing. I once dealt with new supplier who "accidently" over-charged me for one particular item. Although the individual unit price was small, the cost in a year would have been significant due to the number of these items we used throughout the year.

Employee Shrink
I recently read that financial loss by employees averages $1350 compared to just $196 by shoplifters. How can you prevent your employees from stealing?

1. Track every shipment that you receive.
2. Conduct cycle counts on your high-cost items.
3. Keep your back door locked.
4. Limit the number of bags an employee can bring into your store. Conduct audits from time-to-time. This last point requires some finesse and employees MUST be told that a periodic search of their belongings is part of their employment contract.
5. Watch for an excessive number of "no-sale" transactions or refunds that do not have a receipt.
6. Read your reports. I once had an assistant manager who voided several transactions at the end of his shift then pocketed the money because he did not have enough money for rent. Fortunately, our POS system had a void report and we reviewed this report daily.

Customer Shrink
The easiest way to prevent shoplifting is to improve your customer service. Research has shown that most shoplifters will NOT steal if they know a store employee or manager is aware of their prescence in the store.

Greet your customers. Make eye contact. Check to see if they need help. Above all, approach them if you think they are behaving in a suspicious manner. If you work in a mall and are not comfortable approaching them for safety reasons, contact security and have them watch the individual's in question.

Lastly, watch the floor. Fact: most shoplifting is done within 6 feet of an employee. I have seen dozens of security video tapes that capture a customer stealing while a store employee is engaged with another customer or is engrossed in paperwork or tasks such as merchandising or talking on the telephone.

The Bottom Line
Most retailers don't understand the financial impact shrink has on their bottom line. If your profit margins are 10% then you need to generate $1000 in sales for every $100 in product that is stolen, lost, or taken from your store.

Cheers!
Kelley

Heads Up, Eyes Open

I recently traveled to another city to conduct a sales training workshop for a retail client of mine. At the end of the day I ventured into a local restaurant for dinner, and because I was by myself, I chose to sit at the bar. The only other people at the bar were a group of 3 people to my left and a lone female patron to my right. I sat patiently, waiting for one of the 2 bartenders to approach me.

Eventually, one of them made his way to my end of the bar to check on the group of three. He swiveled, walked directly past me, and asked the female customer if she wanted anything else. It wasn’t until I requested service several minutes later that someone approached me.
This isn’t an uncommon scenario in the hospitality business OR in retail.

I have noticed that most people don’t watch what is happening around them. If you work in a retail environment, you need to be aware of what is going on around you. You need to be aware of customers who require assistance, who is ready to pay for their purchase, and potential secruity issues.

Talking to your coworkers, calling a friend on your cell phone, reading a magazine, or dazing off into space prevents you from being aware of your surroundings and what is going on around you.

Improve your service, sales and business. Keep your head up and your eyes open.

Cheers!
Kelley

Talk To Me

What one thing do most people want to talk about?

If you said "themselves" you are absolutely right. So, what does this have to do with retail?

Well, smart retailers engage their customers in conversation. And not just about products or promotions. And they definitely don't wait until the customer is standing at the sales counter to strike up a conversation.

I certainly won't dispute that this can be a challenge, especially with today's consumers. Many customer's tend to be closed, and perhaps somewhat aloof, when we first approach them. The primary reason is that they don't want to be sold something they don't need or want. And, if they know you or your team work on commission, they may be even more reluctant to talk to you.

Another reason people may be hesitant to talk to you is your initial approach.

Too many front-line retail staff approach people with a greeting similar to "Can I help you?" This old, tired greeting does nothing to elicit any type of response from customers except for something like, "Just look."

Finally, too many retail staff wait for customers to take the initiative and approach them rather than being proactive. I think I wrote about this on a previous blog.

Ultimately, we need to change our approach AND our greeting. And how we view this intial, yet important stage of the sales process.

A comfortable way to engage people in a conversation is to focus on THEM. Strike up a conversation, just like you would a friend (just make sure it's professional!). Talk to them about their children, the weather, sports, local events, world news, etc.

If you can't bear the thought of starting a conversation of this nature, change your approach and focus on helping them by saying, "It's looks like you're having difficulty making a decision" or "I see you're looking at our new..." or "That's a great product." Each of these openings encourages the other person to respond, and because it is different, you will generally receive a genuine, open response. Try it...it works.

