By
Bob Phibbs
Updated July 20, 2022
I‘ve been an in-person retail sales trainer for upscale retail brands and I’ve helped them achieve extraordinary gains over the last 20-some years.
I’ve helped a flooring company achieve a six-point turnaround in under three months, a luxury watch brand gain an 8% increase year-over-year in a punishing market, and a window covering company achieve a 21% increase in sales after a 3-day sales intensive.
That said...
Not every retailer can afford personal, onsite training from me...
That would be especially true of smaller stores.
That’s why I came up with SalesRX, my online retail sales training. It's a Virtual Bob, if you will, to personally train every team member, no matter how many, or where they are in the world.
One thing that unites smaller retailers is a bit of skepticism…
Will this work for me?
So today, I’m sharing one of what I hope will be a series of stories highlighting small retailers who used SalesRX to great success.
Meet Stan Touchstone of Kissimmee Valley Feed & Ranch Supply
Stan lives in Florida, knows cattle like no other, and is a small business owner who has operated his mom-and-pop store for over 25 years.
When he says it is a small business, you should know he did over two million last year. And don’t let Stan’s humble nature fool you, he is one of the largest suppliers of animal feed products in his market.
Read My: Comprehensive Retail Sales Training Online page that answers all your questions here
He has cattle and dogs and has been in the cattle business all his life.
When he started, men traditionally made the buying decisions. Now, women are making the buying decisions and are 75% of his walk-in business.
He’s close to tourist attractions in Central Florida and services businesses like SeaWorld and Gatorland.
About two years ago, he saw me speak at a Purina business conference.
I’ll let Stan take it from there…
“I reached out to you afterward because I was so frustrated and felt I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Sales were flat. We already had so many day-to-day challenges: we were open 10 hours a day, it’s hot in Florida, and we work hard — it wears on the body.”
“I had this employee who was so disinterested, and I don’t know how else to say it, so lazy. He had a good heart, but his attitude affected all my other employees’ morale.
While I tried, again and again, to work with him, it was like steering a parked car. He was on the sales floor and dragging my whole business down.
This went on until I talked to Bob and realized that I had made a bad hire.”
(Bob) That’s more common than many retail owners realize...
“The change started with me first. I finally got a hold of training that I never had access to before: coaching and training people. SalesRX gave that to me. Bob gave me a fantastic tool to use; it set me on fire.”
“Now I know how to hold employee meetings, how to write job descriptions, how to do interviews, and so much more.
With Bob’s training, my employees learn everything they need — how to answer the phone, how to greet customers, how to recommend new products.”
“They get all that information instead of me just turning them loose on the floor. Instead of 90 days, they are ready to perform after 30 days the same as an employee who has been here for a year and a half.”
“With Bob’s training, my employees love being at my store. Customer relations went through the roof. When folks walk through my door, smiles appear on their faces.”
“Before, people would come in the door, turn to the sales counter, give us their order, pay, and walk out. No one was shopping.
With the SalesRX training, employees are well-positioned on the floor and people are walking down our aisles. Bob showed us how to do things correctly.
The psychology of positioning and body language changes everything. It was mind-blowing to see the difference.”
Here’s proof retail employee training programs work...well mine anyways...
“I started training in May 2016. Before the training, I sold 65 tickets a day at $60-65 per transaction.
Now, we’re averaging 75-80 transactions per day and the dollar amount per transaction is around $80-90. That’s a huge payback on my investment.”
“This year I want to break 3 million. That will be the most I’ve ever done.”
Every business likes to think its problems are unique...
And it’s easy to look at your metrics (KPIs) and become fearful.
But if you won’t change how you and your sales staff behave, then those KPIs are a bad metric.
They don’t show you the potential of what your sales could become because your customer service and retail selling skills are just one step up from a warehouse.
Stan had a 23% increase in tickets and a 50% increase in average check.
It didn't happen overnight; it took work to inspect what he expected. He then had to buy the best online retail sales training. Doing a better job with every customer got them to buy more and tell their friends. They’re loving life and so is he.
Quit spinning your wheels with yet another discount program to attract customers. You can be like Stan and get the proven retail sales training program that you need to succeed, no matter your size.
Take my free 5-part email course to learn how your retail store can outsell any online retailer. You can get started with your first lesson by entering your name and email address below ...
