7 Mistakes to Avoid In Retail Sales

Key words: Retail sales training, retail selling skills

Retail is one of the most booming sectors of the economy. This sector offers some good business to the companies at the same time provide employment opportunity in marketing and sales domain. Employees who deal with customers in retail environment try to close as much sales as possible. Many a time companies even provide retail sales training to its employees so that they can fulfil their sales targets.

However, the employees should be careful when they are dealing with customers in retail sales. Some of the mistakes that they must try to avoid are:

1. Not involving customer in a conversation: The customer turns up at a retail store to get his needs fulfilled. When engaging with the customer with sales pitches it is not a good idea to speak continuously. Rather the customers should also be allowed to speak. It is a wise decision to involve them in an engaging conversation as well so that their views can also be understood.
2. Not understanding customer requirements: It is the duty of the sales person of the retail store to understand the customer’s requirement and help him select the appropriate product. Failure to understand the requirement may result in lower sale convertibility. Also only focussing on fulfilling the sales quota can result in littlie sales convertibility. One should concentrate on fulfilling customers’ requirements as well.
3. Leaving customer alone to fetch on their own: Though there are customers who would not like to be bothered until they are ready to buy the product, there are some who would appreciate the greeting and also some direction. They may also involve the sales person to know about any discounts or offers or about the best product that is available to meet their requirements. This may result in greater sales convertibility.
4. Insufficient knowledge about products: Insufficient knowledge can often drive away customers. It is very important that the sales person be trained appropriately through retail sales training about the retail products available. Also they should be aware about the advantages that the products offer than that of the competitors.
5. Ignoring the customer: One of the major mistakes in retail sales that need to be avoided is ignoring the customer. No matter how busy a sales person is, he must take out the time to attend to customer requirements. Instead of just pushing the customers towards the products, it is wise to attend to their concerns, problems or queries. This will help in building a good customer relationship.
6. Fast and Hasty closure: Getting desperate to close a sale can sometime drive out a customer. It is essential to make the sales person understand through retail sales training that it is important to give the customer some time to understand the deal and also be comfortable with his decision. Trying to close a deal fast can irritate a potential customer and upset him.

7. Not extending invitation to the customer to return: Though first impression counts a lot but it is the last impression which will decide whether the customer will become a regular customer at the retail store or not. A superior manager will use his retail selling skills and will thank the customer for the purchase and will also ask them to visit the store again. Instead of only bothering about the day’s sale the sales persons should aim for long term association.

Resource box: Seeking how to avoid mistakes in retail sales? A visit to RJA Sales Training can give you with the required details.