Always be closing is an overused phrase sales managers have used for years.
It sounds great, and if everyone were Alec Baldwin in Always be Closing, it would work.
Unfortunately, the world is slightly more complicated for most managers. It comprises various people with different attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses.
To succeed, store managers must be able to assess their sales staff, recognize their capabilities, and then mold most of them into superior salespeople.
But all salespeople are not created equal...
Before you can train them to ask for a sale, you must determine the basic personality style of each sales team member. Here are the four basic personality types:
When someone refers to a born salesman, they usually refer to a person with a Driver personality style. These people thrive on making the sale. They know enough about products and understand all the objections a customer could make. Their large egos thrive on making a sale. In short, they will not take no for an answer and will almost always ask for a sale without fear. You rarely have to train them to ask for the sale. They may try to ask for it too soon.
As the name indicates, Amiables want to get along. In most cases, fearing rejection limits their desire to ask for the sale. Instead, they wait for the customers to approach them and say, “I’ll take it.” Needless to say, in an untrained state, they are not very successful at asking for the sale.
This personality style is usually the most popular person on your sales floor. However, they can be easily distracted even while making a sale. The Expressive salesperson is the spark to creating a high-energy sales environment, but that energy doesn't translate well if you look to them to manage others. They have their hands full just managing themselves.
This personality style is often the most well-informed person on your sales floor. The problem is that they are not personal enough to translate that knowledge into asking for the sale. The Analytical salesperson presents the facts, and then waits for the customer to conclude. Rarely does the Analytical proactively ask for the sale.
Recognizing the different personality styles is the first step in improving your sales team. While it may seem logical to only hire Drivers, it is not always feasible – especially since they are rare. And while Expressives are wonderful and fearless in asking for the sale, they are even rarer to find in retail.
Instead, store managers should concentrate on developing the Amiables and the Analyticals on the team as they represent probably 80% of your retail workforce.
Managers must appeal to the strengths of both personality types to expand their comfort zones. Analyticals need a well-developed selling system that shows them a product's benefits and how to overcome customer objections proactively. Amiables, on the other hand, need rapport-building exercises to help them overcome their fear of rejection.
Not sure what personality style you are? Take my free quiz.
You need to look at what makes the Analytical and the Amiable feel good about themselves.
The Analytical prides himself or herself on knowing everything about a product. When a customer comes into a lumber yard and asks for some 2x4s, the Analytical will ask a barrage of questions such as, "Treated? Untreated? Pressure-treated? Standard? Premium?”
These are perfectly logical questions for the Analytical because he wants the customer to get the perfect product for his or her needs. The trouble is this can stop a sale, make a customer feel uninformed, and trip their idiot switch. The customer may walk away rather than spend any more time with them.
Amiables naturally feel good getting to know people, but there's a twist – the customer has to like them first. It is not part of the Amiable's makeup to naturally go up to strangers and engage them.
At a flower shop, an Amiable salesperson stands behind the counter while the customer opens the cooler, picks up a bouquet of red roses, puts them back down, examines some pink ones, puts them back, and closes the cooler door looking confused. The Amiable, still waiting for a question, watches.
A customer may walk away rather than ask a question, leaving the Amiable not knowing they did anything wrong.
That's why you have to give both these personality styles a sales process that lets them feel comfortable so they’ll present your merchandise and ask for the sale.
You need to give your team the sales training to have the guts to ask for the sale.
Classroom training and one-on-one role-playing that models and makes them ask for the sale must be included in any retail sales training program. It is the simplest, most effective way to build everyone’s confidence.
You don’t need salespeople who shrink like some cheap flannel shirt upon first washing when they need to ask the customer for the sale.
What you need is for the Amiable to have the fortitude to ask, “Can I put that in a box for you?” and for the Analytical to finesse their product pitch that ends naturally with, “Will you take it?”
In addition, many don't ask for the sale because deep down inside, they either feel like a phony trying to sell something to someone, that the product isn't worth the price, or they suffer survivor guilt that they don't think the customer can afford it.
I've developed my online retail sales training program - to make it easy and address those negative associations head-on.
I truly believe we can change the world by teaching employees and ourselves how to approach the world with an open heart. To some, it comes more easily than to others. Amiables and Analyticals need to be taught.
In Sum
Working in a store gives you many opportunities to hone your ability to speak to strangers. When employees master these skills, they become better citizens, students, and consumers.
Your goal is to increase sales, but that only happens when you understand why your employees don't ask for the sale. It is merely glib and misses the point entirely to tell your sales team Always to be closing.
Instead, give them the resources and education to ask for the sale confidently.
