working in sales/retail

Hi all, i just recently got a job in a clothing store as a sales associate, so i'm wondering if anyone here has ever worked in a retail/ sales environment and could give me some tips on how to become better with making a sale.
For example, how you talk with people or how you greet them. Also what kinds of things to say (compliments) could i give if someone wants my opinion on something. Although i have my own ways of talking to people, i just want to know what kinds of strategies some of you guys use and what not

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Eye contact is key. Don't look through them. Don't look at their face. Look them in the eyes.

How ya doing, buddy?

Take it from someone who has worked retail for almost 4 years total now.

DON'T.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I worked in retail as my part-time job last summer. Finding different ways to greet people was interesting whenever someone entered the store. Also, I only had to persuade customers to purchase items on certain days, but my general technique was to mention the product without pressuring them too much. I found that customers were able to decide if they wanted something by simply looking at it.

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Aside from ways to greet/approach customers, the best thing to do in your position is to be knowledgeable of your merchandise. When you know the prices, styles, sizes, colors, fabric content, washing/drying instructions, and differences in brand of your inventory, you will be able to direct customers to what they are looking for, or at the very least, limit their options. It is in this way that you will move from transaction to transaction quickly and efficiently so that you can get customers the hell out of your store after they have spent their money.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Take it from someone who has worked retail for almost 4 years total now.

DON'T.

Quoted for truth. (3 years experience here)

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I agree with the "don't" sentiment, having done weekend and holiday work in retail and being thankful that it was just weekend and holiday work. But what really needs to be QFT is:

Originally Posted by coeccias

the best thing to do in your position is to be knowledgeable of your merchandise.

Spot on advice. It's rather annoying when someone approaches you asking if you need help, or if you go up to them with a question and they either don't know, or worse, bullshit about it. Being able to talk to someone in reasonable confidence about things and answer their questions will help you know end. Know your shit.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Take it from someone who has worked retail for almost 4 years total now.

DON'T.

Agreed.

But tricks, yes eye contact and talk to them as soon as they enter your section of the floor. And never use your own opinion unless it makes the product look good. Just don't say it's your opinion or they might hold you liable. Don't sit down ^^.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

As a customer POV, the one best thing I can tell you is this:

Don't be overpressuring. If you nag on a customer too much, including the infamous "do you need any help" line too much, you're just gonna piss them off. It's fine to ask once. Twice or more and you're gonna lose a customer.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yeah, I'm going to agree with the DON'T comment, I've spent over 8 years of my life in a retail environment and...well it's annoying. It isn't until you work in retail that you realize how stupid people really are. Although working in clothing can't possibly be as bad as electronics.

Anyway I'll agree with what was said before

#1 know your merchandise. When most people shop they are basically like sheep, and it's your job to heard them into what they want. If you're too pushy they WILL push back however.

#2 The best type of greeting is a hello welcome to _____, are you looking for pants or shirts? (Or something to this extent). If you notice I did NOT say "can I help you?" In order to make sales you'll want to ask as few yes or no questions as possible because people will pick the one that gets you out of their face. I also didn't say "what are you looking for?" or "Can I help you?" these are cliche'd and 80+ percent of the time result in the "just looking" response. A good sales quesiton is one that is not yes/no, and if answered limits their options.

Right here you'll get alot of people that say "I'm just looking" no matter what. These are the folks that don't want to be bothered. As you become more experienced you'll find out how to reintroduce yourself to them. If you're good you can keep an eye on what section they're in and what they seem to be most interested in. If they're constantly poking around the sales rack with short sleeve shirts then you can possibly show them another part of the store with similar sales and similar shirts. Furthermore if you see them carrying around an article of clothing, you can BRING THEM something that matches it and is in a similar price range. Again, people do not like to feel that they're being sold something. If you take it to them they'll be more likely to see you as trying to help them, and you'll get the chances to hand it to them. If you can get them to hold it, there's a higher chance that they'll buy it.

#3 Now a little before this and earlier in the sale you'll want to do some sort of name exchange. For some reason people respond to being called by their name. You don't want to overuse it, but doing so here and there creates familliarity between you and the customer.

Another tactic is when they have a decent amount of clothes in their arms to offer to take them from them and hold them behind the register. If you're working in a commisioned environment, or one where you're responsible for selling x amount of volume, this will 'tag' the customer. The other sales associates will have to respect them as yours. This also allows you to help multiple peple. Take the clothes one person is walking around with and let them look for whatever they want. You are now free to help someone else. When the first person is ready they have to come to you to get their clothes in order to try them on or buy them.

