Retail Selling Thread

myers1984

Hello everyone.
I thought i would start a thread for all retail selling queries.
I myself work in retail sales and have to hit kpi's and what not.

On ebay last night i purchased:

Retail Selling Made Easy by Ron Martin (1996)
Selling Retail by John F. Lawhon

and i am going to contact the australian distributor today for:
"No Thanks, I’m Just Looking!" - Harry Friedman

I will let you all know what they are like when i receive them.

I myself have a few questions you may be able to help me out with.

1 - when gathering your customers information on what they are after in a phone most say oh nothing really, then i give them a choice are you after a phone with a good camera or more so built in gps, and they give me an answer, what is a good way to go from there, to closing the sale, should i already have them sitting down testing the phone ?

2 - How do i get the customer to sit down and have a look at the phone without actually asking, do i move over to the chair and say il show you the phone that way they usually wont say know.

3 - I am guessing once they have the phone in there hand should i go over again with them what they were after, from there what is the best way to go into a close ( which is usually just got to grab your drivers license and sight a bank card and a medicare (health care card )

4 - How would be the best way to ask for extended warranty which is $39 today but covers you for 2 years instead of one? and should it be asked before the customer sits down.

5 - To get more connections out of a customer what are some better methods on asking for a second or third connect? should i say do you run a business, is there any family members who would like a new phone today ?

Thanks i hope its not too much, would like to see what you guys would think on my situation.
Cheers.

Skip Anderson

Myers, I'll be interested in getting your reactions on those books.
You asked great questions!

Asking what they are after in a phone is a good question IF the prospect knows what his options are and has an answer to your question. Here are some other good questions you may want to try:

- Who needs a new phone, you or someone else?
- How long have you had your current phone? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it?
- What features do you wish you had in your current phone?
- If there's one thing you could change about your current phone, what would it be?
- When does your current plan expire?
- How long have you had your phone? Are you thinking it's time to possibly get a new one? (if they say yes, ask "how come you want a new phone?")
- What questions do you have about mobile phones that you've always wanted to have answered?
- etc. There are dozens of them.

As for "how do you move to the close", you've got to clearly identify their needs and desires, then present solutions to those needs and desires in a way that draws the prospect in and magnifies their interest in your product, your company, and you. Then you ask for the sale. That's a super-simplified version, but that's the "one paragraph" version of how to sell.

Why not ask? "Ask for what you want" is one of my favorite concepts, both in selling and in life. However, if you are asking and it's not working, then perhaps either you haven't piqued their interest, or they don't like you, or you haven't found a phone that they're interested in yet.

As an alternative, you can simply tell them to "come on over here and sit down, I'll hand you the phone so you can try it out" or some such thing.

During your presentation, you should trial close the prospect throughout your presentation. "You mentioned you wanted to be able to access the internet. Here's how you access the internet on this phone (etc, etc, etc). Then, the trial close (or "tie-down"). "Do you think you'd enjoy using the internet feature on this particular phone?" If they say yes, then you're on the right track. If they say "no" or hesitate, then you may not have the right solution for them yet and you need to backtrack.

Close the sale on the phone and/or service first, then treat the extended warranty as an add-on sale (it's much easier to say yes to the "add-on" when the prospect has already said "yes" to the major purchase - the phone itself). (A)Tell the prospect the benefits of the extended warranty; (B) Give a personal testimony about why you recommend it and how it has benefited another customer; (C) Ask for the sale with a closed (yes or no) question.

I think you're asking about getting referrals, am I correct? (your terminology is different than what I am used to). If so, you could say, "I would be delighted if you would provide me with the and two or three people who might possibly need a cell phone. All I'll do is call them to see if they might be interested in speaking with me about what I have to offer." While you're saying that, you place a referral sheet (or card) in front of them and hand them a pen. Then be quiet.

I hope my suggestions are of some help to you. I think it's so fantastic that you're so interested in improving your selling skills.

Skip Anderson

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