Sales Training To Boost Potential Profits

In the world of retail, it is essential that staff are trained in customer services and sales to maximise profits for the company. Sales training provides essential skills necessary to entice customers to stay in the shop, buy products and want to return in the future to make more purchases. One of the ways to assess the skills of staff is to employ a mystery shopper. These covert consumers have a set agenda and report back to a consultancy that works on behalf on many companies to deliver reports on the efficiency and friendliness of staff. We take a look at the factors that are under the spotlight of the mystery shopper agenda and suggest ways that consumer focussed sales training can improve turnover.

Upon entering a shop, the mystery shopper will make a note of the time and the number of browsers in the establishment and the number of staff working. A mental note will also be made of the immediate feel of the shop, for example the type of music playing, lighting and cleanliness. Customer and staff relations are assessed on the spot according to friendliness, helpfulness and acknowledgement. Walking into a shop where a customer is browsing and all the staff are chatting, or maybe not even on the shop floor is a bad beginning to any mystery shopper assessment.

Staff training should teach the staff to acknowledge a customer when they arrive in the shop with a smile and eye contact. After a short while of browsing, one of the members of staff should approach the customer with a general greeting that is conversation opener and ask if they can be helped in any way. The mystery shopper will be looking for around 2 to 3 minutes of browsing before this interaction occurs. The conversation opener is to demonstrate friendliness; if the staff seem approachable and friendly, the customer is more likely to enquire about alternative products and make a purchase.

The mystery shopper will also be primed with certain questions to suit the situation. Adequate sales training will give a sales person the skill to persuade a customer to make a purchase through deducing what it is they are looking for. One of the typical enquiries is describing an event that needs a particular purchase, such as court shoes to go with a peach dress for a wedding and asking the sales assistant what they recommend. The well trained sales person will bring the customer a variety of items to try and explain why they have been chosen.

Talking about the quality of a product, or it's popularity are key phrases the covert shopper will listen out for. If a sales assistant is seen to be inattentive, disinterested or vague about the products in the shop, the mystery shopper may suggest sales training in communication and customer relations. The mystery shopper is looking for openness, friendliness and a genuine interest in the product or service they being provided.

Sales training geared towards customer satisfaction also incorporates taking care of the establishment. A tatty premises registers as much on the mystery shoppers list of negative qualities as a bad display of customer service does. For a shopper to feel welcome, the atmosphere of the shop has to be right. This can cover having suitable music playing at a suitable level, interesting displays of products that look appealing to a potential buyer, and prices clearly displayed.

Ultimately it is the overall atmosphere and service that is assessed, and there are cases where negative aspects can be outweighed by positive ones. Sales training needs to feature all the aspects of customer relations and shop floor management so that the staff are able to spot potential downfalls and correct them before losing customers and potential profit.

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