Cutting Edge Retail Sales and Training

March 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Cutting Edge Retail Sales and Training By Scott Michelsen, Senior Consultant, DMSRetail

“Cutting Edge Sales” is in and of itself a buzz phrase describing a competitive sales advantage that every retail sales associate is looking for, a bit like the fountain of youth. Like the fountain, though, “Cutting Edge Sales” is something that is more inside of oneself than something concrete to be found.

Retail sales persons and consumers have changed a great deal over the years but what makes a retail salesperson extraordinary really has not changed that much. It takes the same dedication to ones craft that has always been the mark of an expert.

Yes, the consumers are better informed. Information is more readily available and the internet has provided an outstanding research tool for all people with a need but people can still be gently persuaded.

The important thing for one to remember is that the things that worked for salespeople hundreds of years ago did just that. They worked. And they still can with the right approach and a little cutting edge retail sales training.

The change in the dynamics of making a sale today compared to yesteryear should be focused more on the retail sales associate’s delivery, not necessarily the content of their pitch. I like to use the analogy that we are delivering the same package, but we are using the newest, brightest and shiniest wrapping paper.

The outline of a sale has looked the same with little variation for eons:

  • Approaching the Customer (Greeting)
  • Identifying Needs
  • Presenting and Demonstrating Options
  • Trial Closing
  • Handling Objections
  • Closing
  • Sales Follow-Up

The reason this outline has stayed the same is because it has a proven record of success. How this outline is delivered by retail experts has to change to keep up with the times and that is the evolution of sales. When one understands that they can start to understand more about “Cutting Edge Sales.”

A retail salesperson today, more than ever, has to sell oneself. Consumers in general are a very skeptical lot, especially when they are spending money that is harder to come by. As a result, they purchase from those that they trust and they tend to trust those that they like.

Today, so much more time has to be spent on greeting a prospective client. So many average retail salespersons skip this step entirely, or even worse are rude. That is why they will always remain average salespeople. Even a mandatory and effective greeting like, “Hi and welcome to our store” falls flat if it is not warm, genuine and sincere. Here is where one becomes a human and not just a salesperson, therefore gaining trust and becoming more likeable. Remember the old quote, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Further, customers don’t want to be peppered with questions like they are undergoing a police interview. This rapport that you have now established makes for a free and easy qualifying stage and opens up your shopper to share their needs with you as well. Retail sales training consensus has always been, “A sale can not be made until the customers’ needs are met.”

Vocabulary is also a very key part to sales today. The lexicons of today vary greatly from the words of just a few years ago. It is more important than ever for retail sales associates and retail managers to continually build their vocabulary and be a wordsmith. This allows one to state exactly the points that need to be made without over talking and losing the customers attention and interest. Time is of the essence in today’s busy world.

It also helps to be “hip,” yet still formal and know more about the people with whom you are communicating. Thus, one can create the right vibe for comfortable buying which is very cutting edge.

Staying informed on the latest technology is one of the most critical parts of being “Cutting Edge.” Technical improvements over the years are too vast to list, but should all be put to good use for the expert retail sales associate.

Nothing is more important or more valuable today than real time information. Systems can provide very simple real time information and data that gives retail salespersons more tools with which to sell. Knowledge of inventory, sales tracking, delivery zoning and up to date pricing can better prepare retail sales associates to make a sale. This is a very powerful tool especially in this “Now generation” that we live in. Consumers don’t care to wait the extra 30 seconds to download an email joke. They certainly are not going to wait around long for information about a product or for the delivery of that product.

All of the instant information in the world is useless, however; unless one asks for the sale. The instant information is the shiny new wrapping paper, but asking for the sale is as old as the sales process itself.

The use of technology can also give a retail salesperson the ability to practice better customer retention and follow up by generating instant “Thank You” notes via email. Consider the impact of an instant email “Thank You” waiting for your customer when they arrive home from their shopping excursion or having them receive it on their Blackberry in the car on the way home.

It also allows customers to track “Frequent flyer miles” on line for future discounts and creates another outlet for prospecting. Researching the internet to better understand the competitions strengths and weaknesses is also a very effective practice of using current technology for retail sales training by “Cutting Edge” retail sales experts.

These are all tools that are mostly known to CEO’s and upper Retail Sales Management, but a better understanding of these tools can give a retail sales associate the upper hand needed to consummate a sale. It is another example of using instant information to utilize age old sales strategy and sales training, or an old package with new wrapping paper.

It is vital to commit to leading one’s retail field and staying ahead of the competition. The responsibility to stay atop of one’s profession is that of the retail sales associate alone, so don’t wait for management implementation. The most important concept a retail salesperson needs to embrace is that selling is life. As one evolves, learns and experiences life, they grow and improve, as it is in sales. The person that “Knows it all” can only start to degenerate, but the person who is hungry everyday for more knowledge and growth shall always stay a step ahead of the rest and on the cutting edge of sales.

