Today I went out with my teenage Son to get the usual bits and pieces for the imminent return back to school.
One thing I always note is how I’m served in different places.
After being in retail on and off for the last ten years or so, I’ve probably done every customer service course under the sun. Also having worked at management level, I have also had the good fortune to be able to supervise retail staff regarding the way they deal with customers.
Make no mistake – some customers are hellish. Let’s not sugar coat it. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to please, some people seem intent on making your life as a salesperson a misery. Been there, done that, and have several t-shirts with ‘just had the customer from hell,’ written on them. They’re all in pink if you’re wondering. 
Anyhow this article is not really about serving people it’s about being served.
Back to Today…
Louis dragged me into a well-known clothing store to look for the latest in skinny trousers that he absolutely had to have!
After looking through the rails we noted they didn’t have Louis’s trouser size, so I walked up to an assistant who was busy stuffing a bag with paper to display.
I asked very politely, with a big fat grin, if she had the trouser size I was looking for.
She briefly looked at me, then turned back to what she was doing and told me, over the loud music playing in the store, that they may have the size in the delivery that had come in but she wouldn’t know for sure until she’d looked at the delivery.
Being the experienced sales person that I am, I expected her to stop what she was doing, look at me, move a bit closer to speak so I could hear her, and finally offer to run to the stock room to have a gander.
No such luck. She told me to come back when the order was put out on the floor. The date of that she decided to keep to herself.
Immediately Louis knew he was not going to get those trousers from that store because his Mama had just been rudely dealt with.
Even at 14 years old he could tell that this was not the way to deal with a customer. When we’d left the store I asked him what he’d do if he worked in a store and had to answer a customer’s question.
“Well, I’d stop what I was doing, walk up to them and smile. I’d try to answer their question the best I could and take them to the item if we had it in stock. If we didn’t, I’d offer an alternative and then if that didn’t suit, I’d find out when we’d be getting the item in and make the customer aware of that.”
That’s my boy!
How can it be that a 14 year old knows how to deal with people in a scenario he’s never experienced? (e.g. working in a shop)
It’s because Louis understands that we have to treat people exactly the same as how we wish to be treated.
It’s not rocket science.
Now let’s skip back a few months ago to the same store but a different assistant who was happy to physically look for the item my son wanted, offer alternatives, and also (strike a light) link sell something else.
Yes, the experience made my purse a little more lighter than it should have been, but it was a nice buying experience with an attentive assistant who aimed to please.
When you Sell…
Put yourself in the customers’ shoes and think.
Is it important to you to get a smile when you need help?
Is it nice for you when someone stops what they’re doing and gives you their full attention?
Does it feel good to get extra time with the assistant so they can tell you more about the item they are selling?
Let me tell you something…
Women in particular tend to spend more when they are dealt with this way. In makes us feel quite special.
Do note: Many of us don’t like be hard-sold to.
Being chatty, conversational and attentive, has much more link selling potential than being abrupt and stand-offish.
It’s a no-brainer really, but judging by my experience today, some sales assistants still don’t get it.
Unfortunately for that company they missed out on a nice chunk of cash, because not only did we want one pair of trousers, we wanted two, plus additional items.
If you have staff please spend some time doing some half hour training. Note their sales and progress and observe how they deal with people.
If you own that business, you cannot afford to have staff who don’t give 100% to your customers.
I come from a retail niche whose customer service and sales performance is highly ranked, and I’ve seen people loose their job if they fail to perform.
It’s not always about what you sell or the demand for it. It’s actually how much you care about the people you’re selling to.
V x
P.S
If you’d like information on how I can motivate your staff and get them to realise the potential of good customer service, you know how to find me.
I have been in the customer service field for over 25 years and I am still surprised at the way some businesses let the employees treat their customers.
When I hired employees, I made it clear that customer service was the only priority and that I was to notified of any issues. I did not pretend that a 19 year old part timer could possibly know or care about customer service.
To me, it’s all the training. Businesses that let their employees run the store will soon see the customers run, too.
Maria, the irony of this situation was I got served better by the teenager a few months ago. The woman who served me this time was just that – an adult and not a teen.
Unfortunately to many sales assistants their job is just a pay check and nothing more. It’s a companies job to encourage, reward and recognize excellent staff in order for them to see they are not just a number on the payroll – this will play it forward for all parties involved.