How to combat "Just Looking"

Skip Anderson

Thanks for your response, ScotS.

My concern about "Is there anything particular you are looking for?" is as follows:

1. This question is overused so has been rendered substantially ineffective. Virtually everyone shopping in a retail store is looking for something "in particular", but the challenge is that they don't trust us (sales people) enough to tell us about it;

and

2. It's a closed question. Closed questions can be fatal when trying to foster conversation. It's just too easy for the prospect to say "no," and if that happens, you've lost your best opportunity for engagement.

In my experience, the best generic opening question for a retail sales scenario is, "What brings you in today?" When used after some initial sincere rapport-building chit-chat, this is--in my opinion--every retail salesperson's best opportunity for engaging their prospects when a generic opening question is called for.

The best to you!

__________________
Skip Anderson
Selling To Consumers | Sales Training to Sell More™
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ScotS

You are 100% correct. I wrote my questions wrong. Don't how I wrote a closed ended question...

I like your "what brings you in today" question. Very non-confrontational yet can yeild great answers.

Thanks for straightening me out Skip!

MrCharisma

This is a smoke screen I see in my business all too well. I'm situated in a retail environment surrounded by four televisions with live feeds and a wealth of information and choices for a customer.

Often enough they will be helpful but the common ground between a helpful contact and a "just looking" is that they are needing something... what, well that's our job to figure out.

I've found my own tactic is to approach (as we all do) and greet. "How are you" or "What were you after" are the open kinds of questions I like to ask.

If they do throw up the smoke screen, I happily step back a moment, let them continue what they are doing and observe. I think 80% of a salesmen's job is listening. When an opportunity is presented, I'll use a follow up question. "Do you have a question about ____", "Do you know what you're looking for".

All you can do is offer a carrot to a horse and hope it bites. If it doesn't, I know they were a customer worth my time because they aren't in a buying state (or even close) nor am I convinced they want to buy my product. Your situation is a little different because you're in a saturated market and most or all people have phones.

Perhaps sell yourself more then you sell the phone? Sounds crazy but you can get a phone anywhere, you need to give them a reason to get it from you.

JacquesWerth

When you go into combat you should have mighty weapons, great strength, good intelligence and a killer instinct. Selling is Not War.

Selling much more closely resembles playing poker.
The first rule of poker professionals is:
"Only bet the high probability hands." That means you have to know how to recognize a hand that has a good probability of winning. It also means not trying to maximize every opportunity.

The second rule of poker is:
"If you don't improve a hand, fold it." That means that you should spend your time and resources where you will get the best total return on investment.

Pros win and amateurs talk about how to win as if they actually do.

Except in Texas Holdem poker, real pros seldom bluff.

Skip Anderson

Your post contradicts itself and therefore doesn't make sense.

So which is it: Does "sales closely resemble poker" (where pros often bluff) or does sales not resemble poker because "real pros seldom bluff"?

By the way, why are all of your posts are always in all bold? Just curious. Perhaps you'd like to read...

"Designers will tell you that too much bold text or italic text is worse than none at all. Emphasize everything and you emphasize nothing..." at http://www.blinn.com/philosophy/Philosophy018.html

The best to you!

JacquesWerth

You're right, the way I wrote the poker analogy is confusing.

I have never seen an analogy that works perfectly. However, the game theory of 7-card stud is very similar to the sales strategy of most top sales producers.

I thought it important to point out that pros seldom bluff in that game. The strategy of only betting the high probability hands, and folding hands that don't improve, pretty much negates the need to bluff.

Note: I did not post the above in bold print. Which did you read first?

CourageCrafter

We've done a lot of retail training over the years & suggest a very quick 3 step process for this...
1) Respond positively - always say terrific! great! rahter than reacting with disappointment
2) Ask a non-threatening question to keep them engaged
3) Provide a 20 second edumercial - what should the customer kow to make shopping easier/better/more fun?
This whole process is fast, and should wind up with the customer trusting you and then sharing what they are truly looking for. Since you know - they know and just don't want to tell you!

steve(notts)

From a wannabe salesman and currently just a member of the public I often say "just looking". The times I dont is when someone comes up and pre-empts me by saying "hi, are you looking for something specific or just looking at the moment" Then follows it up with - "let me know if I can help" and walks a short distance away.

Maybe its not pushy enough to get as many sales I dont know but from a personal point of view it relaxes me and I am more likely to go and talk to the salesman after I have looked around.

waynelong

I think this is right on target. Once you've established that you are not going to push I think you can offer some product knowledge like " I noticed you are looking at xxx - did you know it would do xxx". You establish yourself as knowledgeable so that when they are ready - they will come to the expert - you.

waynelong

You do have to have some product knowledge before this will work. Concentrate on getting the product knowledge because this will give you confidence and the ability to draw clients to you.