We’re All in Sales: Four Keys for Sales Success

– Doug Fleener

The other day a reader unsubscribed to my newsletter because, as she put it, “We don’t sell in our store so quite a bit of what you write about doesn’t pertain to us.” She doesn’t sell? Well, if she doesn’t she’s not going to be in business much longer. The only way a customer can buy products from a retailer is if the store is selling those products. The fact is that we’re all in sales.

If you look up the word “sell” on www.dictionary.com you'll see there are numerous definitions. Many are about dealing in certain products and the transferring of products in exchange for money. The definition that most people identify with the word “sell” has to do with “persuading or inducing someone to buy something.”

We merchandise our products in particular ways to induce someone to buy. Our in-store signage and graphics are created to induce someone to buy. Finding and offering a different product selection than our competitors is done to induce someone to buy. Store sales and specials are done to induce someone to buy. We put impulse items at the counter to induce someone to buy. So shouldn’t our staff, the biggest differentiator any retailer has, also be trained and expected to induce someone to buy?

The biggest barrier to a staff selling is their confusion about what it means to induce someone to buy. Induce means “to lead and influence.” We can lead and influence in a positive or negative way, which is why selling skills are so important. When we know our products and have some understand of the customer’s needs and opportunities, inducing someone to buy is a service! When we’re honest and forthcoming with customers they appreciate and thank us for inducing them to buy. As long as we put the customer’s needs before our own, selling is a good thing.

These are the four keys factors needed for a staff to be good at inducing people to buy:

1. Product knowledge. Without first-rate product knowledge it’s virtually impossible to lead a customer to buy the right products. But - product knowledge alone is not enough.
2. A systematic approach to engaging and selling the customer. Inducing someone to buy is based on trust. To build trust there needs to be some degree of interaction and the development of a relationship. Having a systematic approach in place helps guide employees through the steps necessary to lead and influence the customer.
3. Sales and engagement training. This is much different from customer service training. Cashiers need customer service training so they know how to deal with unhappy customers and are knowledgeable about store policies. Sales associates need to know how to execute the store’s systematic approach so they can add value to the customer’s store experience.
4. A culture of honesty and respect. It’s the retailers who lack this culture that give selling a bad name.

So let me ask, how well does your store and staff induce someone to buy?