My shopping experience lately has been amazing, and not in
good sense. Most of time when I walk in a store one of four things happens: (1)I can tell who salespeople are because they’re walking around with headsets on talking to one another, and I can’t even catch their eyes.
(2)I walk in a store as big as a city and can’t find anyone I can identify as a salesperson. I spend more time hunting down a salesperson than rest of purchase process combined.
(3)I find someone who appears to be a salesperson who is “busy” doing something else, like stocking shelves, and is clearly annoyed at interruption when I ask for help. They act like it’s an imposition in their job, not purpose of their job.
(4)They are courteous and friendly, with lots of smiles and comments such as “Have a good day,” but they don’t know product or features and waste my time, which is almost always precious. The friendly demeanors do not make up for lack of knowledge.
There is nothing so valuable as a customer in your store, in front of your face. It takes a lot of time and money to get a customer in your store in first place, and what you do once they’re there matters.
Once they are in your store, if you want repeat customers, your work has only just begun. It extends way beyond selling them item and ringing cash register. Remember, today’s consumer has choices! You aren’t only book store slash office supply store slash clothing store slash gourmet cooking store in your area.
Furthermore, you are now competing with ease of purchase on Internet. What can you offer in comparison to ease of pushing a button and awaiting UPS driver? Customer service. Real people with positive attitudes, expertise about their products, and winning ways.
The Nature of Job
Customer service is basically one interruption after another. In fact that’s definition of job. Service to customer means doing things in an unpredictable order, and never doing same thing twice. It requires high emotional intelligence – ability to get in customer’s shoes, understand their perspective, and be flexible in your dealings with them.
And number one rule is – Don’t ignore your customers.
Some customers are in a hurry and want their item fast. They want to get in there and get out. Others are shopping and may want you to show them around, talk with them, make it an experience. You need to be able to read signs in order to meet need. Someone walking fast, talking fast, looking business-like, and getting straight to point is probably in a hurry, and doing intentional, destination-point shopping. It may also be a clue if they’re dressed in business attire, indicating it may be in middle of their work day.
Someone ambling around with a softer facial expression who’s being chatty may be inclined to make a purchase during their window-shopping if you make it enough of an experience.
Maintain Contact
One of most important reasons for maintaining contact is because customers who are not satisfied will rarely report it. To YOU, that is. Typically they will leave, never to return, and then tell several other people about it. “Do you know what happened when I went to XXX? They ignored me. (They were rude to me.) It took me 30 minutes to buy one screw. Don’t ever go there.”
This you will never hear, and it’s kind of word-of-mouth “advertising” that can kill your business.
People talk. Give them opportunity to talk to you so you can address their needs, correct mis-service, and keep them satisfied.
Avoid Negative Atmosphere
If word about your business is negative, though some people may continue to do business with you for various reasons (location, lack of competition, etc.) they will enter your store with a negative attitude which will in turn infect your sales people, and you will end up with a deteriorating situation that’s difficult to turn around.
