Editor’s Note: Trace Shelton: Turn ‘That Type’ Into ‘That Client’

Published

9 years ago

October 27, 2015

Trace Shelton

If they’re in your store, they want to buy, but each requires a different approach

This article originally appeared in the November 2015 edition of INSTORE.

The Just Looker, the Discount Demander, the Frazzled Franny … you’ll see them all over the next several weeks, along with every other stripe of client. And because the holiday selling season is so hectic, it’s easy to fall into bad habits or become impatient and even dismissive with difficult customers. Sometimes, you may hurry your presentation because your sales floor is busy and wind up underselling an Unassuming Millionaire or even a Sullen Scrooge who would have purchased several items for the folks on their Christmas list.

In other words, the time to prepare yourself and your team to deal with every possible customer who may walk through your doors is now.

To that end, we’ve polled our Brain Squad for their experiences with problematic clients and asked the experts how to make the most out of those sales. If you’ve ever wondered how to best deal with the Know It All who brings his Internet printouts with him, or the Desperado who shows up on Christmas Eve asking for that item his wife said she wanted six months ago (but which you sold three weeks ago), you’ll find those answers and more in our lead story.

But don’t just read it: Role-play it. Practice not just the lines but the can-do attitude that inspires and comforts even the most demanding customers. If you put in the time and training now, you’re less likely to become the Sorrowful Salesperson and more apt to transform into the Happy Holiday Hero by Dec. 25!

Wishing you the very best business,

Trace Shelton

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”