That should be more than enough to get you started.

edit: Are you skinny? If so you'll probably want to be very careful about helping fat people. Alot of them are super conscious about their weight. If you just take them to the fat section right off they'll be offended (why I don't know, they ate themselves into that, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR CLOSET). If the plus size clothes are the same as the other clothes you can show them styles in normal sizes. At some point they'll tell you that isn't the size they wear and that'll allow you to take them to the right section.

Which is another tactic. If someone is kinda sorta looking, and they haven't given you the body language to go away or to help them, you can show them stuff in the wrong size. They'll let you know that they're a bit bigger than whatever you're showing them and that'll alow you to take them where they're supposed to be. Again, this is a way of getting your hooks into them and making a sale.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I've gotta agree with everyone else here either dont do it all together (3 years experience) or if you have to for your bills, be knowledgable and courteous to your customers because the last thing you want is a bitchy customer raining on your parade.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Take it from someone who has worked retail for almost 4 years total now.

DON'T.

I'm like the 50th person to quote this, but yeah. Dopefish speaks the truth.

I've been working in a certain department store for a year (my anniversary was yesterday.. gah) and all I can really say is that some of the customers you get will make you want to pull your hair out. However, not -all- of them are bad, and think of it this way: you're not working in fast food.

Seriously though, I'm not on commission and I don't worry too much about catching every person that comes into my department and asking what they need, but I do try to help when I can.

Does the store you're working at have a credit card? Do they expect you to get a certain amount of customers to sign up for one? Mine does and boy oh boy do I hate bugging people to apply. Some stores are strict though and will penalize associates who don't meet the standards. I'm not trying to scare you though. Just relax and hopefully you'll be fine.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

If you're in sales, there is one important question to answer before you even start taking advice: Are you commission-based sales or do you work by the hour (with either minimal bonuses or none)?

Commission-based sales are difficult, as you have to be many different people at once to succeed, and you always, ALWAYS have to be on your feet and witty. There's no way to predict a customer's response, as you just don't know them well enough from one single encounter. Professional, yet jovial and confidant are key traits to have.

If you're not commission-based, then be courteous and attentative to the customer's needs, whether they need your help or they need you to go away. Look, listen, and learn.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Celes

Does the store you're working at have a credit card? Do they expect you to get a certain amount of customers to sign up for one? Mine does and boy oh boy do I hate bugging people to apply. Some stores are strict though and will penalize associates who don't meet the standards. I'm not trying to scare you though. Just relax and hopefully you'll be fine.

There was something similar in the PC store where I used to work, you'd get the customer and the second thing that you HAD to sell was some insurance plan thing which all in all was pretty useless if even the customer knew sod all about computers. And it was very expensive. And it wasn't a commission item but it had the biggest margin for the company. 5 mins selling the computer, another 30+ minutes trying to sell this shit.

Usually I would quote everyone else and say, 'Don't work in retail' but it's not too bad if you need the cash. There's worse stuff you could be doing, like working in a call centre for example. You meet interesting people, as well as all the dregs of society & oxygen theives that come into the store.
In most clothing stores you'll probably start off doing loads of merchandising; stocking rails, rearranging stock, security tagging and so on. Menial but varied. Just be friendly & smile when you approach customers. Sounds obvious but some sales people don't get it.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

A tip if you're not especially passionate about your work:

Know your managers. Learn what you can get away with and slack off on with each manager, depending on which one is on during your shift. You can learn this by watching how each manager responds to particular behaviors of other employees. But until you have a good feel for it, play it safe and do absolutely everything they tell you to. Once the managers trust you to do your job, they'll be less inclined to keep their eyes on you. At this point, you may feel free to do the bare minimum.

FELIPE NO

wow thanks! this is very helpful information . Becuz i just started in the retail business i'm on probation and they dont pay me commissions yet, but i think they do expect me to sell a certain amount. From reading the comments, i only plan to work in retail for at most a year or 2 as part time, since i'm currently a student.
On my first day working, which was yesterday one of my co-workers told me that most customers are stupid so its kinda funny to see that some of you guys share that view. The people i work with are really nice so i dont think this job will be that bad... for now.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I've been in the Grocery business for 6 years now and this is the code that I follow: If they don't ask for help*, I wont bother them, cause I know when I shop I want 100% peace - I treat them how I like to be treated. Grocery customers are *much* easier to piss off than any other type of customer.. Greet them when they speak to you and such.

One thing customers all share is they REMEMBER the good employees and bad employees. Keep this in mind.

