Shortly after graduating, I ended up
working in one of the most famous department store in London. Having no experience in B to C, it
was quite a challenge to work in this prestigious Shoe Gallery for a luxury
French brand. If most of my friends were saying “Selling is an easy job”, I was
not quite sure of what I was supposed to expect.
The first steps?
On the paper, it is quite obvious
but what about the reality? For my training, I had some guidelines provided by
the company regarding the product knowledge, the basis in selling shoes and
some from another company describing the 8 steps of selling as well as the
induction days. But to be honest, my job
began during the famous Boxing Day – first day of winter sales and it was more
jumping into the action rather than taking time to discover the steps one by
one. In the following description of these steps, I will use the experience I
have to illustrate the basics of selling. I mostly use example of selling shoes
since it is a good example of product hard to sell.
Appearance – What you wear is what represents
the brand
Most of the companies provide a
uniform as it was the case during my second experience for a high street shoe
company. It was composed of dark blue trouser and a white shirt. As for the
luxury brands they tend to adopt a colour to differentiate them from the other
brands. Just to give you some examples: Black for Chanel and Louis Vuitton,
Grey for Jimmy Choo and Brown for Gucci. Some accessories come up to complete
the uniform like a brooch with the Chanel Logo, a scarf for Gucci or even the
make-up which becomes a part of the uniform (Prada ask their staff to wear the
same lipstick). The grooming is the essential part of the strategy for some of
the brands but sometimes it is hard to define what amount of make-up or what
kind of hair cut suits a brand. Hollister and Gilly Hicks are a good example of
uniform that match the brand image. The members of staff have to wear the
surfing-like clothes sold by the brand and for the shoes some Vans or flip flop
even if it is minus 5. All jewellery is forbidden and the men must always be
completely shaved.
As for some brands that do not have
any uniform it is defined by the rules of the department store that ask the
staff to wear elegant dark blue or black clothes. From a sales person point of
view, it is sometimes hard to find practical clothes in which you are able to
move well (we have to serve the shoes and it happens we have to do the delivery
as well). The other question is how to reflect our own personality in our
appearance. If some brands allow their staff to keep some personalized details
such as small jewellery, hair cut or nail polish, other brands try to go toward
a total uniformity from head to toes. In my own experience, customers tends to
love some personalized details that prove that the person serving them has got
good tastes in fashion but the most important point is to keep a well
maintained grooming whatever the clothes or the style.
Greetings – “Hi there!” vs. “Good morning!”
This is another point that tends to
be more and more uniformed. Again it really depends on the brand and how their
members of staff are trained. How to greet? That is a good question and I
received most of my answers during the induction days. All depends on the type
of brand you are working for. You will never hear “Hi there” in a Louis Vuitton
but this is what you can hear going to H&M. Some stores are personalizing
their greetings to match their brand image. If you enter in a Hollister, you
might hear “Hi there, welcome to the pier!” This is to reflect the surfing
image of the brand. In luxury brands, it will be either a “Good morning/Good
afternoon” or “Hello”. What about the “Madam” word? In the induction days they
said that it is better to avoid using it. So stay simple in your greetings and
just do it with a smile. Don’t be offended if a customer does not reply they
might have been greeted a hundred times before arriving to your corner and not
have any energy left for another answer. What is important is that they feel
that you have acknowledged them.
Identifying needs – What is your customer
really looking for?
This is maybe one of the most
difficult parts of the selling process. It is hard to know when the customers
need you to interact with them. If you come to see them too early, they might
not have time to decide on what they really want. Give them two minutes to
browse the whole stock. One tip a colleague gave me is that we should not
disturb Asian customers in their browsing before they ask us to help them. But
during that time, you can see what product they pick-up, what colours they seem
to prefer, what type of heel if it is a shoe. You can even sometimes notice
that they have a fabric sample and it means at 80% that this is for a wedding
dress. In that case, when you have some clue of what they are looking for you
can easily begin the conversation with: “What type of heels are you looking
for?”, “What kind of event are you going to attend?” Asking open questions is
the first step in identifying needs but I must say that in reality the main
question asked by the sales persons is “Can I help you?” and it became such an
automatism that even if we change the question into “How can I help you?” the
customer will still answer “Just browsing” or “No thanks”. So the best strategy
is to prove that you paid enough attention in what they were doing during those
two minutes that you can identify what they were looking for: the heel, the
colour that matches their dress, the material they prefer. Look at their shoes
and their clothes so you can see what type of style they are used to wearing.
To find the perfect product for them, you must have good product knowledge and
general fashion knowledge.