You can reach Scott with your questions and/or comments at smichelsen@dmsretail.com


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Invest In Talent

March 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Top 5 reasons to invest in a Talent Management system, presented by SuccessFactors.com

In 2009, take an opportunity for your organisation to invest strategically in talent in order to make relative gains against your competition. Here are the top 5 reasons why NOW more than ever is the time to invest in a Talent Management system.

  1. Execute corporate strategy quickly in changing market dynamics - the key to affecting change and executing the company’s strategy is to create and track meaningful goals across and up and down the organisation enabling executives to be nimble in responding to adversity or market opportunity.
  2. Pay for performance and compensate more strategically – make your payroll go further by paying on individual performance and for critical roles that drive key business objectives.
  3. Retain your best performers – research shows top performers are 5 times more productive than the rest. Create a development roadmap for success to ensure they stick around.
  4. Cut costs by pruning wisely – identify and eliminate underperformers through more effective assessments and real-time analytics.
  5. Backfill key positions - discover potential talent gaps before they happen so you can take measures to develop bench strength for key positions. Having the right people in the right role at the right time creates highly responsive organisations that can thrive during adversity.

Also important:

  • Improve linkage between pay and performance
  • Develop next generation of leaders in the organisation
  • Improve employee/associate retention


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Retail Success Tips

March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment

22 Ways of Successful Retail Managers, presented by DMSretail.com, a Retail Consulting Company.

  1. Believes and practices exemplary Customer Service.
  2. Interviews with a purpose, hires for the cause and trains with a passion.
  3. Leads by example and presents as an admirable Role Model.
  4. Motivates and Coaches all day, every day.
  5. Manages his time, plans ahead and gears for success.
  6. Communicates well and often.
  7. Holds values like Honesty and Integrity as sacred; is above reproach.
  8. Is accessible, follows up and follows through with consistency.
  9. Manages performance when and where it happens.
  10. Mentors and develops people to promote from within.
  11. Manages with a praise and reward philosophy.
  12. Knows his customers and their needs.
  13. Manages Up, Sees the Bigger Picture, Has Influence.
  14. Shows Operational excellence.
  15. Always promotes growth and is forward thinking.
  16. Networks in and out of the workplace.
  17. Possesses an unparalleled energy, ambition and enthusiasm for his work.
  18. Develops a Flair for Visual Merchandising.
  19. Has a game plan for productive store visits.
  20. Works hard and gets results.
  21. Strives for Quality and Quantity.
  22. Excels in all areas of retail, takes action and is not afraid to get his hands dirty.


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Thought For The Day

March 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Three steps to achieving what you want or keep you resolutions:

1. Goal Setting
You maintain your direction by setting a goal. This is how you can see where you are heading. Goals can be long term or short term, and it can be revised but they are there to help you chart your course.

2. Motivation
Without motivation nothing can be accomplished. Keeping your goals firmly in mind, having the motivation to get there is how you can achieve your goals.

3. Time Management
Time will not stop, but you can allocate your time to operate effectively. Without time management, even the greatest plans will not be executed.


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Creative Thinking For Effective Management

March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

For years I have always written a short note in my management diary. It reads: Effective Management Depends On Creative Thinking.

When a bunch of university students interviewed me for a project they were doing, I had the opportunity to touch on my ideas for creative thinking in the management process. Creative thinking is not to be confused with creative management, which to me means little or nothing. Creative thinking is a means to breakthrough the barriers to your performance levels, it is how you motivate your people, and it is a tenet of leadership.

Recently, I came across this, written by Edward de Bono, in The Thinking Manager. “Everyone should seek to be creative, even though creativity is full of risks and uncertainties”. Edward de Bono is a leading creative thinker in management today, highly critical of  many management practices.

Creative think can work for us. He goes on to point four points of ignorance holding back the creative effort:

  1. Why should anyone seek to be creative? There is the risk of failure. There is the need to persuade others. There is a need for political skills. It is much better to sit quietly and do what you are supposed to do.
  2. If things are going well, who needs creativity? If things are going badly, then there is no time for the uncertainties of creativity.
  3. If you set out to be creative - and even if you use the powerful tools of lateral thinking - you cannot be sure of a result.
  4. There is a further problem. Every valuable creative idea we examine must always be logical in hindsight - otherwise it would have no value. So it is assumed, erroneously, that logic could have reached the idea in the first place. Not so.

Here is how to make creative thinking work. Confidence is a key factor in creative effort. Those who have succeeded in having creative ideas in the past are much more willing to make a creative effort. They know from experience that new ideas are possible. They have experienced the joy and achievement of having a new idea.

The problem is schools does not encourage creative thinking, and workplace does not expect it. Most people do what is expected of them. Creativity then is associated with mavericks, and yet all leading CEOs can be consider mavericks one way or the other. It is how they achieve new breakthroughs and how they continue to deliver performances in the face of adverse economic environment.

To get creativity into an organization you must make it an expectation. The effort to have ideas is key. If new ideas are an expectation, then people will make an effort to have new ideas. Their confidence will grow and eventually there will be a creative organization.


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