Effective retail sales skills

Knowledge and preparation Meet-greet Listen: find out about customer needs/problem Show alternatives Negotiation and objection handling Close the sale Transaction process After-sales service Retail sales cycle Good impression

Personal skills First impressions count - neat and tidy appearance Asks relevant questions - finds out what customer needs Listens carefully Does not interrupt customer Polite and courteous Does not make the customer feel rushed Understands customer's point of view (empathy) Trustworthy Friendly and easy to talk to Does not ignore customers eg chatting to colleague, carries on re-filling shelf

Professional knowledge Product knowledge - USPs; specialist language Knows how product can benefit customer - USBs Can demonstrate product Can use relevant literature or catalogue Competitor knowledge Brand reputation After-sale service - warranties, spare parts, repairs

Professional skills Prepared to go the extra mile Says thankyou when transaction completed Legal awareness Knows how to resolve complaints quickly and without fuss Negotiation skills eg service packages Closing the sale Knows when to refer to a supervisor

Closing the sale Ask for the order - would you like to buy this now sir/madam? Alternative close - would you like to buy the red one or the blue one? Assumptive close - shall I wrap this for you? Would you like to pay by credit card? Ego close - we generally find that only people who appreciate high quality 'x' can appreciate this product 'y'

Knowledge and preparation Meet-greet Listen: find out about customer needs/problem Show alternatives Negotiation and objection handling Close the sale Transaction process After-sales service Retail sales cycle Good impression

Buzz words USP - unique selling points USP - unique selling benefits Closing - getting the money After-sales - spare parts, guarantees, problem solving Empathy - understanding another person's point-of-view by remembering/ imagining being in a similar situation