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Oh, the aggravation of it! You walk into a
store, ask the person at the check-out counter if the store carries a certain product, and
the answer is: "I have no idea." Or, just as aggravating, you ask where a
product is. The answer (after the employee looks up from the magazine he/she's reading):
"I'm not sure. I think it's somewhere back on aisle five, six or seven."
Employees who are this uninformed (and uninterested) about the store's merchandise can
turn off customers immediately, causing them to wander aimlessly through the aisles trying
to find what they need. Listed below describes five basic skills and traits that all
retail employees need so that your store will shine from the moment customers walk in.
1. BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORE'S LAYOUT
In addition to the absolute basics (using the register, etc.), employees should know
everything about the contents and location of merchandise throughout the store. When
someone walks in and asks for something, your employees should not only know where that
product is, but understand the price points of different brands and models.
2. ATTAIN BRAND AWARENESS
If your store specializes in certain types of merchandise (examples would be health foods
and vitamins, gourmet coffee's, hot prepared foods, or fountain drinks), your employees
should be mini-experts on all the details people need to know about purchasing and use of
the products. They just need to be informed enough to show customers that your store cares
about the merchandise it carries.
When you're looking for new employees, the ideal applicant understands your products
before being hired. This is optimal because it shows that they truly are interested in and
enjoy working with the merchandise you carry. In addition, this will help them sell the
products. If you can't locate knowledgeable applicants, at least make sure that you train
employees well during their first days and weeks on the job.
3. ACQUIRE PEOPLE SKILLS
Your employees should have above-average people skills. This means that they should be
adept at listening, understanding customer needs, and reading body language. Employees
should be mature enough to engage customers in conversation, when the customer wants to
talk. And employees should know when customers don't want to talk. Nothing turns customers
off more than a chatty cashier who talks all about his or her personal problems, or goes
on and on about topics irrelevant to the products carried by the store.
4. LEARN SALES TECHNIQUES
Your employees should understand basic sales techniques. Sales training can be given
either by a trained manager, through books, or through classes. Activities such as helping
a customer select merchandise, suggestively selling, overcoming objections, and closing the
sale are all important, even in a climate of low-pressure retail sales.
5. BE HIGHLY MOTIVATED
Perhaps more important than any of the previous points, your employees should be excited
about working at your store. Dull, uninspired employees hurt your store's image (and
sales) when lingering behind the counter rather than getting out and offering service to a
customer. Employee enthusiasm can't really be taught, but it can be encouraged. Don't
allow your staff to be too low-key or laid back. Show them how to work with customers, and
monitor them to make sure that they do. If even one of your employees continually pulls
back, just standing around rather than relating with customers, you'll discover that your
sales volume is less than it could be.
There may be situations, such as in a store with a high-income client base, when being
aloof is acceptable. A certain amount of finesse may have to be cultivated in order not to
put-off such customers. Proper selection and training of cashier personnel in such
instances is mandatory. But even in this situation, employees must be motivated enough to
jump right in when a customer is eager to know about products.
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