In case you don’t have any product
that corresponds to what they are looking for, you can always direct the
customer towards other brands. Keep in mind that if the customer enjoys your
services even if they did not buy anything they might either come another time
or tell their friends how excellent was their experience in this corner.
Presenting the product – as if it was made of
diamonds
Presenting the product is not only
about talking; the way the shoes are presented to the customer is important as
well. I don’t know if you remember Cinderella but the way they are presenting
the glass shoes must be the same as you are presenting the shoes to the
customer. Hold them as if they were made of crystal and it will give to the
product all the importance it needs.
In some of the training I had, they
told us to tell the customer that the shoes have an ankle strap and a platform.
Let’s be honest, the customers are not that stupid to not see it by themselves.
What they expect you to deliver is an expert knowledge. With the development of
internet, fashion blogs and other online communities, customers have access to
unlimited fashion knowledge. It is harder and harder for the sales staff to be
a step ahead from that knowledge and find what they can add to make the
difference. If the customers see that you have less knowledge than them how can
they place their confidence in you to help them finding the best product? This
is where the brands really have to provide good product knowledge training
about how and where the products are made, where the materials are sourced… For
a shoe there are a lot of elements you can give to the customer to justify the
price: Is the shoe handmade? Is it in Spain,
Italy or France? What
type of leather? Calf’s or goat’s skin? What kind of reptile leather? How is
the shoe made? Why is the sizing so different in this brand? How can they take
care of the shoes after wearing them? Be honest and do not lie to them because
it will not help them. If you don’t have the answer explain that you will try
to find out the information by asking your colleagues or your manager. If they
don’t know the answer, try to keep in mind the question for the next product
training. These training are really important both for the brand and the staff
since the company can have a direct feedback regarding their products and the
staff can obtain more incentives to sell them.
The history and fame of the brand
represent sometimes more than 50% of the price. In that case, the customers are
not going to buy a simple product, they are going to buy a piece of luxury, of
history or the same shoes as their favourite celebrities. That’s again your job
to know all the story of the brand, who’s wearing them and what trend it goes
with? You might have sometimes this terrible question “Which one do you
prefer?” It can be a shoe in your favourite colour or on the contrary a pattern
that you dislike but the customer does not have the same taste as you. So here,
with all the diplomacy, try to be the advocate of both products. One can be an
easy-to-match colour while another one can be really flashy but this is a must
have for this season. It happened to me that a customer really insisted to know
my own opinion. I answered saying that I found one of the shape more suitable
to her style and she replied saying that she actually preferred the other one.
It can be sometimes tricky but you have to stay as objective as possible.
Handling Objections – Or how to transform a
“no” into a “yes”
In an ideal world with unlimited
money maybe you would not have to face any objections but except during the
sales fever, you might encounter a lot of them. Do not panic, you are a
customer too and you as well are sometimes not convinced by the product someone
is trying to sell you. A customer is rarely trying to make some objections to
bother you (it happens but fortunately not often). So try to find where the real problem is
beneath their objections. “The shoes are not comfortable” do not take that as a
reproach but some really expensive shoes are effectively not comfortable and
really cut the feet. In that case, offer another alternative. Don’t force
people to buy a shoe that will stay in their dressing just because they can’t
walk more than three meters with them. I always take the shoes as an example
because it is one of the products that must fit perfectly our body (along with
the underwear). Thanks to your amazing product knowledge (and the fact that
discretely you tried on the shoes even if it is forbidden by the store rules)
you know that the patent is sometimes harder than calf skin or suede leather.
Offering the shoes in another material can be a good alternative.
“I don’t like it on my feet” a shoe
on the shelves is not always beautiful on our feet and knowing how different
are the feet from a person to another, it will be again with our knowledge and
experience that we can guide a customer toward a shoe more appropriate to the
shape of their feet. Always try to ask more questions about the objection the
customer made so you can identify the problem and see what shoes would be the
best for them.
In my first experience, the simple
design of the shoes was contrasting with the high price, therefore the
objection I heard the most was “It is too expensive.” In that case this is
again your product knowledge that can save you, adding that this is not a
simple shoe since there is a lot of craftsmanship in it and a long history to
it.
One of the main objections I had
from Asian customers was “This shoe has been tried on, I want a new pair”. If
you have a new pair, the problem is solved but if not what you can offer is to
clean the shoes for them using a brush and a rubber. Some customers might try
to have a discount just because the shoe was on display but you should give
them a discount only if there is a fault on the product.
