On Sales Strategies: It’s All About You

A salesperson is a store’s No. 1 asset

BY SHANE DECKER

Published in the May 2013 issue.

In any sales presentation, there are always three things sold: The salesperson, the store and the product. As important as the store and the product are, your success as a salesperson starts and ends with you.

To all the salespeople reading this: You are your company’s No. 1 asset. When clients don’t come back to the store, it’s usually because of a problem with the salesperson. The most important thing we do is give clients an experience they cannot get elsewhere, and the critical ingredient is the relationship you build with them.

That relationship starts in the first five seconds when you give the client three things: A greeting, a smile and acknowledgement. A client will decide in the first 30 seconds whether they will give you their money. They judge us very quickly. Unfortunately, too many clients walk through the door and back out without ever even being acknowledged. Many times, I have opened the door to a business, spun around and walked right back out. It’s not about the merchandise, the lighting or the interior design — it’s how the sales team made me feel when I walked in. A lot of beautiful high-end stores have snooty sales staff. If you’ve got a bad attitude about selling — or about selling to certain types of clients — why don’t you quit and keep your attitude at home so your family can enjoy it?

After an enthusiastic greeting, your next requirement is self-confidence. Know everything about your product, including gemological and brand details, be able to handle objections with speed and accuracy, and know how to close, add on and wow clients. Your self-confidence goes a long way toward providing the client with self-confidence, and that comes from reassuring him that it’s OK to spend his money with you.

That means you have to ask the proper questions and really listen to the client’s answers. And remember: The merchandise can’t give the client an experience until you get it in his hand. Too many clients have nothing in their hands the entire time they’re in the store — especially watch battery clients, who stand around doing nothing.

Next, your professionalism is what builds trust with clients. If you’ve been selling for a long time in the same location and have waited on a lot of clients, and few of them ask for you when they come back, something is wrong. Maybe they think you’re too aggressive or they don’t trust you.

To avoid that impression, always sell with integrity. Professional attire is also important — shined shoes, no skin showing, and manicured nails. I feel our industry has gotten really sloppy in this area. As a professional, you have to do the proper follow up, including thank-you cards, texts or email, whichever your client prefers.

Finally, and most important, you have to bring passion and synergy to the workplace every day. Passion is a love you have for something that is so strong and intense that the client can feel it. Synergy is enthusiasm, leadership and being a motivator. This attitude is transferable from you to the client.

So rather than, “Oh brother, here comes a battery client. You handle him,” it should be an honor to wait on everyone. When your fellow salesperson is struggling with a sale, step up, be a leader and help him. And don’t be a customer pig! When clients see this happen, it makes for a very uncomfortable buying experience (if they do buy).

What are you bringing to the sales floor? There are 8 million unemployed people who would love to have your job. You have the opportunity to give each client an experience they’ll remember and talk about for a long time to come. So be awesome and have fun!

If you’ve got a bad attitude about selling to certain types of customers, why don’t you quit and let your family enjoy your attitude?