Maximize Opportunity

– Doug Fleener

1. Increase your overall floor awareness. The busier the store, the more important it is to watch as many customers as possible for cues they need help. Signs include customers who are looking quickly back and forth, those who walk in faster than other customers, and those who are picking up more products than people usually do. Working together as team, the staff can signal to each other who might need help and which staff member is available.
2. Sometimes you have to walk away from one customer to help another. One of the mistakes people make when the store is busy is not working with any customers at all. They're fearful of getting tied up with a customer and not being able to break away from a customer to help another. This approach invariably costs sales. Engaging customers with a systematic approach is the best opportunity to create sales. If there are more than one employees on the floor when the store gets extremely busy, designate one as a "floater" whose role is to help customers by answering quick questions, answering the phone, ringing sales, etc. If a customer needs more help, the floater turns him over to another staff member.
   
   If you are working with a customer and another needs help, you can always either excuse yourself from one customer to help another, or acknowledge to the waiting customer that you or your colleague will be with her as soon as possible. Make sure you alert your colleagues to the customer who is waiting and do your best to make sure the person is helped as soon as possible. Sometimes you'll just have to make a calculated guess which customer is more patient and willing to wait.
3. Work with more than one customer at once. This is not only a great way to maximize the extra traffic but you can actually increase your average ticket as customers help sell each other. There are two ways to do this. The first method is called the invite. When working with one customer you notice that another customer is listening in to what you are saying. They clearly have an interest in what you are telling the other customer and are probably in the store to gain knowledge to make a purchase. Invite the customer who is listening to join you while working with the other customer. Most of the time the first customer doesn't mind but it is important than the first customer remain your primary focus.

Another way to maximize the traffic is to do group presentations. This works especially well if the product you sell is demonstrable. Make an announcement to customers: “In two minutes we're going to demonstrate our XYZ product. It only takes about five minutes and it is not to be missed.” There is an incredible herd mentality in crowds and if the rest of the staff will take a moment to gather the people in the store you'll be amazed at how many will gather 'round. Then just do a short sales presentation as if someone had walked into the store and asked you to show her the product.

For those retailers who don't have a particularly demonstrable product, do a short “how-to” presentation. You can do a presentation on how pick out the perfect handbag, how to match earrings and necklaces to an outfit, how to pick out the right camera, etc. You may choose one customer in the group to work with to make it even more engaging for the group. These type of presentations help establish store and associate credibility as well as focus a large group on information and activity that can lead to a purchase.

Whatever you do, don't let a large crowd or small staff get in the way of maximizing all of your customer opportunities.