By
Bob Phibbs
For retail customers to let down their guard, share their desires, and overcome their fears of purchasing, you must get them involved...
I was at South Coast Plaza and stepped into the Harry Winston boutique. A pleasant young woman greeted me and asked if it was my first time at Harry Winston’s. I told her I had been to the one in Manhattan. She replied, “That’s our flagship.” After a few moments of browsing, she asked me if I had ever seen a Harry Winston diamond up close. I told her I had not, so she unlocked a case, carefully removed a 10-carat diamond ring, and held it out for me.
Wow, I thought. She was so engaging; she engaged me.
Contrast that to the feeling I had as I walked into another store…
A woman greeted my back - not my face - with, “Good afternoon.”
I replied the requisite, “Good afternoon.”
Shortly after, she asked, “Are you here to buy a watch today?”
“No,” I replied casually, "I’m just looking around.”
She summed it up a few seconds later, again to my back. “So you’re just looking around, not looking to buy anything.”
Geez, how do people like that get into retail? It's no wonder so many stores struggle to sell.
Discover how to create your best retail sales strategy with this comprehensive primer
In the first example, the saleswoman engaged me with “Have you ever seen…” which was the beginning of building rapport and shopper engagement.
In many stores, to build rapport, just telling a customer that you’ve got a new product and asking, “May I show you?” can do the trick.
A hair salon could play around with a different hairstyle before the cut, saying, “Let’s just see how it might look.”
A music store might show customers how to create a simple song on an instrument, record it, and upload it to their smartphone.
In a photography store, you could set up an area of the store like a photo studio and ask shoppers, “Can I show you a quick way to take a better picture with your smartphone?” Shoppers would be encouraged to experiment with different lighting.
Notice none of these were about pitching a product. You must involve the customer if you want them to care enough to buy from you.
Involvement coupled with creativity reduces the fear of purchase.
What to do
The secret of engaging customers is asking them a question that begins, “Have you ever…”
Yes, it has to make sense.
You wouldn’t ask, “Have you ever ridden a unicorn?” unless you could answer, “Well, now you can,” as you gesture toward a stable.
To stand out, find something unique in your store you can ask an opinion about, a new product that can do something special, or a product you’ve had for a while but have something new to point out.
Then you can engage the customer with a conversation rather than a pitch. A conversation that leads to a Wow customer experience.
See also, How To Choose The Right Retail Sales Training For Your Store
In Sum
Most employees are so limited in their people skills that they have little ability or interest in discovering why that shopper is in their shop today.
When the customer doesn’t walk in the door asking for what they specifically say they want, the poorly trained sales clerk gets frustrated; they can even blurt out inappropriate and highly offensive things to your customers. Remember the watch store above?
That’s why smart thinking is on retail sales training. You have truly connected when you engage customers by piquing their curiosity and sharing.
You have engaged them in a conversation.
And that’s why people buy when they feel comfortable, intrigued, and engaged.
