Get Ready for the Sillier Season!
And it’s not just Xmas of course, it’s almost sales season!
With shoppers coming out in force, your team has an opportunity to smash sales and win the hearts and minds of an even bigger customer base….
That is, if they’re ready and know how to make the most of this shopping season. As sales leaders, it’s our responsibility to model behaviour, arm our teams with the right tools and create an environment that fosters a culture of service.
Sometimes the behaviours to model are simple:
ONE: Punctuality is a small thing that makes a big difference to the way a store feels because it speaks to the respect the team has for one another.
Setting an expectation arriving 15 minutes prior to starting and returning from breaks with 5 minutes to spare allows everyone to have their breaks on time and that the store has coverage when it needs it the most.
Punctuality fosters trust in a team – an intangible that is felt more than seen by customers. As leaders, we can’t ask our teams to do what we’re not prepared to do ourselves. Show the way.
TWO: Bring your A Game
Make stepping over the threshold of the front door anchor your team’s “game face”.
We have 2 sets of customers to think of: our team members, and those who come into our stores to buy from us. How can you serve your team members so they’re excited to give their best to their customers? Don’t underestimate the power of catching them doing things right, of gamifying service and keeping them energized and hydrated as ways to support them to give customers more.
THREE: Presence
Listen with an open heart- to your team members and to your customers. You show up differently and you hear them in a deeper way. All it requires is your ability to visualize your heart radiating straight to the other person’s. Think this is a bit too woo woo? Try it first. Notice the difference in you and in the other person’s response towards you. (and let me know)
Arm your sales team with the ability to:
ONE: Make customers feel welcome
Smile. Greet customers in a way that makes them feel comfortable and relaxed:
“lovely to see you again!”
“Come in and take some time to relax”
“How’s it all going out there?”
“What bargains have you found so far?”
“How was your Xmas?”
“What’s the parking like?”
TWO: Uncover their needs
“Let me show you what we’ve recently added to our sale items…”
“I can see you’ve been busy (product) shopping…what did you get?…”
“What brings you in today?”
“It’s a great time to stock up on (x)…let me show you what I think you may like…”
THREE: Encourage customers to return
If you have a POS that enables you to capture customers’ contact information, make sure your team makes it a standard to ask and capture this EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Let customers know when your next season stock starts coming in and invite them back in.
Use their names: make your invitation to come back in personal. Invite them to come back and see you.
Business matters and people are our business. That’s what matters most.
Be kind, be generous, be present, and I’ll see you in 2020 lovely people.