Cheers!

Kelley

Managers Make A Difference

I read this article which reinforces the impact a manager can have on a retail store. If you are experiencing high than usual turnover rates then maybe you need to take a look at your approach (assuming of course you are the manager).

Walking around, carrying a big stick and beating people into submission does not foster a great work environment. If you're serious about improving your business focus on taking care of your staff. This will reduce turnover which usually leads to better customer service, and ultimately, an increase in sales.

Cheers!
Kelley

Employee Creativity & Brainstorming

I read an article in the Globe & Mail recently that intrigued me. It focuses on tapping into the creativity and ideas of your employees. Take a few minutes and read it because I think it has merit for virtually every type of retailer.

Most retailers don't utilize their employees to their full potential. I'm not talking about task completion but rather, seeking their ideas on how the business can be improved. Many front-line staff haves tremendous insights and ideas that can help improve your business...if you take the time to tap into them. Read this article and think of how you can use the strategies in YOUR business.

Cheers!
Kelley

Working with a Failing Star

I read the following article in Sales & Marketing Managment magazine and immediately thought of its relevance to retail. Here is the article:

It's a problem you're likely to face at some point in your management career: A talented rep joins the team, only to reveal poor working habits and a bad attitude. Do you fire the rep? Try to change him? Rick Pitino (basketball coach, author, speaker) faced this dilemma with Derrick Caracter, a freshman this year who, talent-wise, was considered one of the top few recruits in the nation. But it was well-known that Caracter had a lazy streak. For that reason, Pitino never pursued him, but when Caracter asked to play for Louisville, the coach accepted him conditionally.

"I pointed out all the consequences of being late to class, and I told him the consequences of not working hard," Pitino says. "I told him what our program was about and he said he was buying into it. He's a terrific young man but the unfortunate thing is old habits are tough to break."

Indeed, Caracter found it hard to change and in late December, Pitino asked him to take a break from the team. "I realized that he was not part of this team, he exuded too much negative energy and not enough positive energy," Pitino says. "I sent him home and said… 'if you want to come back I'm going to make you sign a contract. If you violate it you will immediately be suspended and I'm going to work with you because we're going to try and change you.' " Caracter quickly violated two parts of his contract, the terms of which Pitino keeps private, and Pitino showed him to the bench.

"If he was in the corporate world he would immediately be fired," Pitino says. "But here you're dealing with a young person who you're trying to help in life, so you've got to go as far as you can go." In early February, Caracter still had the opportunity to come back if he met the contract terms, but Pitino says that all depended on the player: "The one thing I explained to Derrick before he broke this contract, is once you break this contract it's not me suspending you. If you violate any of these things that you've agreed to, then you're suspending yourself, it's not me."

Asked if it was worth giving up a talented player in the lineup in order to adhere to principles about effort, Pitino says, "When someone says 'your team really worked hard,' to me that's not a compliment. You're supposed to work hard. If your team doesn't work hard, then you don't have a team. That's your common denominator."

I have encountered many retail managers and owners who ignore substandard performance of a key employee because they are afraid of losing sales or having the employee quit and go to a competitor or because the store is short-staffed. However, ignoring this situation adversely affects your ENTIRE team. It is critical to summon up the courage and deal directly with this person's performance even if it means the consequences will be somewhat painful. Those consequences are usually short-lived while the impact of NOT taking action can be felt for a long period of time.

If you are interested in learning more about motivating emplyees, register for my upcoming tele-seminar, "Secrets to Motivating Your Retail Team" scheduled for June 12th. You can get details here.

Cheers!
Kelley

The Art of Skillful Qualifying

As a trainer, consultant, and consumer I am constantly under whelmed when sales people approach me in a store. I find they typically use one of a few approaches:

1. They stand and wait for me to ask questions.
2. They launch into a pitch about the product.
3. They attempt to make small talk to try to make me open up.

Each of these approaches is very ineffective and does nothing to help the customer move toward making a buying decision. If you really want to make a difference and demonstrate to your customer why they should buy from you need to take a different approach.

First of all, recognize that if you truly want to separate yourself from your competition you must fully understand their needs before you begin talking about a product. Unfortunately, this seldom happens in the retail sales situation. However, that can make it very easy for you to begin differentiating yourself from other retailers. Here’s how you do it:

Ask questions.

