1. 5.0 Understand the retail selling of fashion.
Objective 5.02: Understand retail selling processes the fashion industry.

2. Salespeople
Sales associates need to have the following characteristics for positive customer relations:
Courtesy
Interest
Helpfulness
Tolerance
Skills in solving customer problems

3. Salespeople They can receive commission, compensation and incentives.
Commission is payment based on a percentage of the dollar amount of sales made.
Compensation is payment and benefits for work accomplished.
Incentives are prizes or rewards meant to stimulate people to do better work toward achieving results.

4. Customer-Oriented Selling
Involves providing exceptional service, making customers feel important by exceeding expectations and identifying their needs, and finding the best solutions.
Customer-oriented selling tries to meet the needs of each individual customer rather than selling items to people whether they need them or not.

5. Understanding Labels and Hangtags
Labels are small pieces of ribbon permanently attached in garments, or stamped areas on the inside of garments, that contain printed information.
Hangtags are removable “signs” that are attached to the outside of garments with strings, plastic bands, pins, staples, or adhesives.

6. Selling Steps Approach and Greeting: Meet and greet retail “guests”.
Ex. “Good Morning, Mrs. Smith”
Initial hello or personal introduction followed by a question or statement.
You can use a compliment or a conversational greeting that links you to the customer.
Greet customers within 30 feet of them and within 30 seconds of entering the store.
Not intended to result in an immediate sale, but to get the customer to agree to see and hear more about the merchandise.

7. Selling Steps Classifying Customers:
Casual lookers might simply be browsing or killing time while waiting for a ride or meeting a friend.
Undecided customers may need an item for personal use or for a gift.
Decided customers should be helped efficiently, they know exactly what they want and why and often purchase their items quickly.

8. Selling Steps Presentation of Merchandise:
Good presentations include an explanation of product features, or physical characteristics of items.
Salespeople should try to discover the combined benefits/solutions that product features provide.
Ex. Someone who has limited cash needs value- priced items, someone who dislikes ironing needs wrinkle-free pants, etc.

9. Selling Steps Presentation of Merchandise (cont.):
A salesperson should ask a customer about the benefits he or she seeks from a product. They can then translate the product features into benefits.
To be an effective sales person you must have effective two-way communication with the customer.
As a salesperson you should try to present the advantages of goods based on the customer’s needs.
Ex. A customer on a budget may be more likely to make a purchase if the merchandise is on sale.

10. Selling Stages Presentation of Merchandise (cont.):
Customers may understand their general wants and needs, but require help in satisfying them.
A personal shopper is a fashion consultant who chooses merchandise in response to customers’ requests or accompanies customers to offer fashion advice and selection help.
Sometimes customers want to be left alone to ponder the decision purchase. In that case, salespeople should do other things, but be available if needed.

11. Selling Stages Overcoming Objections:
The reason a customer hesitates to buy a product is an objection.
When a customer offers an objection, it is the salesperson who can turn that objection into a benefit by using the direct denial approach.
Ex. A customer doesn’t want to buy a dress because they will have to get it dry cleaned. The salesperson informs the customer that it can be machine washed.

12. Selling Stages Closing the Sale:
Getting a commitment from the customer to buy the merchandise.
A customer’s decision about a large purchase, might result in a long silence while the customer weighs the pros and cons.
At the right time, the salesperson may suggest that the customer make the purchase.

13. Selling Stages Supplementary Suggestions:
Suggestion selling is a method of increasing sales by adding to the customers’ original purchases.
It includes:
Add-ons: additional related merchandise items to complete outfits.
Trading up: suggesting a substitute item that is higher priced, better quality, or more economical.
More than one: selling more than one of the same or similar item.
Special offers: when an additional item can be obtained as a result of purchasing an item.

14. Selling Stages Maintaining Relationships:
Closing the sale is really the beginning of a relationship rather than the end of the sale.
A sincere thank you and the use of the customer’s name are common courtesies.
The salesperson should ask the customer to return soon.
Follow-up is important to ensure customer satisfaction with purchases and repeat business.

15. Understanding Buying Motives
Purchasing behavior is the way consumers act in the market.
It is influenced by cultural, social and psychological factors.
Consumers must have a want or need to be satisfied.
The response is a purchase based on buying motives, or the reasons why people buy what they buy.

16. Buying Motives Rational behavior is a response to conscious reasoning.
It’s based on logical thinking and decision making.
Important factors in a rational decision might be a garment’s durability, comfort, quality, economy of use, and price.

17. Buying Motives Emotional behavior is based on feelings.
Factors contributing to an emotional decision include imitation, emulation, desire for status and prestige, sex appeal, desire for distinctiveness, ambition, fear, and personal pride.
Customers may only buy an apparel item because of how it makes them feel.

18. Buying Motives
Product motives involve consumer purchases based on quality or images of certain products.
These product qualities might be materials, construction, fit, style or guarantees associated with trade names or reputations.

19. Buying Motives
Patronage motives involve customers who consistently buy from certain retailers or favor particular stores.
The reasons why customers choose to shop at one store rather than another may be based on reputation, image, merchandise assortment, or price.