I recently visited a shop in one of our State of the Art shopping malls to enquire about a device I was intending to buy as a replacement for one that I had unfortunately lost. I enjoyed the features of the device so much and was hoping to get that same product. After I enquired, I was told by the sales person that they don’t have that product in stock. One could imagine the disappointment on my face. I stayed a few seconds, and then asked if the product was completely out of stock or I was likely to get it in another branch. This sales person quickly directed me to a competitor’s shop, which was a blocks away; they sold similar products and she was very confident that I could get what I was looking for from them.
I was not excited about being directed to another shop, I had a pressing need at that time and entered the shop hoping that need would be met. I began to wonder whether the shop doesn’t stock a substitute to what I was looking for, which I was certain they did. At least, she could have attempted to offer me an alternative and let me be the judge to decide if I’ll take or not, instead of instantly directing me to a competitor’s shop when I had chosen to acquire the product from them. That is lost sales, and it is obvious that I’m not the first and surely won’t be the last customer to go through such an experience. Every lost sale negatively impacts the bottom line, and can we imagine how much a shop would lose in revenue when sales persons continue to act in this manner. Directing a customer out to a competitors shop is like indirectly telling the customer “thanks for dropping by, but we don’t need your money”, and effectively letting out fish that has been caught up in your net!
One would wonder why sales associates who are getting paid to sell would be so quick to direct customers to competitors when sale opportunities have not been fully exhausted. How do retailers rectify this challenge and ensure their sales associates are giving them their monies worth? It is possible for your sales team to acquire professional and smart selling skills through nurturing and regular training which will build up their knowledge and instill sound level of confidence in them.
The qualities of tenacity, smartness and confidence cannot be downplayed in selling and should be imbibed in our sales associates. It would not be attained overnight, but calls for regular training and development of their skills to enable them to adequately rise up to the complexities of selling.
About the Author
Amma is a Lead Consultant and trainer with M-DoZ Retail Consultants. Kindly contact her on 0201196080 or email amma.antwi@ghanatalksbusiness.com for further information or contribution.