There are as many objections as
various customers and it depends on what you know about the product. A method
that I learned at the university that can help you when a customer stays on its
position is to answer “You are right saying that and…” then you give an
incentive regarding the product. Never say “but” or any negative adverbs. Stay
positive and do not forget that there is no point in pushing for the sale. If
you cannot find the product that fits the customer, direct them towards another
brand you know well.
Closing the sales – slowly but surely
It is almost the end but it does not
mean you have to push the customer to say yes as fast as possible. Some of my
customers spend 15 to 20 minutes hesitating between two pair of shoes (never
push an Asian customer to choose fast between two product there is no need to
push them, they like to take their time), just stay available and as soon as
they have made up their mind, you are ready to bring them to the till. Other
customers are sometimes lost in their choice. They tried on too many shoes and
do not know which one they preferred. Help them to narrow their choices down by
asking if they decided to put aside some of the styles. Put them back in their
boxes (you don’t have necessarily to place them back in the stockroom, maybe
the customer will ask to see them again). If they are sure they want one
product, offer them to place the shoes at the till so they can concentrate on
the product they are hesitating on. You can summarize the needs the customer
expressed and associate them with the benefits of the products. For example, if
the customer needs a shoe to walk everyday but with a bit of a heel, show the
style with a lower and stable heel highlighting the comfort of these shoes.
Then take a step back and give them some space to think about what they really need.
Do not be all the time on their back asking “have you decided?” they will just
walk away or they might take only one pair instead of two if you would have
give them more time. Just try to be patient. If you have done your job
correctly everything will work out well.
Farewell – This is not just a goodbye
This time you are at the till and
your customer is sure about its decision. Some of the customers are really in a
hurry and do not want to lose time at the till. Do your job fast but with
efficiency. Others want to talk a last time about their purchases. They want to
be reassured about their choice even up to the last moment before paying. Take
your time to answer to all of their questions. Wrap well the shoes if they need
to place them in their luggage, direct them to the customer service for the Tax
Refund or to another brand they are looking for. It is really important to know
well the place where you work. You must know which brands are sold in the store
and where they are. It is not always easy when you are working in a big
department store where everything is relocated into another place everyday but
try to know the main things such as the escalators, the parking entrance, the
customer service or the closest restaurant. The department store I work for
published every week a special newspaper for the employees talking about the
main events and the new brands arriving in store. It is a good source of
information and you can really make the difference in the service you are
delivering when you tell the customer that this restaurant serves a
French/Indian fusion food and that you know who the Chef is. The last point is
to walk around the till and hand the bag directly to the customer. You are
closer to the customer to thank them and walk with them towards the exit of the
corner.
Additional Products and Services – What will
make the difference?
The “Farewell” part is as well a
time where you can advance a lot of additional product and services. It can be
selling shoe care products, insoles or other accessories. But most of the time
it is when you talk about the mailing list they can register on. For example,
in the department store I worked for, they try encouraging customers to
register on their mailing list by offering them to participate in a contest to
win gift voucher if they give their e-mail. I noticed that if some of the
customers are interested in the prize, what convince them the most is the fact
they can have access to private sales event. Customer loves to be a part of a
club, having a special loyalty card link with their favourite store but they
want to be considered almost as a VIP. So if your company ask you to promote a
newsletter or any client book use word such as “exclusive”, “private”, “special
invitation”,… to catch their attention.
However, most of the additional
Product and service must be delivered during the previous steps. For example,
if a customer like a pair of shoes and that you have the bag in the same
colour, try to present the bag so they can try it on along with the shoes.
Offer to clean the shoes, to help them closing the strap, offer a shoe horn and
stockings. You can even offer to call another store to see if they have in
stock the shoes they want in the good size. Some of the brand offer to check on
their own stock managing software if the product is available in another store
and in that case to order it for the customer in 24h for free. Write down the
name of the style in case the customer wants to come back another day to try
the product on (if they need for example to verify if it goes with their
dress).
If a customer is satisfied by all
the aspects of your service, they will surely come back again and one day they
might ask you for them to be in your client book so you can inform them
directly about the new arrivals or the preview sales. This is the most
rewarding situation you can expect to be asked as their “personal shoppers” for
the brand.
There might be a lot of aspects that
I forgot to talk about. What I tried to mainly highlight in this short review
of the selling techniques is the information I missed when I first began to
work in sales. During this experience, I began to realize how the retail is the
main field of battle for a company to be successful. There is no point in
creating the best product if you are not selling it in a good way. Please feel
free to share your experience by contacting me; I am sure that you have a lot
to bring to this.
