Increasing Sales and Customer Satisfaction

Most of us have hobbies or skills that give us that "feel good" moment. Some do handcrafts, creative arts, cooking, gardening or reading. My "feel good" time is with a client in retail or wholesale product sales. I react to the pleasure a customer has when they realize (through gentle selling techniques) that they are benefiting from their purchase. Whether it's for a gift or their own use, I have learned to read their body language and respond accordingly.

Let's consider a couple of ways to achieve the goal of a sale. You are at the shop and a customer enters and walks around looking at your displays. Initiate a greeting to them and wait for a response. Some will connect immediately and some will say "just looking." Observe without being obvious. Walk within a few aisles and arrange and dust a display. When they pay extra attention to an item then it's time to re-engage them. An example could be that the item "is very good quality" or "that is the last of that sale item" etc. Sometimes people need guidance and then you can ask who it may be for, or is it for a special occasion, or does it need to be a certain color or size. Learning how to ask a few key questions in a conversational manner can make the difference between a customer making a suitable purchase or leaving empty handed.

In outside sales I have approached businesses to market personalized items like pens, hats, T-shirts, mugs and wood framed tiles. One client ordered some of these items and then spent an additional $325 on framed photo tile trivets. The personalized trivets were offered to them at a discount as a new client special. You need to know ahead of time how much a cut in price you can live with on discounting items. You will often end up with a very happy client who then becomes your free advertising tool. They love to talk about the great deal they just made!

One time I was really tested as a store manager in an upscale boutique. We had beautiful one-of-a-kind hand painted batik comforters and linens, among other lines. A very particular woman, after one hour of discussion, selected a king size comforter and shams. She took them home and everything seemed fine. One month later she returned while I was on duty and was furious. The yellow painted portion of the design on the comforter and shams had totally disappeared! I could not believe it but it was true. Holes everywhere the yellow paint had been! What to do? I accepted the merchandise back and told her I would call her within 24 hours with a solution. First, I had to make her happy. Second, I had to resolve the problem. Third, I had to make her a repeat customer for the shop. I found out that her bedroom window was a perfect conduit for the sun. It seems the yellow pigment and the hot sun do not make a happy combination. Curiously, the red didn't even fade! The heat literally ate the yellow fabric sections. Solution: she would choose another design without any yellow. Next, I discounted a sheet set that coordinated with the second comforter. We made even more of a sale! She became a believer and supporter of the shop and sent us 3 new customers.

In outside sales when going into a store I will observe all that I can before I greet anyone. Is it relatively clean and well displayed and nice to look at? This relates to pride of products and careful display work. Make that a possible opening comment. "It's so well designed and displayed" or "It's nice to come into a shop that feels and looks so good." Establish the pleasure of being in their shop. Get their business card by the register. Have yours with your flyer or brochure handy to give to the owner/manager/associate. If no decision maker is there then ask for the day and time the owner sees vendors.

Consider offering the shop owner geographic exclusivity on some products. This keeps any other stores within a mutually established radius from carrying the same products. The store needs to be a significant buyer of the products to warrant that exclusive agreement. Some owners value this idea and it establishes a great rapport between store personnel and the vendor.

Sell Happy!

Sheri Orloff grew up in the much-maligned San Fernando Valley before it became forever associated in people's minds with airhead "Vals." Since fleeing "The Valley" in the early eighties, she has been somewhat of a gypsy with stopovers in California, Hawaii, and Florida before settling on the southern Oregon coast. Since 2001 she has operated WicksWorks Candle Emporium, a successful online candle boutique. The following year she became an independent distributor of Mia Bella's Gourmet Candles and discovered a new passion for helping her network marketing business partners achieve the financial freedom and personal goals they desire.