SALES 101 – DO IT YOURSELF

Paul Wagenaar

There are many elements of selling that are difficult, things that take years to learn, and things that are beyond your control and therefore not something you can master.

Fortunately, those things are the exceptions, many simple elements to selling exist and can be done almost immediately, here are 50 that work and require no special training, you just have to try:

  1. SMILE – maybe the simplest one of all, to succeed in sales, you need to like people.  You don’t have to like everyone, but “retail is theatre” sometimes and for those people that drive you crazy, learn about them, challenge yourself.
  2. REMEMBER EACH CUSTOMER IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY, THEY ARE YOUR FOCUS – It’s not about you and your problems, it is about them and solving their problems.
  3. BE ON TIME – another very simple thing to do, and all of the very best sales people I know, have always been early and usually they are the best prepared.
  4. MAKE NOTES WHEN YOU ARE WITH A CUSTOMER IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER EVERYTHING – a good memory is the best thing; however, use a small notepad to assist, it is allowed.
  5. IF YOU GET ASKED A QUESTION YOU DON’T KNOW, SAY YOU WILL FIND OUT – If you knew everything, your head would likely explode.  Never “guess or make up something,” tell them that is a great question and you will go and find the answer for them.
  6. IF YOU NEED TO CALL A CUSTOMER BACK, CALL THEM EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER YET – This is consistently the number one customer complaint, year after year, that associates don’t do this, make sure you do.
  7. SEARCH THE FLOOR LOOKING FOR MISSED CUSTOMERS – it shouldn’t happen, but it does, people get missed all of the time, it’s called “spillage”.  Some are easy to see, some are not; don’t “scoop” customers, but always be helpful.
  8. IF A CUSTOMER IS WAITING FOR SOMEONE, GO AND REMIND THAT PERSON, THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW – I saw this happen repeatedly, it doesn’t hurt to double check.
  9. IF A CUSTOMER LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE A QUESTION, ASK – so many sales come from people who have been missed or that people have assumed that someone was helping them, especially on busy days.
  10. IF A CUSTOMER IS LOOKING FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, TAKE THEM THERE – if you find a customer on the sales floor who is looking for service, take them to the service department and introduce them to someone who can help them.  A small but very powerful thing.
  11. SAY THANK YOU EACH DAY AT LEAST 50 TIMES IF YOU CAN – try this as an exercise, again a very small thing to do, and you will be amazed at the results.
  12. MAKE 3 PEOPLE FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES – another simple enough exercise that has incredible results, try it and don’t be limited by the number 3.
  13. DON’T LEAVE FOR LUNCH – If you are on a “turn” system as a sales person, usually you can just take your “card” out and do not have take your name off the list.  Also, it will save you a ton of money by “bagging” your lunch each day.
  14. STAY TO THE END OF YOUR SHIFT – in my time in retail, I have seen so many people consistently lose out on sales because their customer came back to buy, only to find the sales associate had slipped out early because it was slow.
  15. TAKE YOUR TURN, EVERY TIME – I have seen many associates skip customers because they were doing something else, remember you are there to sell, never skip your turn unless you are directly working with another customer.
  16. WATCH THE NUMBER OF BREAKS YOU TAKE – smokers in particular can find themselves outside of the building when a customer call comes, or an “ask-for/be-back” returns and end of losing a sale because no one knew where they were.  PS, always tell the office when you are out of the building.
  17. BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN GOSSIP – some sales associates think it is “sport” unfortunately to play head games, even if someone isn’t doing that, make sure you stay focused.
  18. DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY OLDER SALES ASSOCIATES – especially for new sales associates who are trying to fit in.  If someone says something that seems wrong, it likely is.  Stand up for yourself, get a manager involved, staying quiet about something that bothers you only makes the bully stronger.
  19. IF E-LEARNING IS AVAILABLE, FIND 3 THINGS FROM EACH MODULE YOU CAN USE TODAY – people will tell you that e-learning is lame, it’s up to you to find things to learn, sometimes you really have to look.
  20. USE THE COMPUTER FOR WORK, NOT BROWSING THE INTERNET – It is an easy trap to fall into and many sales people do, especially ones who are snug in their comfort zones.
  21. GIVE TWO BUSINESS CARDS TO EVERY CUSTOMER YOU MAKE A SALE TO – This simple “sales 101” tool is hardly ever actually used, IT WORKS, TRY IT.
  22. USE A SALES TRACKER AND KEEP A “LEADS BOOK” – if a customer doesn’t buy today, ask permission to call them when you see a deal and then actually do it.  We had a very successful team, but only a handful of the real great people did this, if you do, you will be amazed at the results.
  23. AFTER EVERY SALE, WHAT DID YOU DO RIGHT, WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG, AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME? – I am sure I drove people crazy with this, but it works.  Incremental improvement can make the difference between being struggling and succeeding and becoming great.
  24. WATCH YOUR CO-SALES ASSOCIATES, WHAT DO THEY DO WELL, WHAT DO THEY DO POORLY – I have worked with some of the best sales associates in retail and some of the very worst, I have learned from them all, you can too.
  25. DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO TRAIN YOU – Unfortunate but true, especially on big sales teams.  Try to read a new book, blog, magazine or listen to a podcast, audio book for at least 30 minutes a day.  You want to be better, make it happen.
  26. SPEND YOUR DOWN TIME FIXING THE THINGS YOU DO POORLY – Don’t practice the things you do well, spend the time fixing the things you are weak on.  Using a racing car analogy, “any idiot can go fast in a straight line, successful people get through the curves fast,” and its true.  ROLE PLAY/ROLE PLAY/and ROLE PLAY.
