Goods
“ satisfactory or your money refunded .” This was the slogan for Eaton ’ s department stores , and it set the standard for the retail industry . And even though most mom-and-pop operations didn ’ t have the clout to absorb losses like a chain of department stores , they had to follow suit or fall by the wayside . The lasting consequence : it makes no sense nowadays to sell a customer something they won ’ t be satisfied with , because of the popular expectation that they should be able to return it .
However , “ all sales final ” should not be a policy , but rather a sales objective . If a customer buys something and feels the need to return it , this should be regarded as a breakdown in the sales process . Maximizing customer satisfaction and minimizing returns is the objective of a sales team .
Meeting this objective has been the subject of numerous articles , so I won ’ t go into sales techniques here . Suffice it to say that a salesperson has to take the time to find out what a customer wants , or they risk selling them something they don ’ t want .
I worked in a guitar shop , not as a sales person , but doing repairs . The repair bench was located adjacent to the showroom , so I often had a ringside seat when a sales person
24 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
By Morgan Ahoff
THERE
IS NO
ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL
APPROACH TO
SELLING
was helping a customer choose a guitar , amp , or effects pedal . What I observed was that noticeably different selling styles can be equally effective . The sales people are all following the same core process , but then they bring their individuality in to make it highly adaptable .
The sales process basically is :
1 . Listen to the customer , and ask unobtrusive qualifying questions , to get an idea of what they ’ re going to be doing with the instrument .
2 . Scan the inventory , and pick out the instrument that you expect they ’ re going to buy .
3 . Bracket that with two other options . This is where your judgement comes in . Some customers will get confused if it ’ s compared to instruments that are very similar , while some will feel like they ’ re being shoehorned into one option if the others are too different .
4 . Talk about the pros and cons of each , relating it back to the customer ’ s needs .
5 . Have the confidence to ask for the sale . Remember that you are guiding the customer through the sales process , from start to finish .
Even though several staff members may have “ sales ” on their business cards , each brings their personality to the position , and will fulfill the role in a unique way . Let ’ s look at a few examples from among my coworkers at Rufus Guitar Shop .
THE OWNER
Blaine McNamee always wanted to own a guitar shop , and worked hard to make it happen . He ’ s very knowledgeable about the products
Blaine McNamee because he chose to carry each and
every one of them in his store . Impressed by his in-depth knowledge about the product , a customer would ask , “ Do you own this guitar ?!” and he liked to joke , “ I own every guitar in this store !”
McNamee is quick to close a sale , which comes from having lots of experience , but he ’ s sometimes a little too quick . He ’ s busy man , and he ’ s seen it so many times before , he tends to forget that the customer isn ’ t used to