Retail Details: Selling Smarter
by Doug FleenerThe sales floor
• People don’t have to like you, but they do have to want to work for you. If you really want to be successful, you want your staff to love working for you. For a manager, being respected and appreciated is far more important than being liked. I’ve met many store managers who were liked by their staff, but not respected or appreciated. Conversely, it’s rare to meet a store manager who is respected and appreciated and not also liked by his/her staff. What’s the difference? The manager who needs to be liked is self-centered. The manager who wants the staff to love their jobs and be successful is humble.
• Whenever you come out on to the floor and the store is busy, do not approach staff members and ask if the customers have been helped. The best thing you can do when you come out onto the floor is to ask a staff member whom you can help. A colleague once told me that the most obnoxious thing a store manager can do is to walk out onto the floor and just take charge.
• Ask your staff for honest feedback. For years I wasn’t secure enough as a store manager to ask my staff for feedback to help me improve and develop as a manager. I was the boss of the store and no one was going to coach me! Until the day my assistant said, “Chief, we need to talk. The way that you were kidding around with Cheryl wasn’t good. It made her feel bad and she was almost in tears.” Of course I felt horrible. “I’ll apologize right away. I was just kidding and didn’t know it could hurt someone,” I said. Then my assistant said, ‘Well, Chief, it wasn’t the first time.’ Now I really felt terrible. I asked her, “Why didn’t you say something before?” She replied, “You didn’t ask and didn’t act like you wanted to hear feedback like that from me.” From that moment on, I knew that if I wanted to be a better manager, I needed to get feedback from people in the store.
A small question with a big result
Jim Meisenheimer is a sales consultant, and he has a question that would make a great topic at a staff meeting:
What's the one thing, starting today, that you could start doing, stop doing, or change that would have a dramatic impact on your customer relationships?
Things you could start. Start greeting every customer who comes in your store. Start smiling. Start being enthusiastic. Start approaching and engaging customers on the sales floor. Start gathering customers’ names and contact information for a database. Start looking for ways to sell more to your customers but suggesting complementary products. Start a weekly training program and stick to it. Start answering the phones cheerfully and properly. Start returning phone calls. Start a program whereby your staff visits other stores like yours. Start a newsletter. Start being grateful for the customers you have.
Things you could stop. Stop ignoring people. Stop complaining. Stop gossiping. Stop believing your way is the only way. Stop believing customers get in the way of your running your store. Stop being so cynical or bored. Stop doing nothing – today, do something!
Things you could change. Change some store policies, since some may have been in place for years without ever having been examined. Change your business plan for 2006’s realities. Change the look of your store – look for some new fixtures, since many cities have used fixture outlets where you can buy good quality fixtures without breaking the bank. Change your attitude about your staff. Change your attitude about your customers. Change your maintenance schedule so that your store is always in tip-top condition. Change your attitude about marketing. Change your displays. Change the traffic patterns in your store to show off new merchandise. Change you!
The welcome mat
Every customer who comes into your store should be welcomed. The best way to welcome a customer is very simple: say “Welcome.” What comes after that depends a little more on who the customer is, how many of them are together and other variables like whether they are carrying bags and their ages.
Here are some lines you can use on the customer after you welcome them:
“Is this your first time in the store?”
I like to know this information because my response is based on the answer. If they say “no,” then I give them the 10- or 15-second speech on what makes this store different. If they say “yes,” then I welcome them back and tell them I appreciate their return visit. I might also ask them if they have purchased from us and if so, what they bought.
“Looks like you’re enjoying your day. Finding any great sales?”
This, or a version of it, works when someone is carrying a large number of shopping bags. We love customers carrying shopping bags.
“You kids enjoying yourself?”
Obviously, you don’t use this on two adults walking in the store unless you’re really, really old. It is a good line for children. Don’t be offended, though, when the response is either “no” or no answer at all. You can then offer them something to do to get them excited about being in the store as well as freeing up the parent(s) to shop. You do have something for youngsters to do in the store, don’t you?
Here are some things you should not say when a customer enters the store:
“Can I help you?”
I always want to reply, “Well, the prison psychiatrist didn’t have any luck, but let’s give it a try.” Everyone says this, so why should someone in your store add his voice to the chorus? I would almost consider it grounds for dismissal.
“How’s it going?”
Whenever I’m asked this by a retail employee I want to say, “Fine. Just like it was when four other retail associates asked me the same question today.” This line is so unoriginal and overused it should be outlawed.
“Can I answer any questions?”
“Sure.” I respond. “Why is there Braille on a drive-up ATM machine?” This one is probably more overused than “How’s it going?” Kill it!
“What’s up, guys?”
I’ll never forget the time that I saw a Bose store employee say that to a couple, neither of whom could have been under 85 years old. I found it offensive. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but unless you’re addressing two or more men (and they’re considerably younger than 85), I don’t think “guys” is the right word. And if we’re going to wait on them, why do we need to know what is up anyway?
“Do you really think a 55-year-old woman should be wearing that outfit?”
Only say this if you want to draw unemployment for a while.
Signs your store may not be maximizing its opportunities:
1. You have not had an all-store meeting in the last 30 days.
2. In the last 60 days you’ve opened the store late or closed it early for reasons other than inventory.
3. You haven’t received at least one or two letters or e-mails from customers praising the awesome service they received.
4. You didn’t run a contest last month.
5. You don’t follow-up with customers who have made a large purchase.
6. When customers leave the store, you don’t thank them for coming in and invite them to return again.
7. You eat or drink on the sales floor.
8. You chew gum on the sales floor.
9. There hasn’t been any new product training done in the last 60 days.
10. You believe customers want to be left alone.
11. You don’t know how much your average ticket is.
12. You don’t have some type of regular communication with your customers.
13. You aren’t on first-name basis with your Chamber of Commerce director.
14. You haven’t attended chamber meeting in the last 60 days.
15. You haven’t visited a competitor’s store in 2006.
Doug Fleener is a veteran retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. Doug is now president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a Lexington retail consulting firm. He can be reached at doug@dynamicexperiencesgroup.com.
Doug Fleener Doug Fleener is a veteran retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. Doug is now president and managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, a Lexington retail consulting firm. 
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