- What brings you into our store?
- What reasons do you have for buying a…?
- What were you looking for in a…?
- Tell me about your current situation.
- Who else is involved in this purchase?
- What deadlines are you working with?
- What is most important to you with this purchase?
- Where else have you been?
- What else have you seen?
- What was your experience at…?

Each of these questions gives you the chance to uncover the customer’s buying motives. Every time you learn more about your customer the closer you get to actually closing a sale providing you utilize that information properly.

You’ll notice that the above questions are all open ended which means they require the customer to respond with more than just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Open-ended questions serve two purposes;

1. They require the customer to think before responding. This means that you will receive quality information that will help you determine their specific needs and wants.
2. They actively engage the customer. This means that they will begin to feel more comfortable with you because they are actually participating in the buying/selling process.

The critical thing to remember is that virtually everyone in the world loves talking about themselves and the more you encourage the customer to talk about themselves or their situation the more they will begin to trust and open up to you.

The majority of retail sales staff do not appreciate the power of this approach. In my training workshops I frequently hear objections such as:

“This takes too long. I need to spend my time overcoming objections.”
“People get defensive when I ask them all these questions.”
“Customers only care about getting the best price.”

I definitely understand these objections. Effective qualifying does take time. Some people do get defensive. And some customers do care only about getting the best price. However, this approach will garner you different results.

First of all, the time you invest qualifying will be saved in presenting your product and trying to overcome objections. If you fully understand what your customer needs and want you will be able to show them a product/service that meets those needs. This means that they will have fewer objections. I have discovered that the more thoroughly you qualify a customer the less likely they will express objections.

Second, if you create a comfortable environment people will answer any question you ask. But you must give them a reason to do so. They must see that the question(s) you are asking are leading somewhere and are being asked for a specific reason.

Third, you need to determine if the price conscious customer is someone you really want as a client.

Skillful qualifying takes effort, energy and practice. I suggest that you develop a list of open-ended questions that are relevant to your industry and practice utilizing them. The more comfortable you become asking valuable questions the more effective you will be become at uncovering your customer’s needs and wants. In turn, you will demonstrate to them why they should buy from you, today, at your price.

If you need help with this I recommend that you read my book, Stop, Ask & Listen. It lists over 400 questions for virtually every type of retail business.

When is "late" actually late?

At a recent workshop I conducted for retail managers, I asked how many people had to deal with employees who were consistently late for their shifts. Hands shot up all around the room and I was met with groans and moans.

As we continued the conversation, I was struck by how FEW managers actually did anything about this behaviour when it occurred. Excuses ranged from, "I'm too busy" to "I'm short-staffed so I can't afford to lose them" to "I've got more pressing issues to deal with." Some people also said that being a few minutes late was no big deal, even though they did express their frustration.

My opinion is that late is late. It doesn't matter if it's five minutes or fifty-minutes. If an employee is scheduled for a specific time then he/she is expected to arrive and be on the floor ready to go at that time.

However, how you, the retail owner or manager, handles this makes the difference. If you accept tardiness, people will continue to be late. If you nip it the bud, it will seldom become an issue in your store. This starts with you clarifying your expectations and communicating these expectations to your team.

When I managed restaurants, I made it very clear when an employee was first hired that punctuality was a non-negotiable standard. While I certainly made occassional allowances for extenuating circumstance such as weather or unexpected traffic, everyone who worked in our store knew that lateness was not acceptable. And, employees also knew--some from personal experience--that we would take disciplinary action if they were late. As a result, this was seldom a problem we had to deal with.

Decide now what your policy is for lateness. Communicate it to your team. Lead by example. And take action when employees breach this standard. You will be surprised how quickly tardiness disappears.

**If you manage a chain of stores or have a large store with several managers AND you would like them to learn how to deal with employee performance, contact me at 905-633-7750 or by email and we can discuss a program that addresses your particular situation.

Cheers!

Are You Having Fun Yet?

Have you ever walked into a store and immediately felt a high level of energy in that business? How about tension so thick you could slice through it with a knife? What made the difference?

In most cases, it was the level of the fun the employees were having. Does this mean that they were goofing off and horsing around? Of course not. They were si ply having fun, enjoying what they were doing.

I used to work for a restaurant chain that encouraged its employees and managers to have fun during their shift. This is one of the things that made it different than its competition. However, many years later, everyone acts serious and that extreme energy is no longer is apparent.

