are we sales people or zombies?

am I a zombie or a sales person?

Help Please?

When embarking on a shopping trip, what does the sales staff’s level of service look like? You may be wondering how it should appear?  Customer service can take different forms. Are you greeted by a sales associate or made to feel unwelcome or in the way? Is your experience adequate, below target or remarkable?

Recently, I read an article on RetailWire that delved into the subject. David Zahn from Zahn’s consulting questioned whether sales training is fact-based or relationship driven. Focus is placed on product features including technology, fashion, or price. David argues that a sales person’s people skills have been taken largely for granted and are not developed and nurtured through training.

As a customer experience manager, I am not sure I agree with this theory because many companies (including the one I work for) have re-examined how to obtain and retain a superior sales force. Two key practices, hiring and instruction, are evolving in order to meet or exceed customer’s expectations.

zombies need not apply

OK, you probably haven’t had too many zombies helping you through the checkout at your favorite shopping spot. Think deeper into why you prefer this establishment. Is it the superior product, or the likability of those who work there and the company culture that attracts these associates?

When hiring for a sales staff, it is crucial that he or she is a fair representation of your brand, and that he or she is passionate about the company as well as the product. Too often emphasis is based on experience and not personality.

Are candidates able to think on their feet and improvise when necessary? Of course you want someone who can follow rules, but someone who is creative in her approach and empathetic towards others beats experience in my book. You can teach someone sales, not empathy.

not even a well trained zombie?

Once you establish who you want working with your customers, they need proper training how to offer unmatched service. You have the people who love what they do, and where they do it, now capitalize on it by investing time into them.

If you want them to create a perfect denim fold, teach them how and give them the necessary tools. But, by all means don’t forget that although your store will look prettier because of the way product is displayed, it doesn’t take the place of customer service. By teaching them to be attentive to customers instead of being task focused, you will see better customer satisfaction results.

is it measure able?

There is more than one way to measure customer satisfaction. Here are a few I could think of:

1. Top-line sale increase
2. Repeat clientele
3. Customer experience survey scores increase
4. Less employee turnover (well, that is more about the internal customer, but it still counts!)

What are your thoughts about the state of retail customer service? Please share your thoughts and stories about good and bad experiences.

 

6 clues to customer service or disservice

I believe there can be too much of a good thing.  Here are some examples of consequences from excessive behavior:

1. Too much ice cream = bloated lactose intolerance or weight gain
2. Too much time on the computer = blurred vision, head-ache, lack of exercise
3. Too much television = lack of real life
4. Too much work = not enough play
5. Too much sex = Wait a minute! is there such a thing?

 Which leads me to my next query…

Are there actions in life that are never too much? (pardon the double negative) For example, can you ever have too much education, tolerance, or customer service?  I feel safe saying no to all three instances.

I believe strongly in higher and continuing education. After graduating at age 44 with an MBA, I realized it is never too late to learn something. As a society, we lack a great enough capacity to accept those different from ourselves and could use a heavier dose of tolerance.

Last on the list is customer service. I am considered a customer experience maven, and I can’t imagine anyone believing they are receiving excessive service.

Here is where I was wrong! Recently I heard from a colleague that someone complained she was over-serviced by sales associates who “asked her random questions.” In other words, in the off chance of building a relationship and enhance the experience, the sales people were trying to engage the customer. Coming from a bridal background, I am familiar with and successfully utilize a very personalized service approach.

Where is the line drawn between nagging and assistance?

There are always two sides to every story. It is certainly possible that in the associates quest to aid the client:

1. He overstepped boundaries by attempting to become too familiar or inappropriate with the customer.
2. He misread the customer’s cues and didn’t let her shop in peace.
3. His selling style was too aggressive for this customer.
4. He was inauthentic and fake, which turned her off.
5. He tried too hard and came off as desperate for a sale.
6. He was snooty to the customer.
7. He wasn’t snooty enough.

Lesson learned: level of service is relative

Just because I prefer extensive customer service does not mean everyone else does too. My advice is that when first setting out to work with a client, set out to understand his/her service needs from the start.

She may be a window shopper, or prefer not to engage in conversation with you. She may be looking for something in particular and be in a hurry to get on with her day, and not have/make time for small talk. Maybe you have spinach between your teeth and she can’t stop staring.

Know that it may not be you, but it might. Don’t take it personally. Instead, use it as an opportunity to broaden your skills. Understanding the difference between service and disservice is difficult but not impossible.

What level of service are you comfortable receiving? Have you ever had a salesperson go too far in the name of customer service. Share your stories and experiences.

 

Related articles

• Who Is Hiding Your ‘Customers’ Part 3 (translatescotland.com)
• “How May I Help You?”: Customer Service Positions do a Disservice to Women (lachristagreco.com)
• Why Just Service Customers When You Can Engage Them? (community.constantcontact.com)
• Ehsan Khodarahmi: Customer Service Is the New PR (huffingtonpost.com)
• Knockout Customer Service Rule #5 (knockoutcustomerservice.com)

• Why Just Service Customers When You Can Engage Them? (community.constantcontact.com)
• Ehsan Khodarahmi: Customer Service Is the New PR (huffingtonpost.com)
• Knockout Customer Service Rule #5 (knockoutcustomerservice.com)

2 customer experiences – one week

I rarely have time to shop for myself and when I do, I have high expectations about what my experience should be like. Recently I had two shopping encounters that should have had similar outcomes but in reality, were wildly different.

