Boosting your Business in a Slow Economy |
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Industry Specific -
Retail
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Written by Jeff Mowatt
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Question: what are two words that will become increasingly important to customers over the next decade? The answer, according to marketing guru Frank Luntz, is “hassle free”. Customers are fed up with being forced to jump through hoops. Yet bizarrely, even in a slow economy, companies are actually becoming more difficult for customers to do business with - before, during and after purchases. To see if your organization is creating these unnecessary hassles for your customers, take this mini-quiz. Then consider using the accompanying tips I talk about my customer service seminars and speeches.
When customers arrive early
Do you force your customers to wait outside your establishment until the minute you officially open? Worse, do you rush them out the door or bar them from entering as closing time approaches? Ever seen customers standing outside a business pointing at their wrists to store employees, trying comparing whose watch is right?
Fortunately, there is a helpful tip on avoiding this hassle that I learned at a convention where I was the opening keynote speaker and the other presenter was Roly Morris, CEO of Krispy Kreme operations in Canada. Roly explained they have a practice called ten before ten after… meaning they are open for business (and answering phones) ten minutes before they say they are open, and they remain open (and answering phones) ten minutes after posted closing. Of course, you have to pay employees for the staggered times, but the good will and extra revenues you’ll generate make this a worthwhile investment.
When making buying decisions
Are your customers faced with too many choices? It’s fine to have a large selection to attract customers, but forcing customers to make too many decisions creates stress and buying resistance. As products and services become more complex, customers are increasingly afraid of making the wrong decision. Fortunately, your employees can reduce this customer stress while boosting your revenues using the rule of 3. Here’s how it works.
If you offer your customers only two choices, they may simply opt for the less expensive. However, using the rule of three, your employees would consider all the products and services you offer and narrow them to the top three most suitable for that customer. Interestingly, if you offer three choices from least to most expensive, customers will typically choose the middle option. That means that offering three choices not only helps your customer make easier buying decisions – it also helps steer them away from choosing the cheapest item. Less hassle, more buying. Everyone wins.
When there’s a problem
Can your customers return products to your location, or are they expected to have kept the original packaging and ship it to the manufacturer? Do they face a huge waiting line at the ‘customer service’ desk that’s understaffed and over-grumped? Do you give customers any compensation or even an apology for the inconvenience of having to return a defective product?
Some managers appear to believe that making dissatisfied customers run a gauntlet discourages product returns. Actually, it discourages your customers from returning. If you plan on keeping customers over the long term, you know that sooner or later they’re likely to have a problem. That’s an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you are indeed different from your competitors.
So how did your company do in this quiz? For most organizations there are at least some opportunities to reduce the hassle factor for customers. The good new is these types of adjustments to customer service are simple. They reduce complexity and bureaucracy. Our corporate clients report that the payoff is worth it in terms of strengthened customer loyalty, increased spending per customers, and enhanced team spirit. Not bad for simply making the customers’ buying experience hassle free.
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How to Turn Callers Into Paying Clients |
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Industry Specific -
Retail
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Written by Bernadette Doyle
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One of the main principles of the Client Magnets approach is that it's easier to close a sale when a prospect has sought YOU out, rather than when you approach them. One of the reasons for this is that when a prospect approaches you, the business relationship starts out on a more equal footing. Contrast the situation where a prospect approaches YOU with the built in resistance and or skepticism you encounter when the first contact is made via a cold call or unsolicited mailing.
When people feel that they've discovered YOU, you don't encounter the resistance that can occur when YOU approach them.
Defenses are down, the buyer feels more in control of the communication. Instead of YOU saying, 'Here's how I think I can help you' and then having to prove your claim with lots of convincing and persuading, the prospect is saying, 'I think YOU'RE the person who can help me. Tell me how this works.' They are much more motivated to listen to your answers!
So usually in these articles I share ideas on what you can do to make the telephone ring, but once they've called you, how you handle that all important first phone call can make the difference between you landing a client - or losing them forever.
When I was selling training to corporations, I found that the first phone conversation played a critical part in the overall sales process. Handled correctly, the prospect was 'pre-sold' even before our first meeting, the progression from initial enquiry to signed contract was smooth and in some cases the phone conversation went so well that the caller made the decision to buy without us having to meet.
So the first phone conversation is a crucial moment in the overall sales process and sadly many opportunities are lost forever by mishandling this critical stage.
It's not your job to 'convert' every caller. The purpose of this first phone conversation is to find out more about each other, and if appropriate, progress to the next step. But that doesn't mean that every phone conversation will or should result in a sale.
For a multitude of reasons, you may not be a good match for each other. I've witnessed many sellers put themselves - and their prospects - under unnecessary pressure because they were 'going for the order' before it had been established whether that was the appropriate next step.
Shift your goal for the call to 'let's find out more about whether we're right for each other' instead of 'must get the sale at any cost'. You'll be more relaxed, and when the prospect doesn't feel pressured, they are more likely to lower their defenses and tell you what they really want and need.
Result? When appropriate the sales will flow naturally, without you having to push. And, if it's not appropriate to progress to the next stage right now, you have left the door open for future business and/or referrals.
(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008.