We often forget that buying products is stressful for some people. This creates a strong physiological need that must be fulfilled. What to buy, where to buy, and of course, who to buy it from. Consider what your customers experience when they walk through the front door of your store.

- Are they greeted enthusiastically and with a genuine smile?
- Do they encounter employees who love what they do
- Do they deal with Sales Professionals who are passionate about the products they sell?

If you answered "yes" to these questions then you are on the right track. If you answered "no" then you need to consider how you and your team can have more fun at work. Loving what you do and demonstrating this enjoyment will lead to increased sales and success for your store.

Cheers!
Kelley

Customer Behaviour

My youngest daughter forwarded this link to me and I thought you would enjoy it.

It's a forum called "Customers Suck" and it presents some pretty funny stories about customer behaviour. As a retailer, I'm sure you will be able to relate to some of the scenarios--you may even have experienced some similar situations in your own store.

Enjoy!

Kelley

Retail Sales Training - What Does Your Store Appearance Say?

I came across an interesting article written by Britt Beemer, founder of America's Research Group, about the impact your store's appearance.

IS IT WORTH GOING IN?
I am consistently finding that consumers are paying less attention to advertising and more attention to store appearance. Our numbers say that the exterior of a store generates 45% of an entire marketing image. This includes the building's appearance, the signage, the landscaping, and the parking area. Consumers form impressions about the quality and selection of merchandise inside the store based on what they see the outside of the store. Some retailers are aware of this, and the outside appearance of their store is carefully thought out. Circuit City the electronics retailer, for example, put a two-story facade on a one story building, making a 26,000 sq ft. building look like 60,000 sq. ft. They found it very effective, and other retailers have followed suit.

Selection is also critical. Consumers have been shopping less since 9/11.They prefer to go to fewer stores and to go to stores where they know they're going to get a great selection. They don't want to have to look further.

One quarter of a consumer's decision to enter a store comes from the four-color circulars in the news paper. Advertisements like these can help or harm your selection image. You need to show a big assortment of merchandise in your advertisements and displays. Showing the same old stock can turn off customers. They’ll think, “Well, that’s all they’ve got.”

IS THERE SOMETHING HAPPENING IN THIS STORE THAT’S UNLIKE ANYWHERE ELSE?
Seventy-three percent of the consumers we’ve surveyed believe that all stores within a particular category look alike. This is caused by the demise of good merchandising. By using computers to track stock and sales, retailers are merchandising their stores into sameness. Consumers want a unique shopping experience, and retailers need to under stand the importance of differentiation. One way to do this is to have “showstoppers" that bring customers into the store. These are items that may not sell well but bring in business. An example is a furniture store that sells leather sofas. These are typically a pretty boring product. The storeowner could advertise or display a yellow, lavender, or red sofa and sell twice as many leather sofas. The dramatic colors catch attention, and shoppers will stop in and check them out. Chances are they’ll still leave the store with a beige, green, or brown sofa, but it was the “showstoppers" that got them in. That's where the return on investment comes in.
In my 25 years of market research, I have learned that you don’t market to sell merchandise, you market to sell the store. I advise my clients to go after the “Wow Factor" to differentiate their store from everyone else's. Chico's apparel specialty store has done the best job of this in the last two years. Their stores stand out from the competition in and out of the malls. Their unique product lines, color choices, and displays have made Chico's the hottest retailer for sales growth.

STORE PRIDE
When customers look around your store, do they get the impression that someone takes pride in the store? Is it clean? Is the merchandise well organized and displayed thoughtfully? Are the clothes on the racks in the correct size category? Not only does this show that staff and owners care, but it makes it easier for customers to find what they need. Shopping should not be work. An orderly store helps customers make buying decisions quickly and easily.

FINANCIAL STABILITY
One of the first things customers look at is gaps in merchandise displayed. Retailers don't always appreciate consumer's awareness of this. Regular customers will notice gaps the most, and, ironically, this can cause struggling stores to lose their best customers just when they need them most. If you've got ten some negative press about financial troubles, make sure your shelves are stocked to the hilt. Try to take the customer's perspective. Being privy to some one's financial struggles is a bummer.

