There is a difference… and you and your people must live with it!

If you sell higher priced items for the most part, hopefully you have real “salespeople” working for you. Most of the time, typical retail sales employees are the ones often found running a small retail store. And I certainly understand that they have their place. Retail employees are usually very hard workers and do a very good job at what they do. In fact, retail sales clerks may be just what your particular store needs.

But you need to understand that. Sales clerks are basically order takers, and while you may be able to train them to improve their skills, you need to have the right expectations for the person you hire. Are you hiring a salesperson or vendor? It takes a different set of skills for a shopper buying a dog treat, greeting card, or teddy bear, compared to a teddy bear. a buyer who is putting together a complete fashion ensemble, a living room game, or a two thousand dollar pool table. The real difference is that a person who had the skills and training of a professional salesperson might be selling not only the dog treat, but also some high-end dog vitamins and dog food, turning that sale into several times the price. original sale of a single dog. treat.

We all know that retailers make money (or more money) when they make multiple sales. You don’t need me to tell you that your store makes more money when your customers buy more than one item from you.

But if you want them to work for you more than sales clerks then you need to hire them accordingly and/or seriously train and work with your people to learn the skills and understand the differences. At its simplest level, to get your customers to buy more, your employees must learn the art of making multiple sales. The simplest and most basic trick to get all of this on track is to teach them to remember four magic words: did you see this? It is not aggressive. It is not pushy and becomes a key part of increasing sales in addition to really listening to the customer.

In a men’s clothing store, if a customer is shopping for a new suit, the salesperson should ask, “Have you seen this tie? It looks amazing in that suit!” or “Did you see this shirt?” or “Have you ever considered French cuffs?” The buyer could refuse. Or he might come over and take a look at those things, even if he’s just being nice.

You can also buy the new shirt and some cufflinks and be delighted to have a complete outfit AND their full service approach.

You really never know. As long as the customer feels that you are sincerely trying to help, there is nothing wrong with trying to maximize the sale.

Your people should think of it as delivering and providing a complete useful service and completing the package, rather than just taking the dollars out of the customer’s wallet!

What you need to understand is that you should not put or expect retail employees to fill a position that really should be filled by salespeople. This gives you the wrong expectations of your people and puts them in a position they are not prepared or trained for. As a result, you may never be satisfied with them… all because you hired an amateur to do the job of a professional.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to turn your sales people into salespeople, as long as you and they understand the differences from the start. First talk to your people about how you would like to help them become a sales professional. Get them to start thinking of themselves as salespeople or sales professionals. If they see themselves as a true salesperson, they’re also more inclined to act like one. As part of your efforts to build any sales team, have your people understand the following significant differences between a sales clerk and a sales professional:

  • A sales clerk thinks he is being interrupted by a customer.
  • A salesperson understands that the customer is the objective of the work and of the store.
  • The sales clerk concentrates on a variety of activities until it is interrupted.
  • The salesperson is looking for the next sale and determining how they can help the customer.
  • The sales clerk can be a genius at stocking and merchandising the store.
  • The salesperson is a genius at listening and understanding the customer’s needs and, more importantly, their “wants.”
  • The seller concentrates on the merchandise and what is there to sell.
  • The salesperson focuses on the customer and his needs.
  • The seller may be good at marketing a display of products.
  • The seller is good at talking and selling the products on display.
  • The salesperson answers customer questions to the best of his ability when asked.
  • The closer asks questions and tries to establish a human connection with the customer.
  • The sales clerk can ask if there is anything else.
  • The sales clerk can walk the customer into a part of the store and show him what else!
  • A salesperson may try to ask for the customer’s contact or email information.
  • The salesperson explains the benefits of being on the “exclusive” list of preferred customers.
  • The salesperson takes money from customers when they come to the register.
  • The closer determines when the customer has made his final purchase decision and is ready to close.
  • The sales clerk is usually paid just above minimum wage.
  • The seller earns more and must have incentives to sell more.

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