Have you ever seen a customer in your store walking around and contemplating their choices, only to end up leaving empty handed? A lot of thoughts will probably be going through your head at this point. Do my products just suck? Was I trying too hard to make a sale? Were just they window shopping? There are techniques you can use to increase your chances of making a sale.
Let’s face it, there could be a variety of different reasons as to why you couldn’t make the sale, but there are ways to increase the chances of you successfully selling something. In this little guide, we’ll be going through a couple of different ways on how you can drastically improve both your customer retention rate and sales rate.
Put on a smile
When you run a store, you need to make people feel like they’re welcome. You need to give them a reason to come back in the future and you need to ease them into making a sale. When they come into your store, greet them politely and offer them some assistance. Don’t be overbearing, however, because the last thing you want is to scare them off and make them feel like you’re watching their every move. Take it easy, be polite, and speak in a gentle tone. When they ask for help, don’t sell a product to them like a tacky salesman—just be yourself and give them advice.
Offer an online alternative
People can be very busy. Between juggling their family, friends and their work, a lot of people really don’t have the time to browse a store and walk around for half an hour trying to make a decision. As a result, they’ll look at stores online, place an order, then either get it delivered to their doorstep or come and collect it. This is why you should invest in enablement services for your sales team. Give your customers the option of browsing your stock on the internet so they know what they’re buying before they come into the store. Using the internet also opens you up to a world of new possibilities, such as social media promotions, store listings on Google’s business directory, and even online advertising.
Multiple payment methods
The age of carrying cash is slowly fading away. Many people just carry bank cards because it’s more convenient, it’s safer, and there’s less chance you’ll run into serious consequences if someone steals your wallet or you lose it. Adding card payment options to your store isn’t difficult and it can be relatively inexpensive. By offering customers a choice of different payment methods, you open up more possibilities and you won’t encounter customers that have to turn down your store because you don’t accept their preferred payment method. Remember that the customer is always right and you have to do your best to match their needs.
Don’t stock too many products
If people walk around in your store for a really long time, then it might be because you have too much choice in your store. This is unavoidable if you operate something like a bookstore or a music store, but it is avoidable if your store is based on technology. Instead of offering every single iPhone model you can get your hands on, offer them just the latest one. Instead of placing 20 different toasters on the shelf, put just one or two that fit in different price categories. The less choice your customers have, the less time they spend comparing.