Selling in stores is not about waiting for the customer to come to you. A good in-store seller is proactive! We must go to the customer, anticipate these expectations and push him to buy, today! After having been a Retail Assistant in various retail stores, I am giving you my Retail Sales techniques and tips here – so that you can reach and exceed your sales objectives more easily.
Rule No. 1 Retail Sales techniques
Be active! When the customer enters your store or enters your department, wait a few moments, observe his behaviour and notice what he is looking at, then go for it:
HELLO SIR, I WOULD LIKE TO HELP YOU
As simple as that …
Are you afraid of the “no”? Note that only people who do not intend to buy will refuse your help; the others, on the contrary, will wait for you to come and serve them, because after all they will pay you so they have the right to a Retail Assistant’s attention!
All the customers declined your help? Do not sit there! Customers need to see you do something: store, clean, replenish shelves, etc.
Even when there are no customers at all, there is still something to do: update your Sales Management software or ERP, learn its features, the use and benefits of your products to avoid being caught unprepared when a customer asks you questions. These are the foundations of the Retail Sales techniques.
Find out what the customer wants
If it’s not done yet, I strongly advise you to read my article about the 6 Sales steps. Indeed, you will have to start from the beginning: discover what the customer wants.
The stages of Sales are the basis of all Sales techniques, including those in Retail Sales.
Please do not be like the mediocre Retail Assistants who will recite the product data sheets that are just in front of the customer… It’s totally useless and even counterproductive.
Start by asking questions:
- What kind of vacuum cleaner are you looking for?
- What are your favorite brands?
- Who will use the vacuum cleaner at home?
- How many rooms do your house count?
- What is the model of your current vacuum cleaner?
- Why do you want to change it?
- What is your budget?
From these questions, start to identify 2 or 3 products that you will suggest to your client based on the answers obtained.
Present solutions to your customer
If I say “present the solutions”, and not “present the products”, there is a good reason.
Indeed, when you go into your Sales pitch, it’s not about reading the info sheets of your products, but matching the avantages of your product to the customer’s needs. If the job of the salesperson was to recite technical info by heart, then video editing software would have replaced them a long time ago.
A well-mastered Sales pitch is essential to optimize your Retail Sales techniques.
Example: selling a computer to an individual.
If you are facing a computer novice who wants to acquire a computer to surf the Internet, it will be totally useless to tell him that your product is equipped with the latest 4-core / 8-thread Intel i7 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 2 500 GB SSDs in raid 1, etc.
On the other hand, if you tell him that this computer has a processor that will allow him to surf several sites at the same time, quickly watch videos and play without slowing down on Facebook, then there you will have made a sale.
Create a user experience
If possible, involve your customer actively: have him handle and try your product, and if it is a food product, have him taste it.
Not only will it make it easier for you to convince your buyer, but you will also project them into the “post-purchase” phase – as if the purchase decision had already been made.
However, be careful not to perform this user experience too early. Start by identifying your client and his needs.
The user experience is a formidable weapon specific to Retail / in-store Sales.
For example, when I was young, I sold Nespresso machines in stores and at fairs. Many of my colleagues made the mistake of systematically offering a coffee tasting even before identifying the customer and their needs. As a result, instead of selling, they were playing barista.
For my part, on the contrary, I first identified the expectations of the customer and only when completing the sale, would I offer a tasting.
Decide for your customer
“Decide for your customer”, it may seem hard, but you need to face this reality: the vast majority of people are not able to make decisions quickly.
Letting your customer go on a “ok thanks, I’ll think about it” is way too risky. They may indeed buy elsewhere (with a better seller than you), find a substitute product, spend their money on something else, or maybe a loved one could discourage them later from buying the product, or they may simply forget …
So take the bull by the horns. You have already given them the choice between 2 or 3 models – at the most. They are hesitating? Keep pushing it:
You hesitate at which level? The colour? Did you tell me that your kitchen is white? So it’s this model of white Espresso machine that you need!
IT’S IN THE BAG, NEXT CUSTOMER PLEASE!
And when you become an excellent seller/ Retail assistant and have a perfect command of Retail Sales techniques, why not try door-to-door sales? You can also deepen your knowledge of Sales negotiation. Finally, do not forget to follow your customer portfolio closely with a good free CRM software.