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More Tips On How To Turn Callers Into Paying Clients |
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Industry Specific -
Retail
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Written by Bernadette Doyle
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It's true what they say about first impressions. Because they have called YOU, they already know something about you and what you're offering. The fact that the prospect has bothered to pick up the phone to call you and find out more is a huge sign that they're interested in buying. The downside is that you may not be the only company they're calling.
So what do you need to do in this phone conversation to help things progress easily to the next step? The secret is to gauge what the caller really wants, and then give it to them. But you can't do that unless you first get them to open up and tell you what they really want. The most important thing to do in the first few seconds is establish rapport with the enquirer, and then....
...Get permission to ask questions. When you build trust and ask the right questions, your prospects will give you all the information you need to solve their problems, give them what they really want and ultimately win their business. At the same time, some callers may be reluctant to open up on the telephone and discuss their real needs.
If callers are reluctant to give you information it's either because they don't trust you, or because you aren't asking the right questions. You can earn their trust by demonstrating in your attitude and manner that your primary aim is to help them make an informed decision. You can't fake this. Customers are smart and they can sense who's genuinely interested and trying to help, and who's just after a quick sale.
Ask about the prospect's needs, find out how they plan to use the product or service that they're enquiring about, and what results they hope to achieve through using it. It doesn't matter whether you're selling coaching, financial services or training, there are key questions that you can formulate to find out what they want to achieve, what they want to avoid, and how they plan to use the product or service that you can supply.
Spend twice as much time listening than talking. Many years ago, I conducted some research into top sales performers. One of my findings was that the most successful sales performers spent 70% of their time asking questions and listening to the answers, and only 30% of the time talking about the solution they could offer. Aim for a similar ratio in your conversations with prospects. This means preparing lists of questions to use in your calls.
That said, it's not the Spanish Inquisition! If the caller feels you are mindlessly working through list of questions without fully paying attention to them or that the questions are for your benefit rather than theirs, you'll lose rapport and credibility. It's a paradox that when you set aside your own needs to focus fully on what the customer really wants - even at the risk that you may not be able to provide it for them - you create an environment of trust that can ultimately lead to more sales than if you were focused on your own goals throughout the call.
What's the next step? Depending on what you are selling, the next step might be to book a treatment, book a trial session, arrange a face-to-face meeting, send information, or you might even take an order there and then. As the seller, it's your responsibility to make clear what the next step is, but involve the prospect in determining what they are comfortable with.
Here's a gentle way to suggest the next step without pushing:
towards the end of the conversation say, 'At this point, what we'll normally do is (state the next step). Does that sound like a good next step for you, or do you still have questions?'. This is a useful way to surface unanswered questions and concerns whilst maintaining an atmosphere of trust.
The ideas in this article will give you a starting point, but what will really get results is being genuinely interested in helping callers make informed buying decisions that are right for them. When you take incoming phone enquiries with this mindset you'll be able to have meaningful sales conversations without scaring prospective customers away!
(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008.
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Confidence Sells! |
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Industry Specific -
Retail
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Written by Mark Hunter
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Recently, I found myself dealing with a retail salesperson who was attempting to explain to me the benefits of the item I was looking to buy. As I stood there listening to him, I was struck not by what he was saying but how he was saying it. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the person I was dealing with was either a new salesperson or new to the department we were in. Needless to say, I wound up leaving the store without purchasing anything.
Later, I found myself reflecting on the salesperson and the struggle he had making a sale. He clearly knew what he was talking about, he was able to respond to my questions and, on a couple of occasions, he elaborated far more than he needed to. However, the reason he was unable to close the sale was because he didn’t have any confidence in what he was saying and he was very uncomfortable talking to someone who could have been twice his age.
Retail sales is all about providing the customer with an experience, and that experience must include having confidence in the salespeople you are working with. In my case, the salesperson had product knowledge but not sales knowledge. He didn’t need to be incredibly “sales savvy”, just confident in what he was explaining to me. After thinking about it, I realized that every question I asked was to help me gain the confidence that he failed to initially convey. The problem was that he viewed my questions as my desire to know more about the item, when, in reality, I just wanted some assurance in the purchase I was thinking about making. If he would have merely spoken to me using a full and firm tone of voice, avoided using “um” and “ah” frequently, and shared his thoughts regarding my potential purchase based on his knowledge of the product and my input as to what I was looking for, he probably would have been able to close the sale. In the end, we both ended up wasting our time. More importantly, the retail clerk’s self-esteem probably dropped because he wasn’t able to complete the sale.
This situation occurs frequently and it’s unfortunate because nothing good comes out of it: for the store, the employee, or the customer. Circumstances similar to what I’ve just described are one of the primary reasons Retail has a high turnover rate.
Store managers need to take the time with every salesperson to teach beyond just product knowledge. All new salespeople can benefit from being walked through the entire sales process in a manner that allows them to build up their self-esteem. Store managers should challenge themselves to be committed to regularly instilling confidence in each of their employees.
In the end, I decided that I probably would have purchased the item if I had been dealing with a confident person who was not quite as knowledgeable. Retail clerks need to learn to be self-assured and proud in the service that they provide to customers. Although product knowledge is important, it is not essential to “know it all”. They need to develop the ability to confidently engage the customer with the knowledge they do have.
In summary, I believe a confident salesperson will become a top performer, and it’s the top performer that shows up for work everyday.
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