  27. KEEP A JOURNAL OF THINGS YOU HAVE SEEN, PHRASES YOU LIKE FROM OTHER ASSOCIATES – Dave Booy, the owner of the OK Tire franchise in Owen Sound does this so well and I have seen other people do it was well.  It makes a huge impact when you can stand on someone else’s shoulders and push the bar higher.
  28. LOOK FOR NEW THINGS ON THE FLOOR EACH DAY – Things never stay the same on a selling floor, challenge yourself to find something new everyday and then try to sell it.
  29. READ YOUR WEBSITE – Such a basic thing, but most people don’t do it.  Once a day, look for new things.
  30. READ YOUR COMPETITOR’S WEBSITES – How can you compete if you don’t know their deals?
  31. KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ALL OF YOUR OPEN SALES – Are your outstanding sales booked, is all the stock here, has the customer been called.  This is your bank of business, make sure it is up to date every day and especially on the days you are off.
  32. CHECK YOUR COMMISSION REPORT FOR ERRORS – mistakes happen, one of the really good sales associates I have worked with, checks every statement.  Last year he found 38 mistakes on his pay stubs, all made in error.  It is worth your time.
  33. READ YOUR FLYERS AND KNOW WHAT IS ON THE FLOOR AND WHERE IT IS – Know your ads.  You could lose a sale because something didn’t get tagged properly, it happens all the time.
  34. KNOW WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE VALUES ARE FOR ITEMS THAT ARE FEATURED BUT NOT IN STOCK – if your buyers are really sharp, they will have a list of alternative buys for things that are featured that are delayed or not coming; make sure you know what they are.
  35. READ YOUR FLYERS AND KNOW WHAT IS NOT ON THE FLOOR AND WHY – similar to the last couple of points, it is up to you to KNOW YOUR INVENTORY, it might make the difference between getting a sale and not.
  36. LEARN ABOUT YOUR DELIVERY DEPARTMENT, ASK TO GO OUT ON THE ROAD FOR ONE DAY – Even if you don’t get paid to do it, ask if you can go on the road to see the challenges that your delivery department faces each day.  Talk to the crews, what drives them crazy, what makes their lives easier.  Very powerful.
  37. LEARN ABOUT YOUR WAREHOUSE DEPARTMENT, ASK TO SPEND A DAY THERE – for all the reasons in point #36, it is worth the time to see how stock is received, tagged, picked, opened, inspected, and loaded.
  38. LEARN ABOUT YOUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT, WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS – unhappy customers never buy again from you, talk to your service people, find out the problems they face daily and make sure you don’t create problems (as much as you can).  Knowing about service, will make you more money and keep your customers happy.
  39. LEARN ABOUT YOUR OFFICE DEPARTMENT, WHAT ARE THEIR PROBLEMS – These people are so valuable, they double check your sales bills, they make sure the money goes to the right place, they key your credit applications, and usually few people appreciate the work they do or learn what they do.  Make sure you appreciate them.
  40. LEARN ABOUT YOUR BUYERS, WHAT FRUSTRATES THEM – Buying is another thankless job, people never say anything about all the stock that is in the warehouse, only about the things that aren’t here yet.  Buyers are a great source of important sales information, develop that relationship.
  41. DO A FLOOR WALK IN THE MORNING AND BEFORE YOU LEAVE, STRAIGTHEN UP THINGS – another microscopic thing in the grand scheme of retail, but worth every second you spend on it.
  42. DO A FLOOR WALK AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING THAT SHOULD BE WORKING – It could be a lift chair, a power recliner, a TV, or an adjustable bed; if it doesn’t work when your customer is looking at it, your job just became almost impossible.
  43. MYSTERY SHOP AT LEAST ONE MAJOR COMPETITOR EACH MONTH, MAKE NOTES – Spend the time, they shop your store more than you can imagine.  Go in disguise if you can, find out how well trained they are, find out what they say about your company, how does the store look, what are the deals.  All that information is power at the right moment in time.
  44. NEVER GET DISCOURAGED, SELLING IS HARD, BUT RELAX AND JUST TRY TO HELP PEOPLE, YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT HOW IT COMES BACK TO YOU – The tighter you are, the harder it can be, just relax, remember the 6 steps of selling and try to just help your next customer. 
  45. WHEN YOU HAVE A BIG SALES EVENT, BE THERE FOR THE WHOLE DAY – There can be long days in retail, they are part of the life, prepare for it, take alternate days off, tell your family, and then focus and put in the 10-14 hours required.
  46. WHEN THERE IS AN “OPEN FLOOR” DAY, MAKE SURE YOU ARE THERE – usually these happen in the peak times of Christmas and Black Friday.  You know they are coming, prepare yourself for the grind, its only for a few weeks and you can make more sales in the 6-8 weeks of Christmas than you might in the entire first quarter of the following year.
  47. RESIST THE URGE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT CUSTOMERS – They are a necessary evil sometimes, 99.9% of customers are good; if those people are upset, help solve their problem.  The other .1% will never be happy.
  48. ALWAYS HAVE THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE:  TAPE MEASURE, NOTEPAD, CELL PHONE, PEN, SALES BILL FORMS, FLYER OR AD, BAKER’S DOZEN, OPEN ORDERS, A PROFESSIONAL BINDER – You know what you need, make sure you have it all ready because you are a professional.
  49. LISTEN FOR THE PHONE RINGING – Answer it, if someone gives up, maybe they will call back, maybe they won’t; customers are hard to get, don’t lose one because nobody answered the phone or didn’t return a message, or didn’t respond to an email.
  50. HAVE FUN, THERE ARE FEW CAREERS AS REWARDING AS SALES – Every day is different; the smarter and better you work, the better the results for you; the money is usually good relative to other jobs; and you can do this.  I have faith, especially if you can do these 50 things.

Good luck and good selling.