Retail Staff Training guarantees better productivity. Properly trained retail staff deliver better results while achieving a higher customer focus.You'll be competing primarily on price, unless your staff is better trained with more knowledge about your products than your competitors. This is not a good position for you as a retail specialty store, as it is next to impossible to compete on price with the big box retailers and national chains given their huge buying power and economies of scale.I see this time and time again. Retailers investing in advertising and marketing, driving people in to their stores only to have staff that does not have the right training to talk about the products properly. If your staff is not making recommendations customers leave without buying. Now I’m sure that’s not what you want.Here are the four areas of training that are essential for new, and I’m throwing in your existing staff as well.
- Product Knowledge
- Customer Service
- Store Procedures
- How to Sell Effectively
Product Knowledge:
Your staff should know the features and benefits of the product that are sold in your store. They must know what they are selling to be effective salespeople. Mix this with enthusiasm and love of the product , you will have a winning combination. Are you lacking information on the products you sell? Maybe you have been lax in this area! Call up vendors and your reps and get what you need. Next start reviewing this information with your staff. Make it mandatory that your staff learns this information.
How to Sell Effectively:
Here are a few issues that should be covered in your weekly training sessions. Notice I said weekly.
- What are the best qualifying questions to ask?
- How do you determine customer needs?
- How do you overcome customer objections?
- What are the best ways to ask for the sale?
- How do you use scarcity and urgency to close the sale?
- How do you create add on sales by recommending products that go with or complement other items?
If your staff is finding it challenging to answer these questions start role playing with them to discover the answers. This really works.
In-Store Procedures:
This can cover a lot of things. Here are some of the most important issues:
- How you receive merchandise into your store.
- Pricing and ticketing merchandise.
- Putting the merchandise on the sale floor.
- Special orders.
- Re-stocking merchandise.
- Re-ticketing merchandise.
- Markdowns
- Opening the store.
- Closing the store.
- Cash accountability.
- The alarm.
- Processing the sale.
- Credit card use.
- Accepting checks.
- Returns.
- Taking cash readings.
Customer Service:
Customers are turning their backs to businesses that do not deliver value. And good customer service adds value! There's no way around it. No shortcuts. Customers demand value for money, or they are out of the door.Properly trained employees convert more shoppers into buyers, promote repeat business, and establish your store as an expert in your niche. Start your new staff off right and get your existing staff on board as well with regular training in the four areas I have shared with you.Many of you do not see yourselves as the trainers and educators in your businesses. But that’s the role you must take on. Can’t do it on your own . Hire a professional. It will pay for it self.A new employee that is well trained will be an on going asset to your business. Start off right with the next person you hire.Barbara[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]
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