What do you do when the market is shrinking?
Sell more to the customers you still have.
That is the problem our store is facing. The toy industry has been in decline for the past several years. Our local population hasn’t fared any better. Our county lost 2.5% of its people since the 2010 census.
The only way we are going to grow in our shrinking market is to capture a bigger slice of the pie. The easiest way to do that is sell more to the customers walking through the door. Since this is retail, not rocket science (rocket science is much easier because you can actually solve for the variables), I have been breaking down the process for my staff one step, one month at a time.
Here is what we have covered so far.
February – Be Accessible.
We talked about what it takes to make us look and be more accessible in a customer’s eye such as not standing in groups larger than two, looking busy (carrying a clipboard), being in the right place at the right time (we plotted a walking course through the store and discussed the main “questioning locations” where customers would be looking for someone.) Sometimes the only thing holding a customer back from asking for help is not looking like we want to help.
March – Listen & Ask.
Not just wait for your turn to talk, but actually listen to the customer. Repeat back to her what she just said. By repeating it back, first you have to listen more closely. Second, you get clarification that you heard what she said. Third, you get a moment to think about your answer – or better yet, the next question you need to ask. Asking the right questions is vital to solving the problem the customer is facing. Often the initial request is simply her own limited thoughts on how to solve the problem. When you can uncover the root of the problem, then you can find the best solution.
April – Empathize.
Empathy is an interesting trait. Empathy is sharing another person’s feelings. Sympathy is recognizing another person’s feelings. The two are different. One brings you closer, one pushes you away. If you have truly listened to the customer and asked the right questions, the emotions behind the purchase are bound to show. When you can empathize with that person, share in the feelings behind the purchase, then you can build the trust necessary to make the sale.
May – Persuade.
There is a science behind persuasion. Tim Miles shared a video with Jeff Sexton who shared it with me. I shared it with my staff. We realized we were already using several of the techniques including Reciprocity, Authority, Liking and Consensus. We are working on Scarcity (although I hate to sell on fear) and Consistency.
The results?
Year-to-date our average ticket has grown by 8.9%. More importantly, our customer counts are holding steady, too. More trust. More delight. More sales. More customers. Yeah, just the way it is supposed to work.
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