THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SALES

I   NEVER INTERRUPT THE CUSTOMER

            You must be careful not to interrupt your customers, because to do so will make them feel unimportant, Salespeople sometimes feel that what they have to say is so informative that it's more important than what the customer has to say. You must not interrupt customers just because you are anxious to get your pitch out, to correct them on something they have said. If a customer wants to, talk-let him/her talk and listen to what they are saying. By listening, you will find out what their true needs are and thereby the best possible presentation to give them. The better the listener you are the better salesperson you will be.

 Listen more than you speak.

II   DANCE ACCORDING TO THE BEAT PLAYED

            The purpose behind "dance according to the beat played" is to help your Customers feel more comfortable with you. A great salesperson does not have a consistent style. You must be able to adapt to different types of customers. For example, if an older couple comes into the store doing the "waltz", the salesperson should not "disco"!  In other words, listen to your customer and learn who they are. If your customer is friendly and makes many jokes than go with it, have some fun that is what they are comfortable with. If on the other hand your customer is serious and quiet, joking with them will not be the best possible thing to do. Instead, respect their serious attitude and address their concerns while you remain lighthearted

 Have fun with the sale.

III   ALWAYS LOOK PROFESSIONAL

            Upon approaching the kiosk, and even before anything has been said to him/her, the customer has already begun forming opinions of you and the kiosk. You have no real control over many other factors affecting this opinion. The shopper's personal problems and frame of mind may affect his/her views. For this reason, it is especially crucial that you are at your best concerning what you can control. For example, a clean and attractive display is always more inviting than a kiosk that is in need of straightening. Keep your location clean and free of clutter. Do not let contracts and paperwork collect in piles on the counter; keep them in their place until you are ready to use them. The same is true of salespeople. Appropriate dress and a healthy appearance help immensely.

Sweat the small stuff

IV   ACKNOWLEDGE EVERY CUSTOMER

            Certainly there is a lot of work to do in "order to open the doors” for business every day. It seems as if there is never enough time to do all of the paperwork, cleaning, display changes, price changes etc. However, the only reason we have to do paperwork is that we have sold merchandise. The only reason we have sold merchandise is that customers have bought merchandise.  It follows then, that customers are never an interruption to our daily tasks. The case is quite the opposite. Customers are our reason for being. Without them, none of us would have jobs here. With this in mind, we must be willing to "go the extra mile” whenever necessary in order to make sure the customer is satisfied. 

You are the Greeter 

V   LEAVE PERSONAL PROBLEMS OUTSIDE THE STORE

            The customers deserve no less than your very best, regardless of your personal opinions or feelings about the customer or your personal mood on any one day in particular. Just think about it for a moment.  When you go into another retail store, you expect to be helped promptly and treated courteously. If the employee in. that store is having a bad day, she/he may take it out on you, the customer. You are left with a poor impression of the employee and the store. Your customers are no different.  Although it may sound cruel, the customer does not care about your personal problems. Whether you had a flat tire on the way to work, got a horrible night's sleep, or just were reprimanded by your manager, the customer doesn't really care. The customer came in for service and has a right to expect it.

 Business is business

VI   PRODUCTION = MORALE.

             Think about this statement for a moment. It's Saturday afternoon and the store is jumping. You are selling a lot and have not had a moment to catch your breath.  How do you feel at the end of the day? Great, exhilarated, and happy!  Then it's Tuesday afternoon and it is so slow you could go bowling in the mall and never hit a customer. How do you feel at the end of the day? Perhaps you feel exhausted, apathetic, and not so happy. How many times have you heard yourself or someone else say, "I'm so tired and I haven't done a thing all day?" When you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

When you are not productive, you are not happy.

VII   Don’t Congregate in the Kiosk

            Every customer deserves your best effort. However, sometimes it is so easy to get involved in a conversation with other salespeople while at work. Gathering with other salespeople in the kiosk makes customers feel as though your personal conversation is more important than helping them. Instead of interrupting you for help, they feel frustrated, ignored, or angry, and they will never walk up to ask their question. Even worse, while you are engaged in your conversation you are neglecting hundreds of potential customers that are walking by the kiosk with out ever being invited.  We can always find time to tell a co-worker the funny story about what happened last night, but we can never get customers back once they are lost. The customer must come first, not only in theory, but in practice as well. So, if your coworkers try to persuade you to listen to them instead of helping customers, make plans to get together at lunch or after work to talk further. Do not join their club start a better club yourself. Be the president of the club that cares about the customer and makes a lot of money, because you are focused on your job. 

Customers are #1

VIII   Invite EverY Customer's Presence with At Least A "Hello"

             Acknowledging customers is the number-one thing that you can do as a salesperson to engage a customer in a presentation. Acknowledging customers lets them know that someone is available to help them find merchandise or answer their questions. It also conveys a friendly feeling to the customer about you personally and the company as a whole. When you greet every customer that walks by you are letting him or her know you are there and that you are ready to help him or her. Your greeting needs to be exciting and inviting to create the desire for the customer to stop and listen to what you have to say. Why do all of the "cool" clothing stores play upbeat "dance" music that you can hear from outside the store? Its’ not because they are deaf, they are creating a stimulating environment to entice customers into their stores. Their stores sound fun, like a nightclub because we all like to have fun!  Nightclubs are fun and when a customer is walking by they are drawn into the "fun” atmosphere. You and your greeting have to be that upbeat exciting element that says, "hey you must to stop and hear what I have to say because this is fun and you don’t want to miss it!" You have to understand the "numbers game", the more people you greet and make aware of your presence the greater your odds become for making a sale. You have to realize that the customers are in the mall for a CD, pair of pants, new shoes and so on they did not come in thinking about beanbags. If you let these people pass without a greeting you are letting all of your potential sales walk

 How can I help You?

            It is more important to get the customer talking than for you to carry the conversation yourself. The more the customer talks, the more he/she begins to feel comfortable with the salesperson. This premise can be illustrated by remembering a party you have attended recently. Think of the people that you met at this party for first time. Chances are you, liked some of these new acquaintances more than others.  Which ones? The people that asked you questions and, seemed to genuinely care about what you had to say are probably the people you seemed to like the most. Your customers are no different.

Opening lines must be questions to encourage conversation

X   ENCOURAGING CONVERSATION

            Simply asking questions does not guarantee a conversation. If you ask a question that can be answered by "yes" or "no", your chance of building any rapport from the conversation is slim. Create some excitement for the customer and get them to ask some questions. The key is getting them involved; once you get them involved then you can begin your presentation. Salespeople always seem to be in such a hurry to sell or show something that they hurry too quickly through the opening (or skip it completely). But it only takes few seconds to build a much more solid foundation for the presentation. Those seconds spent in opening will encourage your customer to open up more with during probing (the next step in the selling process), when you really need their honesty and openness. So slow down! The merchandise is not going anywhere neither is the customer. Spend the time now and build the sale. 

Don’t be afraid to "HANG OUT" with the customer for a while