COMMITMENT TO A CATEGORY
This is the single biggest weakness of retailers. When retailers think about adding a category of merchandise, they usually look at what the other stores are doing, and they devote the same amount of store space to a product category. To be successful, a retailer should make an effort to be known for some thing. Nordstroms is a good example. They are committed to their shoe department and they are known for that. Nordstroms' shoe department is two or three times bigger than the other stores' that shows their depth of commitment. Customers know they can find a shoe they like there. I advise my clients to continually strive to be a leader in a particular category, especially one that no one else is doing a good job with. Before you add an additional product category, you better make sure you have a big enough selection to make a commitment to it. The display has to convince consumers that this isn’t just a fringe category for you.

IS THIS A STORE OF THE FUTURE?
Consumers also make judgments about a store based on signage, display racks, and even light fixtures. These tell your customers whether you're a store of today, yesterday, or tomorrow. Has your building looked the same for 30 years, or does your building's décor tell your customers that you're moving ahead? Are you using the old style fluorescent light fixtures rather than the newer ones that high light the merchandise? Do your displays and signage fit your customers' sense of style??

IT IS WORTH RETURNING?
A consumer is always trying to decide whether you want them to come back or not, and they'll make that decision based on their entire shopping experience. Was it easy to get in and out of the store? Were they able to find items quickly and easily? Were the sale items that were advertised or displayed actually available? This can go a lot further than just being the cheapest guy in town.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - You Set The Tone

As an owner or manager, it is critical to remember that you set the tone for your store. Whether you are a franchisee, corporate store manager, or own an independent store, what you do and say reflects on your business. Let me elaborate...

From merchandising, to service, to employee behaviour, YOU influence it all. I can walk into almost type of retail store and within 5 minutes accurately guess what kind of person runs that particular store. Here are two examples:

1. A local store nearby specializes in imported food. All the employees greet customers with a smile and they are exceptionally friendly. Plus, they deliver great service, day after day. Turnover is low--I recognize staff that have been there for 10 years or more--something that is virtually unheard of in retail today. Business is brisk--every day! I can almost guarantee that the management of that store focus on their staff and treat them well.

2. Another store sells pet products. The staff at this store seldom smile or take a proactive approach to help customers. It's not uncommon to hear the cashiers complain to each other about the schedule, hours, etc. No one goes out their way to create a memorable experience. It's not difficul to figure out that this is not the greatest place to work. And in all likelihood, it's because of the manager. I can this because I once spoke to the manager and he was short and abrupt during our conversation.

Too many retailers blame the economy, competition, head office, and sometimes customers, for the lack of business or a decline in sales. However, it is critical to look within and at yourself first.

- Are you treating your staff with dignity and respect? Or, do you demand respect?
- Do you talk to your team? Or do you "tell" them what you want them to do?
- Do you keep your people informed and updated? Or, do you tell them what you "think" they need to know?
- Is your store a fun place to work? Or, is it a place where people show up because they have bills to pay?
- Do you have high standards and expect your team to perform to the best of their ability? Or, do you accept the bare minimum because that's all you think people will deliver?

I once wrote about the daughter of a friend who started working for a independently-owned clothing store. During her first week, the owner loudly criticized my friend's daughter--in front of customers. Needless to say, she quickly found another place to work. I suspect that store owner has a revolving door of staff and that she struggles with her business.

Ultimately, your mentality and approach sets the tone for your success. Are you going to succeed?

As always, I welcome your thought and comments.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - How People Shop

Not surprisingly, men and women approach the buying process from two completely different perspectives. During the last several years I have done quite a bit of research on this topic and I recently came across an article that offered another perspective. The article was written by Dr. Karen Wade and here is a brief overview of her thoughts.

Generally speaking, men approach the buying process with three objectives:

1/ Research
2/ Hunting
3/ Purchasing

Men will do some research on the product they intent to buy and usually does not the opinions of very many people. He will create some criteria for his ideal purchase and during his "hunt" he settles for a solution that meets most of his criteria.

Women, on the other hand, differ in their approach. They still have 3 objective but they are different:

1/ Research
2/ Discovery
3/ Purchasing

Women tend to do much more research and talk to many more people than men, especially for high-ticket items. Their "discovery" process pertains to the many emotional apsects of the purchase: defining and expressing a personal and/or family style, trade offs between what she really likes and what will work financially and practically in her life.