Experience A: Michael Kors Outlet

What is missing here?

This past January I bought an adorable watch at the Michael Kors outlet in Sparks, Nevada. The associate helping me was wonderful and she helped me pick the perfect watch. I left happy, sporting my watch with the crystal bezel. Life was good!

Fast forward 6 months… one of the crystals magically fell out of the bezel. I was bummed, but didn’t consider it a big deal because I bought a watch from a good company (or so I thought).

When I went back to the store I purchased from and explained what happened, I thought they would repair or replace the damaged watch. After an associate informed me they did not guarantee the crystals and that I should have been more careful with the watch, I began to despair.The manager arrived on the scene to see what she could do (finally someone who might help).

Salesman or Sheister? #trust30

classic used car salesman look

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What do you anticipate when you meet someone in sales? Do you immediately visualize a classic used car salesman who will stop at nothing for a sale? He looks through you as he saunters over, complete with a cheesy polyester suit, bad tie, greased back hair and of course don’t forget the mustache! He reeks of Aqua Velva (do they still make that?) and cigarette butts. Your stomach turns out of control and you feel as if you sprouted a giant sign on your forehead that reads “SUCKER.”

Reality Check

An important piece of this picture is the preconception that he (the salesman) wants to do something to you rather than for you. The reality is that most salesmen I know (myself included) dress and smell like everyone else. I take daily showers, wash my hair and wear expensive designer perfumes. I don’t regard potential customers as victims ready to empty their pockets or sent to slaughter. Like me, the consumers are people who desire some product or service. As a salesman, it is my job to discover and fulfill a customer’s needs to the best of my ability.

Is it better to look good or feel good?

we all work in a fashion fish bowl

I was shopping at a local retailer and was faced with a salesperson who was dressed completely inappropriately. She had on a skirt that was too short and tight and she was busting out of her blouse as well. The worst part was that she was at least my age (43). She looked desperate and like she was trying way too hard. This is when I wanted to take her under my wing and proclaim:

“It is better to look good than to feel good, and let me tell you darling, you look marvelous.”

Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas.

I am dating myself with a reference to Billy Crystal on SNL but the quote seems fitting for my topic. Does it matter how you look and should it? Someone recently posed the question whether there are any fashion no-no’s for salesmen? My immediate response was Absolutely! You don’t have to be one of the beautiful people to be successful in sales (although it doesn’t hurt) but you should look as though you care how you are perceived by others.

thoughts on fashion don’ts

Not all poorly dressed salespeople look like streetwalkers. I have also seen some that are dressed like frumpulicious (I don’t think it is an actual word, but it should be) rejects. Here are a few good standbys for what not to be caught wearing at work:

• If I can see your socks, your pants are probably too short (unless of course they are cropped pants)
• Shoulder pads are not flattering unless you are playing football
• Pleated pants are passe and make your tummy look bigger
• Hawaiian print shirts belong on 90 year old men paired with white sneakers and black socks
• You are not fooling anyone by dressing in your teenager’s clothes

Whether you are selling clothes, services, medical supplies, car parts or anything else, it is important for you to look the part. As a salesperson, the first thing you sell is yourself. You want to become that trusted editor and an industry expert, you want to be taken seriously, and you want the sale! Stop kidding yourself by thinking that you don’t matter, because that is the image you are portraying to your customers.

Lesson Learned: it matters how you look

Whenever I have second thoughts about an outfit I am considering and I ask my husband his opinion, he always says that if I feel the urge to ask him, I should probably change my clothes. It is not the most romantic of comments, but he is right. When getting dressed, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you look marvelous, or professional. What is the overall look you are going for? What fashion disasters have you seen, or were you the disaster? Please share your stories.

Related articles

• Don’t lie and say that you love me (miriamgomberg.wordpress.com)

Is planning and strategy enough to drive the bus?

Get outta my way while I drive the bus!

OK, I did it again. It has been a while since I referenced a bus in the post title, but as mentioned before in earlier posts, buses are a symbol of success for me. This post’s analogy questions if you create and implement a sound strategy, should it be sufficient to create traffic and sales?

Beep beep

Just because you plan it and build it, doesn’t mean they will come (yeah I know that was a cheesy reference to “Field of Dreams“). If you have no customers getting on the bus with you, then why continue driving in circles? One reason I believe good strategy is not a great indicator of ROI is because we are generally over-promoted. There is a bus leaving the platform every minute and the customer is unsure which one she should board.

How do you create excitement about an event when there is something else which starts the next day? Should we offer such unbelievable discounts on service or product that you simply can’t afford to stay home? Do you offer a special event only to your very best customers or only by appointment? So many questions but so few good answers!

