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Stay Calm, Sell More:
Six Strategies for
Turning Holiday Stress into Sales Success!
by Richard Fenton and Andrea
Waltz
For many retailers, the six-week
period from Thanksgiving to New Year's can make or break the
year, and if your business is running temporary holiday
locations, it is your year. More than any other time it is
imperative that you (and your people) are prepared to make the
most of every customer interaction. Believe it or not, it is
possible to maintain a sane holiday working environment while
maximizing sales performance and making sure your customers
are still smiling all the way home.
Here are six proven
ways to get up, stay calm, and capture your share of those
precious holiday dollars.
1.Greet Everyone,
Even If You Can't "Approach"
Research shows
that customers, if not greeted within 2-3 minutes, will
usually give up and leave. But when greeted (we're not talking
about actually being approached by a salesperson, but just
having someone acknowledge their presence by saying "hello")
the typical customer will wait, amazingly, up to ten minutes
for a salesperson to become available to take care of
them.
Think about the last time you went to your favorite
restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night. You walk in and see
twenty to thirty people waiting to be seated, let out a deep
breath and turn to leave, but suddenly the hostess (clipboard
in hand) appears. "Hi!" she says with a smile, "how many in
your party?" "Uh, two," you stammer. And forty-five minutes
later you finally get seated. Make no mistake... you went
there for the food, but you stayed because someone
acknowledged you before you could change your mind and bail
out. If no one had said hello in that first 30 seconds you
might have hit the road in search of another eatery.
Just
think how easy it is for your customers to "hit the road" in a
mall with two hundred shopping options mere yards
away.
2.Don't Shorten Your
Sales Presentation.
You've spent countless
hours learning the key features, benefits and power phrases
that turn people on to what you have to sell. Whatever you do,
don't start altering or shortening the way you present product
to your customer now. If you do, you'll find yourself rushing
from customer to customer, giving each a half-hearted
presentation which often times results in nothing from any of
them. We know what you're thinking, of course: If I do my
complete sales pitch with a customer, there will be other
customers I won't get to at all, right? So, what's the answer?
One solution is to engage in the technique of group
selling. For example, when one customer asks a question, give
your answer loud enough that all customers shopping within a
ten-foot radius will be able to hear you. In other words, a
group sales presentation. Customers love to eves-drop because
there is no direct pressure on them individually.
3.When It Starts to
Get Crazy, "Act" Calm.
Would it be fair to
say that during the holiday season customers are often
hurried, frazzled, and sometimes even a bit crazy? Within a
few hours you're acting crazy, too. But, of course, if you
appear rushed and out of control, you'll make the customer
even more anxious, and the more anxious they are... well, you
get the idea. Once this negative chain reaction has been
started it just seems to escalate.
There is only one
answer... if the customer is acting crazy and frazzled, you
have to be the one to break the cycle. Easier said than done,
right? Wrong! Actually, the exact opposite is true: It's
easier done than said!
When it starts to get a bit crazy on
the sales floor, try this: Act like you're calm and
controlled, even if you aren't, for just one minute. Sixty
seconds. If you can force yourself to pretend that you're
relaxed for a single minute you'll find that an amazing thing
will happen. You'll actually feel calmer and more in
control.
An up-tight salesperson makes for an uptight
customer. It's entirely up to you to break the cycle rather
than perpetuating it. Don't become part of the problem, be
part of the solution.
4.Have a Crowd
Control Plan
When you start to get mobbed and
totally outnumbered by customers, you must stop and take
control. We recommend simply making an announcement to
everyone whose shopping. Say something like, "Hi, everyone. I
know we are a little busier than usual, so here's what we're
going to do. Sue will be over in slacks, Tom will be in
sweaters, and I'll be at the cash register helping you get
your purchases rung up when you're ready. If you have any
questions, come see me."
You'll be amazed at how much
everyone (including your crew) will settle down once they feel
there is method to the madness. And, it doesn't matter what
system you use when you get slammed; it only matters that you
have a system, and that you inform your customers how to use
it.
5. Make Effective Use
of "Exit Points" and "Holding Patterns"
When
you go to the doctor's office you sign in, sit down, and wait.
But once they call you, where do you go? You go into another
room to... wait. But at least you feel like you're making
progress, right? Finally a nurse comes in and takes your blood
pressure, etc., and then she leaves. Then the doctor comes in
for several minutes, and then he leaves. By the time you're
finished you've been in the office for 30 minutes, but you
were only being assisted for perhaps a total of 5-7 minutes.
The majority of the time they were using what we call "exit
points" and putting you in what could be described as "holding
patterns."
It's the same in a busy store situation. Greet
customers, find out what they need and take them to that
section of the store, then exit and let them shop for a bit.
Then, immediately greet someone else and do the same thing.
Then go back to customer #1 and help them select merchandise
and make recommendations for accessories. While they are
looking, excuse yourself and help customer #2 make their
selection, but exit immediately if they're not ready. Greet
customer #3 and get them started, then go check on customer
#1.
Like a busy doctor, you cannot afford to let one
customer monopolize your time, but every customer wants to be
taken care of. It would be great if we could provide every
customer with our undivided attention every time they come in,
but success during the holidays (or for that matter any peak
selling period) requires that you divide your time fairly,
mastering the ability to use "exit points" and "holding
patterns."
6.When Customers Do Get Upset, Don't
Argue...Agree.
The key thing to remember when
the stress of the holiday shopping season starts to wear on
you is that no one has ever won an argument with a customer,
and you won't be the first. The best thing to do when a
customer gets upset with something is to agree, no matter how
big or how small the issue. Even if the reason you're getting
their wrath is not your fault, the only sure-fire strategy for
winning is to smile, nod, and say something like, "I
understand," or "I don't blame you, I'd be very upset if I had
been waiting for a half an hour, too."
This approach
removes the customer's power and reduces their anger rather
than fueling it, because not only are you not putting up a
fight... you're on their side! Nine times out of ten, by the
end of the sale, the customer will be thanking you up and down
for your terrific service simply because you cared to listen.
During the holiday season in particular the rule is, Win the
argument and you'll lose a customer.
Being in retail during
the holidays is like jumping into a fast moving river... you
pinch your nose and plunge in the day after Thanksgiving, and
somewhere around the first of the year you come up for air.
But if you learn to use the ideas we've presented, maybe
you'll be able to catch your breath, and sell more
merchandise, along the way!
For more
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