How can I grab customers’ attention?

I’ve started up a retail business and would like to know how I can best grab the attention of customers. Can you help?

One of the key rules of selling is this – we sell ourselves first. Our company second. Our product third.

So if our business is retail we need to look very clearly at ourselves in the mirror to see how others would see us.

We need to reflect on the business we are in and the product we are selling. For example, if our business is food then cleanliness and neatness are critical.

If our business is fashion, we need to present ourselves in line with what we are selling. If our business is health we need to look healthy!

While our presentation is critical so is our manner – are we smiling, happy, keen to make our customers happy? Are we efficient and focused on them?

Or are we or our team on the phone talking to a friend, arranging the weekend? Nothing turns me off more than the sales assistant who is not paying attention.

Other question to consider include: is our retail business looking good? Does it show we love our merchandise? What does the store tell about the product?

We need to be efficient without being officious. Give your customer some space but connect on a personal level, such as the weather, or football (if you are Melbourne based!)

Mention how they look, which is great of course. Show them something they could be interested in. Have a good look at them – their presentation may give you some hints about what could interest them, whether that’s the latest product, the most colourful product or the best value product.

Great sales people have great insights into their customers, because they follow another rule – they ask, listen and tell, in that order!