You can increase your sales substantially by adapting your sales appraoch to each gender. Generally, men will make a buying decision MUCH more quickly than a women. However, when you focus your attention on helping your female customers make an educated buying decision, you will earn her trust and gain a more loyal customer.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - Get Ready for Superbowl

If you work in the electronics business, you can expect sales to be brisk in the next few weeks since Superbowl 41 is just 24 days away. Part of the hype and lead-up to this event are the statistics involved. Here are some numbers to consider:

- Cost of a 30 second ad: $2.4 million plus production and development costs.
- Total game time: 60 minutes; total commercial time: 30 minutes
- Number of viewers: 125+ million
- Guacamole consumed on Superbowl Sunday: 8 million pounds
- Chips consumed: 14,500 tons
- Increase in Antacid sales the day after: 20%

So, what do these stats have to do with retail?

Well, statistics also indicate that sales of big screen TVs increase by five times in the week leading up to this event. Plus, 42% of the viewers are women. If you sell electronics, sports attire or memorabilia you should be thinking how you can maximize your sales during the next couple of weeks. Here are a few tips you can use to improve your sales results when selling to the opposite sex in the next couple of weeks.

Men selling to women:
1. Slow down your pace
2. Invest time and energy getting to know your female customer so they will be interested in continuing the relationship
3. Talk abut her, her business, her interests, her needs and not about yourself
4. Listen carefully to what she says
5. Avoid giving advice unless you are directly asked

Women selling to men:
1. Look, sound and act confident
2. Keep your conversations related to business or the male clients’ interests
3. Spend less time on social conversation
4. Move more quickly through the sales process and get to the point faster
5. Set clear goals to increase your effectiveness

Please recognize that these strategies are general in nature and are not intended to include ALL members of the opposite sex. However, I have learned in my sales interactions and training workshops that these tips are very helpful. Get more information on this topic in my book.

Don't wait for customers to come to you, be assertive and proactive in seeking them out. And don't forget to focus attention on your female customers--remember almost half of the viewers will be women.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - Timing is Everything

I was buying a pair of jeans the other day, and surprisingly, received some excellent assistance from one of the sales associates working in the store. I tried on several pairs and finally decided on one particular pair.

I thanked the sales associate for her help and proceeded to the POS to pay for them. As the manager(?) rang up the sale she said, "We have a 60 day exchange policy if you're not satisifed with them." My immediate thought was, "Why is she telling me this?" I had already tried the jeans on and if I wasn't satisifed with them, I would not have bought them.

While I appreciate the fact that the store has a liberal exchange policy, her timing was way off. It would have been much better for the sales associate to say this while I was trying the jeans on, not after I had already made my decision. Or better yet, advise me of this poilicy if I had demonstrated some hesitation or concern about buying the jeans.

Remember, you don't need to tell every customer about your policies. If you do tell them, make sure the timing is right.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - Women, the Softer Side of Retail

It's a well-known fact that women make up to 85% of the buying decisions in most households. However, most retailers have been slow to catch on to this.

An article in USa Today examines the approach Best Buy is starting to incorporate into to their stores to capitalize on sales opportunities. If your store is staffed primarily by men or you sell items typically purchased by men you should read this. Check it out here.

If you want to learn how to improve your results when selling to the opposite sex check out my first book.

Cheers!
Kelley

Retail Sales Training - Dealing with Refunds

It's the post-Christmas season and more likely than not, your store is dealing with it's share of refunds. Although this is an undesirable aspect of retailing, it comes with the territory. Here are few tips that can make this less stressful and challenging.

1. Be proactive. Instead of ignoring people who are returning an item, take the the initiative and approach your customers with the intent of helping them. This will help you stand out and differentiate yourself from your competition .

2. Listen to them. Many refunds are caused because the customer has no need for the product or item that was given to them. Or, in some cases, it's because they can't figure out how to use it. Listen carefully to your customer's reason because it leads us to the next point.

3. Try for a different sale. Many people are looking for a solution to their probelm, not getting their money back. When you listen to the primary reason behind the refund you can often identify other items that may be of use or value to that customer. Don't be afraid to suggest an alternative solution.

These points are particularly important if your store has a designated area for refunds such as a customer service desk or counter. Far too often, the individual's working this area act like robots instead of human beings, and as a result, lose the personal touch and the opportunity to make an additional sales.

Cheers!
Kelley