It never ceases to amaze me that companies spend many thousands, even tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to entice customers to walk through their front door only for them to be treated apathetically at best or with (almost) disdain at worst. In my observation this is a frequent occurrence in industries and businesses where staff are customer facing.
Let me share an example from the last two weeks. I’m sure you’ll relate – either as a potential customer who has been treated this way or as a business owner/manager in whose business this is happening.
Reina (my amazing wife) went into a local Southern Highlands store with a view to getting additional information and making a purchase once her questions had been answered to her satisfaction.
However, in the retail store concerned (no names so you focus on the lesson not on the business under scrutiny) the young lady in attendance was obviously not interested. You know the type; the one with their nose in their air, putting on airs and graces, looking down their nose at you condescendingly and who communicates in an unspoken manner that us “mere mortals” should consider ourselves “fortunate” enough to come into their presence, never mind be acknowledged. Okay, so perhaps I’m exaggerating a little, but you get the picture. Got it? I mean c’mon.
What sort of treatment is this to a prospective customer who contributes to paying the overhead and wages of the staff and the business owner? You might say, “It’s no wonder they have such a poor attitude and sales are down, since no one is buying.”
However, in reality no-one (or more accurately) fewer people are buying because even though they may be enticed into the store with some form of promotion, advertising or marketing, the lack of certain “things” results in the loss of sales.
Paul, “What ‘things’?” you ask.
Good question – and here is a list of some critical elements that must be present for the sales process to be optimised, that is, for you to capture the maximum number of sales that you can once a prospective customer has entered your business premises. (What you can and should do to get them to this point is a whole other discussion.)
1. SMILE and acknowledge the prospective customer. And please be more creative than the standard, “Can I help you?” This, in my view, is just not acceptable because it does little to set you and your company apart from all the other “order takers” in your locality.
2. Make eye contact if possible and with some genuine feeling make a non-threatening, short and inviting comment to the prospective customer.
3. Give them space to browse and yet be attentive to their needs and questions. Put the customer at ease. Avoid communicating verbally or by body language that “you’re there because they (the customer) need you. BIG MISTAKE. In reality you need each other.
4. Professionally engage with your prospective customer to ascertain their needs and desires so that you can better fulfil them. (Depending on the product or service you offer this can be a quick process of a few minutes or an extensive process over several meetings for higher value B2B or B2C transactions.
What’s higher value I hear you ask? This is subjective, depending on your market. But for consumers it will generally be things over $2000 and for B2B over $7000. LISTEN carefully and avoid trying to “shoehorn” the customer into a particular service or product because you have lots of that in inventory and you just want to move it.
5. Probe, question and use “trial closes” to test the customer’s readiness to complete the sale or at very least to flush out other objections that need to be dealt with before the sale can be successfully completed.
6. Do not display or vent concerning your personal or business challenges in front of, or within earshot of, prospective customers.
7. Answer the customer’s questions with the accurate assured knowledge of a professional. Not with weak, uninformed generalisations that only serve to communicate how little you know and worse, how little you care. If you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to say you don’t know as long as you find someone who can answer the question or make a commitment to finding out and proving the answers later on. NEVER go into “BS” mode and make it up.
8. Never put your need for a sale above the customer’s need for an appropriate solution.
9. Always remember that you and your staff are there to serve but this does not make you a servant (in the sense of being of lower class/position/self-worth or self-esteem). Indeed you have the distinct privilege of brightening someone’s day and helping them find a solution to a problem and in EXCHANGE being rewarded for doing so.
So, what happened, Paul, with the store that Reina went into?
Well, long story short, she did make an appointment, however based on the lack or courtesy and professionalism displayed by the attending staff member, Reina politely left the store after concluding the discussion and within 60 minutes had rung the business back and cancelled the appointment, due to “something coming up”.
What was the “something” that came up? Well, to be frank, in terms of the list of items given above, the store in question failed on all but two.
She then made an appointment with another service provider who BTW was 50 per cent more expensive than the first service provider who lost the sale.
So it’s not always about the price point – there are lots of other factors that come into play.
Questions for the business owner:
• Are you sure your business is operating optimally and that your staff are treating prospective customers as they should be treated?
• How many sales are you “losing” each day or week?
• What would it do for your GP Margin if you could successfully charge an additional 10%, never mind 50%, and have the customers pay you with a big smile on their dials?
STOP PRESS: Launch of new service – advance notice starting 1 June 2010
Given what we have seen all across Australia, and throughout our travels in the USA and elsewhere, The Right Team will be launching a new service to business owners.
This service will focus on providing advice and assistance on:
• Business premises: Look and feel, aesthetics, visual merchandising and “customer friendly” use of the available space.
• Extraordinary Customer Service: With a review of your existing staff practices and how you can lift your game to a whole other level.
• Personal Image: With a review of existing management and staff image (including grooming and appearance) and what can be done to change it for the better where needed.
To find out more about how this service can help you or to make a booking for a consultation please ring our office on (within Australia) 1300 66 44 89 or (international callers) +61 2 4862 5015.
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