It seems that retailers have drawn a difficult lot in the 21st century: competition from online retail is growing steadily. After all, Internet retailers can sell your products at significantly lower prices than is the case with a conventional specialist or mail-order companies, and even small businesses can use the Internet to reach a large number of potential customers within a very short time. As a retail seller, you are, therefore, faced with the challenge of bringing your brand, bulk buying groups, service or product to the customer without the Internet.

Even if the future of the retailers looks anything but rosy at first glance, the retail trade has an ace up its sleeve that, if played well, can significantly increase your sales success. We are talking about personal face-to-face contact.

Tip 1: The first impression counts, also in retail

It is often the first few seconds in which it is decided whether a sales or advisory interview is going to be successful or rather a flop. So do everything you can to leave a good first impression with your potential customers. An optimistic attitude and a friendly smile often work wonders. Your positive overall picture is rounded off by a suitable outfit and a chic hairstyle.

Tip 2: Authenticity - stay true to your line

Nevertheless, you should make sure that your style of clothing or the style of clothing of the sellers employed in your shop fits roughly with the concept and type of your company. A boutique seller can dress fashionably and experiment with different colors and fashion bars. However, to give a competent impression in a sports shop, you should rather wear T-shirts and sneakers, possibly in combination with a cap.

Tip 3: Appreciate your customers

People who show a certain basic sympathy to every customer, even if you sometimes find it difficult, are undoubtedly the better sellers. Even if a customer does not immediately appeal to you due to external characteristics or a certain behavior - make eye contact, smile and pay your undivided attention to your counterpart. This is how the customer feels and is more willing to be interested in your products and services.

Tip 4: "The customer is king" - meet him at eye level

Adjust yourself completely to the needs of your customers, instead of overwhelming a customer looking for advice with incomprehensible technical terms and extensive explanations:

Express yourself as simply as possible and provide understandable explanations. If you forego further explanations, you should notice that no further advice is desired

Under no circumstances should the customer feel compelled to make a decision.

Tip 5: "Honestly lasts the longest"

Exaggerated lot prices of their own products quickly expose most customers as an aggressive sales strategy. For this reason, such an approach is not particularly sales-promoting. You will also probably not reap any sympathy points. If in doubt, make several alternative suggestions and ask the customer about his specific ideas.

Tip 6: less is more - stay in the background

It is perfectly acceptable for you to offer your advice on searching for customers. "Can I help you?" - "Thank you, I'm just looking around." Accept the client's decision, but without leaving the office without a trace. Perhaps the customer will remember your offer and speak to you again.

Tip 7: Become a “behavior detective”

A good sales is always an excellent observer, who can adapt to the customer at any time and improvise spontaneously in unusual situations. Train your powers of observation and recognize in what mood a customer enters your shop (is he/she tense, relaxed or rather hectic?)

• What does the customer look for first?

• Where does he stop?

Be prepared that the behavior of your customers can suddenly change during the sales talk. Do not let this unsettle you, but try to understand your customers and, above all, give the buyer the feeling of being understood.

Sales Tricks 8: Store design

In addition to your personal sales qualities, small attentions and a pleasant shopping atmosphere can also affect your customers' willingness to buy.

Tip 8: Goodies as an invitation to come back

The so-called goodies, i.e. small gifts and samples that are put in the buyer's hand when paying, have become an integral part of American and British retail. Popular goodies include

• Cream samples at the hairdresser

• Gadgets in electronics stores

• a cup of coffee while visiting the nail salon

A pleasant side effect: the give-aways can be used simultaneously for promotional and advertising purposes (e.g. by printing the company logo) and thus help to increase the level of awareness of your product or service. Quite a few of the gifted buyers come back, either out of curiosity or because the last goodie was so well received.

Tip 9: Mellow music

Our buying behavior can be influenced positively by playing soft background music. But you can also use light and colors effectively for an advantageous product presentation. Play, for example, different brightness levels and colors, depending on which shop area is to be presented and how.

Tip 10: benefit from the "increased demand"

As is well known, there is a demand for scarce goods rather than articles that are available in abundance. True to the motto: "What there is little of it must be valuable and high quality". In this sense, a sparsely populated space on the shelf creates the impression that the product is being bought by many customers, so do not stuff your shelves evenly, but leave specific gaps in the arrangement of the products on the shelf, ideally for items of which you own already know that they will sell well. As a rule, customers will have more courage, at least when it comes to remaining stocks.

Conclusion

To be successful as a retailer today, you need a high level of empathy and tact. The main aim is to meet the needs of shop visitors and to provide them with advice. You should be positive yourself, but not too pushy. Hustle and bustle, stress and long monologues in technical terms are also out of place.