Three words to radically boost your retail sales

The retail industry in Australia is in disarray. Sales are down across the board. However, the online space is growing rapidly, and for a good reason. Not only is shopping on the internet convenient, but we don’t have to suffer the experience of frontline staff who couldn’t care less about us.

Let’s resist the urge to blame the internet for the decline in retail sales. More sinister is the blatant lack of care and duty to customers from retail staff. Think about it, what customer in their right mind would willingly frequent a store that made them feel like a burden? Many of us have experienced standing at a counter for a long period waiting, only to be met by a sales person who appears as if they are doing us a favour by serving us.

Retailers take note: Every customer that enters your retail environment has three words blazoned on their forehead: “I Am Important”. Why, you ask?  Because they are not only paying for the product, they are paying for the experience, the “customer experience”.

These three words are powerful. Fail to acknowledge them and you may as well shut-up shop with a big flashing neon sign on the front door that reads, “Gone online”. Customers are prepared to embrace the age old adage, “If you want something done right, do it yourself…” Click!

Only a few years ago banks successfully pushed customers online by reducing their number of branches and staff – thereby forcing customers to endure long lines and waits. Now they’re scrambling to herd customers back to the branch and “retail environments” having learned just how much of an impact intimacy and personal interactions has for the success of any brand.

Apple gets it. Customers camp overnight outside a new “experience” store to buy the latest products. Madness really! Or is there more to it? We all search for positive experiences and meaning every day. One of the best ways to help your customers find this is through good old-fashioned service. We all crave it. It’s not expensive to deliver either. In fact, it’s the most cost-effective strategy I know to build brand loyalty.

The internet is an awesome tool on many levels. Harness it. But also make sure every touch point promotes your product or service in a compelling and meaningful way. And for goodness sake, educate, invest in and train your retail staff on the nuances of meaningful service. At the very least make sure they understand the three words that matter most to every customer: I Am Important.

For more Selling Strategies advice, click here.

Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of sales training company BOOM! As a sales expert and facilitator, he partners with some of the world’s most dynamic and demanding sales driven companies. Trent is also the founder of salesprocess.com.au and the author of THE NAKED SALESMAN: How to walk the talk and sell your way to success!