By
Bob Phibbs
Updated November 29, 2024
Untrained retail employees often think merchandise sells itself.
That if a customer wants something, they’ll tell you. To those employees, I offer that selling, in many ways, is like dating.
You have to get a stranger to like you before they will ever commit.
That is why customers shop with a salesperson. If they would rather avoid yours when they come to your brick-and-mortar store, they’ll stay at home and shop online.
I don’t want that for you...
The best way to get more sales in your retail shop is to give customers an exceptional experience that is focused on getting them to buy.
To that end, I’m sharing what I’ve seen to be the five biggest mistakes salespeople make that cripple their customer service, as well as the ability to close a sale and how to fix them.
Being aggressive. Like that drunk guy in the bar hitting on every woman he sees because he feels it is a game of numbers – someone has to say yes – so too does the overly aggressive salesperson. It might show in their request to shake your hand as soon as you enter. It might be the salesperson who talks and talks, leaving no room for the customer to have an opinion or ask a question. Or it might show in them prowling the floor trying to determine if you are a looker or a buyer quickly. Such aggressive acts usually feel like desperation... either to be liked or to make a sale. Customers will smell the desperation.
RX: If you have an employee like this or tend to be like this, the key is timing. Instead of pouncing on someone when they come into your section, count to at least five to give them room. Next, give up the idea that you can tell who will buy and who will not and focus on one customer at a time, showing them all the possibilities.
Being passive. Like the wallflower at the school dance, someone too passive on the sales floor expects the customer to do all the work. With minimal interaction, the customer feels it is like pulling teeth to get you to help them. Customers sense your lack of engagement and walk.
RX: Many people are passive because they lack self-confidence. If this is you or an employee, before you greet someone, remember the times you pushed past feeling awkward or scared but made a sale anyway. Role-play with a friend if that works for you. Get out from behind the counter, turn up the volume on your voice, and feel customers want to hear what you have to say. Act as if you are confident, and the confidence will come.
Being ignorant of the products. This can range from the most basic question of where something is located in the store to the ultimate question—will this work for me? Many times these days, customers have researched online and been given more information than the salesperson. The more I don’t know you give, the less chance you’ll have of making a sale.
RX: Starting with the most basic – where an item is – give your salesperson a list of your top five items and tell them they have five minutes to bring them to the counter. When they get it right, give them another five items. If they get it wrong, have them repeat it with less time. Regarding product knowledge, come up with scenarios on your top ten items that let you finish by asking, “Will this work for me?” When they can pass, move on to your next ten… during downtime, everyone should do some online searches.
Lack of personal hygiene or boundaries. Yes, body odor, whether due to a lack of bathing or overuse of cologne, is a put-off, but so too are people who touch strangers, ask for or tell too many personal details, or make someone feel they are hitting on them.
RX: Body odor is no laughing matter. Make sure you put this line in your job description: You must maintain personal hygiene to avoid being offensive to other employees or customers. If they are smelly one day, then the conversation is easy. As to touching customers, start by making them aware of when they do it. Next, have them notice the person’s face. It might be fine for some regular customers; it will show on their faces. But with strangers, touching is a no-no. For male employees, especially, to take note, too long eye contact can be uncomfortable for some women.
Lacking follow-up. Once customers put down a large deposit, they want their merchandise as soon as possible; they don’t want to have to check on delivery dates constantly. Custom products often require a wait – think furniture, kitchen cabinets, and jewelry. When the customer has to be the one who initiates contact again and again, they grit their teeth until their product arrives. They may love their luxury product, but they will tell their friends how much of an ordeal it was, and you lose out on referral business.
RX: This is such an easy fix! Set a reminder on your smartphone to call or text the customer the following day to tell them again when you expect more details. Set up an alert every couple of weeks to do the same until it can be delivered.
See also, How To Choose The Right Retail Sales Training For Your Store
In Sum
Yes, there is a fine balance between being helpful and pushy, absent, uncaring, or aggressive. That’s why retail sales training keeps employees from going too far one way and not enough the other.
Use these tips, and you and your employees will develop the right approaches. Your customers will sense your authenticity and reward you by buying from you that day at full price.
