Professional Documents
Culture Documents
That’s the power of suggestive selling. Customers feel like they’re getting a steal, but
across the entire customer pool the numbers quickly add up. If you’re skeptical still, try
out this suggestive selling calculator to see the potential increase for your annual retail
sales.
However, suggestive selling techniques aren’t solely limited to quick service retail. It also
doesn’t require pegging your retail team to continually ask the same question to all of
your customers. After all, no two customers are alike and neither are any two retailers.
Here are some guidelines in teaching suggestive selling to your retail team:
There are a few solutions to this. Mock up a few phrases that your retail staff can use that
don’t blatantly state the price. For example let’s look at how we can alter a suggestive
selling phrase that highlights the savings, rather than the costs:
Phrase A: We have jeans that you can purchase for an additional $40.
Phrase B: Since you’re purchasing that sweater, we’re running a special where you can
buy a pair of jeans for half of its original price. Is this something that you’d be interested
in?
Who would you be more willing to buy from? Yes, the first phrase gets straight to the
point but it doesn’t sound like much of a deal in the grand scheme of things, especially if
your budget is limited. While in either case the customer could be spending $40 for the
jeans, getting an item for half of the price that goes with the item already being purchased
is a lot more tempting when already in the mood to shop. Plus, people are more inclined
to make an excuse for buying more when the deal they’re getting is significantly lower
than the original price point.
Be sure that your sales floor staff communicates clearly with customers and provides
them the opportunity to give feedback. The more your staff gets to know your customers,
the more open they’ll be to your suggestions. You can make recommendations just for
that customer based on what you discover in the particular items they handle or touch.
Making personal recommendations makes the suggestive sale feel special and is that
much harder for a customer to walk away from.
When suggesting add ons, it’s about what the additional item brings to the original item.
Train your staff to suggest items to create a package they want to use in unison, rather
than two separate items. The same goes for food and hospitality. For instance, front of
house staff can suggest a wine that pairs well with the particular food being ordered.
Offering a consistent rewards program establishes the potential for customers to earn
discounted or free items the more they spend no matter the store. Your retail sales staff
can push them to increase their spending by suggesting store items that are on sale for
double the rewards points, or by suggesting they spend a little more to redeem an
additional item worth more than what they’re spending. Creating the consistency of “the
more I spend, the more I earn” causes retail customers to become more inclined to return
to your store.
Suggestions could be made before or during the point of sale. Staff can be trained on cues
that show the level of interest in an item. This could be detected by a customer holding an
item, asking questions or glancing at a sales rack. When your customer is showing keen
interest, then may be the time to make a relevant suggestion. If in the case that you are
only operating the sales register and it is your initial interaction with the customer, you
could make a suggestion based on what they’re buying. Although it contradicts engaging
to make personal recommendations, if your customer is missing out on a BOGO sale that
applies to their purchase or the like, it never hurts to point out what your store is currently
offering.
6. Adapt Strategy
Suggestive selling provides an ample opportunity to increase revenue while satisfying the
customer. Try out different techniques and see how they affect customer satisfaction and
your profitability. When you see success in one methodology over another, form a
suggestive selling strategy playbook and distribute it among your retail sales staff
members. When you’ve solidified a successful strategy, your staff will be ready to deliver
a consistent experience your customers are looking for