Greeting a walk-in Customer is a crucial phase of the successful sales.
Research show that customer satisfaction plummets when customers are not greeted promptly and friendly.
The proper greeting, on the other hand, will make customers feel welcome and valued. Knowing how to act when greeting customers and what to say can increase both sales and customer loyalty.
- Friendly and Professional
Smile whenever a Customer walks in your door.
You want your customers to feel welcome & it starts with your body language. Everything about your manner should say “I’m glad you’re here!”
- Dress professionally.
How you look is a key part of your greeting.
Smart, tidy & ready to help.
You need to look like you are proud of your Company & yourself
- Acknowledge the Customer.
80% of Customers complain counter Salespeople ignore them.
Even if you are busy, with another Customer, on the phone or looking up an item on the computer. Acknowledge their presence – make eye contact & smile.
They can see that you are busy & will happily wait their turn, if you have let them know you will get to them asap.
- Remember Customers’ preferences.
Learn to remember frequent Customers’ likes & dislikes.
EG: ask whether they managed to repair the vehicle timeously, with the clutch kit they bought last time they were in the store.
It makes them feel special.
Personal attention like this drives loyalty & opportunities to upsell as they have identified you care & will be open to your suggestions. It is about developing trust!
- Show customers to products.
If you have display shelves & they enquire about an item on a shelf, walk them to the product & show them where it resides.
We humans all like to touch, feel & view. And when we do, the purchase decision spikes by 50%!
So do let your Customers handle items you show them!
- Ask questions.
Questions will reveal underlying problems that with your superior knowledge can provide them.
This investigation phase is called OPEN questions – these typically begin with why, what where, when & how.
Once you have ascertained what they need & provided them with suitable products to meet their needs switch to closed s to CLOSED questions.
The answers to this line of questioning should establish a simple YES or NO.
EG: right we have everything you need; shall we go ahead & process your order?
- 7. Upsell
Once a Customer has given you the YES, time to add an upsell item/s that may not have been appropriate during the needs analysis phase.
EG the Customer is a layman & attempting a do-it-yourself service. You have equipped him with the parts required. “for this filter, you will require a 13 socket – do you have one in your toolbox?”
Most often, a Customer will not be 100% sure & so instead of not purchasing it he says, “mmm just in case I haven’t better add one onto the order”
Oh, & always finish with “you got hand cleaner?”