Lesson learned: find the bus with the correct destination

Perhaps it is time to ask the customer what really motivates him to visit your business, putting an end to this crazy runaway bus which negates hard work put forth creating events. If it is merely price or value, you have your answer to continue with mindless promotions day after day. Specialty niches exist where events can become personal extensions reaching out to their client base.

There is no point wasting effort in creating an exclusive in-house event if your customer does not consider it worth his time. As a business professional you are deteriorating resources driving empty buses. Better use might mean fewer more meaningful destinations.

Don’t lie and say that you love me

Why do people lie? As a customer experience connoisseur, I come across salespeople, managers and even customers who find it necessary to utter untruths. I have caught my 13 year old son in more than one lie regarding his homework, which brings me to a conclusion that a major reason for lying is to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

It is understandable that you can feel awkward telling a salesperson that you don’t want what is being sold. Reasons for not being satisfied vary, but the nagging feeling that you are hurting the salesperson’s feelings remains. Generally, people want to be liked and fear rejection. I want to be liked and take no pleasure in telling people no. However, I realize that I am doing the salesperson  no favors through lying.

Tales from the fitting room

In a high-service business, you become more involved with the salesperson who is helping you. For example, fitting room service in a clothing retailer should include an associate checking on you periodically to ensure that you like what you are trying on and to change out things that don’t work, while offering further suggestions. When the associate visits your fitting room, you should not lie to her and tell her that everything is perfect if it is not. Give her the opportunity to make wardrobe adjustments or to bring you something more suitable. After all, she is there to service YOU!

Here come the brides!

In my past life as a bridal shop owner, it was customary for a bride to try on several gowns before choosing one. Often, the bride would leave without making a purchase. She may revisit the store again, try on more gowns and still choose nothing. No, it was not fun for me playing dress-up with no perceivable end in sight. It was all part of the nature of the job. Choosing a wedding gown is an important task and the idea of committing to one dress (kinda like to one man) is sometimes stressful.

The point is that although I routinely placed girls in beautiful, expensive dresses that they may or may not purchase, I did not take it personally if I could not help them in their quest for the “perfect” dress. It is slightly amusing when customers walk into a store or business, look around then try to sneak past the salesperson on duty. Trust me, she sees you and it is OK that you are leaving empty-handed. The associate would rather you become a converted customer but she also realizes that she can’t help everyone and that she may not have what you need.

Lesson learned: wear your big-girl panties

A friend told me that when she gets up in the morning, she puts on her big-girl panties. She is not going to fall apart if you reject product she is selling. As a customer, you can remember that her big-girl panties will protect her from rejection. Next time you find yourself in a store fitting room, take the opportunity to let the expert working there help you. If she is any good, she will not attempt selling you items that look bad on you or are inappropriate for the occasion. Remember that it does YOU a disservice to tell the salesperson that everything fits when in reality you need something else.

It is OK to ask for the sale

My reaction to a sale being lost due to ineptitude.

I just had one of those experiences that as a sales person and a leader, made me cringe. I visited the grocery store with my son to pick up a movie at Red Box and decided to take a detour to a shoe shop in the same shopping center. I have driven past this shop countless times on my way in or out of the parking lot and they never seemed to be open whenever I passed. Today must have been my lucky day!

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

 Walking into the store with my son, we were immediately greeted by a friendly sales associate (good sign) and she asked if she could help me find something. I explained that as a retail manager I am on my feet all day and was looking for some new shoes for work.

The moment should have given her a clue (a house falling on her head may have worked too) that I might be a paying customer. That is until she asked me what type of shoe I wear for work (still ok to ask qualifying questions). She proceeded to tell me that for about $20 I could buy an insert for my existing pair of shoes and avoid buying new ones.

What, What, What!!

Urgh! Did my ears deceive me or was she trying to talk herself out of a sale? The girl was probably trying to be helpful but the first rule of sales is ask for the sale! By sending me out of the store without trying a pair of shoes on, she lost a sale and worse, a customer.

Was it the associate’s fault that she blew a chance to make a buck? Truthfully, I would lay blame on her manager, as I am sure this was not the first time she sent a customer away empty-handed. People can be so concerned with the customer experience that they forget why they are in business in the first place. I may not have bought anything had I tried the shoes on, but we will never know.

Lesson Learned

No, I will not go back into the store and teach her how to sell me something while maintaining a high level of customer service. That ship has sailed. I probably will not go in there again. The lesson I learned is that I cannot take for granted that my associates are asking for the sale every time they interact with a client. It is my duty to continue training and coaching the associates to ensure that they do not talk a customer out of a purchase.

Please Don’t Throw Me Under the Bus!

Lately I am obsessed with  buses. I continually search for hidden meaning in them. You can drive them to success or you can throw people under them. It is amazing how many analogies there are when it comes to buses. We all know that the wheels on the bus go round and round.  I have seen them drive sideways too (metaphorically speaking of course).

In the rush to get on the sales bus, businesses are so worried that they will miss the opportunity to get on that they stand in the way, throwing themselves under. I say this because currently it seems almost impossible to sell product without a large promotion or discount, which directly affects the gross margin.