RETAIL SKILLS

You strive for 100%, but if you've never heard a complaint about your business, you're just not listening. How you manage a complaint makes all the difference.

If you don't know a customer's name (or worse yet, have forgotten it) use these tips to do some detective work. It will be worth the effort.

There are countless sales people who know their product well and can provide good customer service, yet are too frightened to approach a customer. Whilst they might be intimidated by making the initial approach, they actually appear rude for not doing so. If a customer walks into your store and they aren't greeted with a friendly hello and an offer of help they usually assume the retail staff don't care about their business.

A sales pro will want to keep the conversation going so they can find out what it is that is stopping the customer from buying. Now, 9 times out of ten, it will be the money. But how do you get the conversation back on track so you can establish if it is indeed the price that is the sticking point?

This time-saving tip will help get customers onside from the outset. It's not what you know, it's how you apply that knowledge that gets results.

In retail, the way you greet a customer often sets the tone of the interaction. Hackneyed and lacklustre greetings like: "are you right there?", "how are you today?" or "can I help you?" are common place in retail, but in order to stand out and positively impact a customer you'll want to do a whole lot better than that.

It may mean you're popular, but a long queue is far from ideal. What can you do to ensure you're not turning people away before they've reached the register?

Do you know what kind of first impression your business is making on customers? Appearance matters if you're going to remain competitive. See why in this video.

If you're not present and watching what's happening on the sales floor, you risk losing customers very quickly, but not for the reason you'd expect.

Good credit in your finances is one thing. If you're in credit with your customers, they'll be more willing to do business with you as this video explains.

Telling a prospect about a product or service engages their ears - showing them engages all their senses. Rather than explaining this video, how about I show you?

We're not talking about stalking or invading a customer's privacy here. But what you overhear could mean more business for your organisation - so use it to your advantage!.

Exceeding expectations is a sure-fire way to get positive word of mouth marketing for your business. Set the wheels of change in motion and watch this video.

It's not what you say; it's how you say it. Your chances of making a connection without using these techniques are slim - so commit them to memory!

All the world is a stage; you need to put on the performance of a lifetime. Think outside the box and you'll smash box office records and have legions of adoring fans.

In retail, your biggest advantage is your team. After all, people love dealing with people. However, the bond between you and your customer is only strengthened by personality. Canned lines and inauthentic pleasantries do nothing to strengthen the bond. If you want to instantly create rapport that leads to a relaxed and engaging experience, be authentic and present in the moment.

Is there something stopping you from really connecting with your customers? We're willing to bet there is and you just don't know it yet! Discover how to use your retail space differently in this episode.

You should know more about your products and services than the customer, so look for every opportunity to share that knowledge and steer your customer in the right direction.

Repeat customers expect to be treated a little differently to first time customers. When you recognise a repeat customer, think back to their previous visits and impress them with your recall.

There is a difference between a feature and a benefit. Next time you're tempted to reel off a feature, stop and focus on the benefit your prospect will gain from that feature.

We're not talking about the one next to the index, but it might as well be if you regularly break this rule of first class service. Find out why it's rude to point and click play.

A common objection, right? Absolutely, and it's a good one to get because your customer has just identified a primary stumbling block! The Price! Now that the price objection is out in the open you can address it and move closer to a sale. Without addressing this objection, there is no way to close a sale.

It's human nature for customers to raise objections. How you respond to these objections though, will determine how successful you are as a sales person. There are many ways to address customer objections, one tried and tested technique is the "Feel, Felt, Found" approach.

It's standard practice in many businesses to increase the spend per customer. When done right, you'll actually be doing your clients a favour!

Upselling is easy because you're dealing with prospects who have already committed to buying. So much of the hard work has already been done. You've overcome their trust issues, their guard is down, they have their wallets out and they are ready to spend, so all in all, there's minimal resistance to your suggestions.

You wouldn't ask someone to marry you before you developed a relationship and the same applies in sales. Of course, developing a relationship might take a minute, it could take years, but only when the customer trusts us should we even consider asking for the business.

Customers will notice when you pay attention to the little things and they’ll notice when you don’t! Leaving an exceptional impression requires an exceptional level of attention to detail.

While no customer would ever expect you to know everything, they do expect you to take control of the sales process and find someone who can help if you can’t.

Congratulations, you've made it through to the end. All that remains is to answer the questions, hit send and put these strategies into play. Thanks for watching.