*The exception to this is when I notice they are ACTIVELY looking for something and TRUELY cannot find the product, they will have a confused look on thier face and an increase in anxiety. Most customers already know what they want and where it is(unless the section has been resetted) when they walk in the store.

As a customer POV, I like to be left alone, and I agree don't come off like you're trying to SELL them the product. Retail stores are notorious for that annoying shit and I've stopped shopping at a few because of it(Best Buy is next I swear.)

Quote:

and think of it this way: you're not working in fast food.

All fast food workers have my respect. They deal with way more bullshit in one day than I ever will in a whole week.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I've noticed a trend in this thread -- it's all about the customer. Well, that's about half right.

Keep in mind, sweeper, that it's also about your performance. Any good salesperson knows when and when not to sell to a customer, but any good customer will know when you're trying to sell to them. Most will let you know at least one way or another that they're not looking to buy, especially if they know the place is commission.

Some will say it loud and clear "I'm not buying anything today" but others use body language, like turning their backs to you and walking away, or even cutting conversations short.

As much as you need to respect your customers, respect yourself as well. Don't let shitheads feed you their crap -- if a customer is pissing you off, walk away from the sale. Why? Because it'll affect you the rest of the day, and that's something you don't want.

I know that sounds confusing and admittedly it is. But you can't be nice to everyone, and you can't simply wait around for someone to approach you either. It's a very thin, delicate line. Some people genuinely don't know what they're looking for, but they don't wanna approach a salesperson and ask because they're afraid of what a good (or bad, if you look at it like that) salesperson will try and do.

Be curteous, and always, always keep in mind what the customer wants, and what you need to sell. If you only go by what they want, your numbers will almost always suffer.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Note: I don't mind customer service. It's pretty much everything else that I don't like.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I work at Abercrombie, and they're nazis about personal appearance and overall friendliness. I'm not really one of those Abercrombie white people, and I'm not exactly sure why I got the job, but everytime I go I put on my fakest more cheerful persona on ever.

If you want advice, just be in a general good mood all the time. Smile a lot, be real friendly, laugh, joke around. Just don't look like you're working, that's what I do.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, a little late to the thread, but I thought I'd join in since it's something I can relate to (customer services, nearly 6 years now) o_O

I was really into the whole job at the very beginning, helping people out was pretty interesting and rewarding in it's own way. Even the snobby and dumb customers didn't really affect me much, it was a job and pretty fun too. Now, not so much. Perhaps it's time for a change for me?

I've been told 6 years is a long time for CS, most people don't usually stay for more than 2 or 3. Maybe it's because working in a bookstore isn't so demanding. You just have to be aware of your options and limitations when helping people. Some people don't understand that there is only so much that you can do, you also have rules and regulations to adhere to.



Something funny I came across in my shop, a book with some interesting stuff to consider that can also relate to retail:

Quote:

The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit by Lois Beckwith

customer is always right, the 1. service-oriented adage placing the requests and needs of the consumer above all else 2. a patently false and venomous idea that anyone who has ever worked in a service capacity will adamantly refute; particularly common in the food service industry; the lower the employee is positioned on the totem pole, the more they will despise this concept 3. root of some of the most petty, obnoxious, greedy, and entitled behavior from people who claim to be members of the human race and act as though the employees assisting them are their personal servants and they themselves are a visiting dignitary because they're buying a T-shirt or the Thrilling Three Breakfast special; those who live by this theory will often ask to "speak to the manager," as if they are summoning the president of the United States, and will not rest until they are given something for free 4. a truly irresponsible idea that encourages the most base instincts of humanity; who-ever made it up should be shot. See also client.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Replace "making a sale" with "praying constantly and repeatedly for death", and you'll see what your priorities will be a few months from now.

Everyone isn't just saying this to be mean - you have inadvertantly engaged yourself in one of the worst fields to work in ever.

Good luck and I hope you're not earning commission. That's awful.

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After working in retail, I got to say that the worse thing you can do is push a sale. I worked with some of the most zealous people in the world trying to score that extra pair of denim purchase when my approach is really customer satisfaction.

I say just be natural, be yourself and help the customer to the best of your abilities. Although retail is really quite the bottom of the labor totem pole, it still is a great environment to meet and interact with different people. True I didn't open up the most Gap cards because I hated pushing people to doing stuff they didn't want but I got tons of compliments and had some of the most geninue Thank Yous and positive messages to my managers. Just think when you go shopping, what you like to see. A friendly, helpful sales person who is sincere about getting you what you want, not pushing you to buy some sweater you don't like or their latest promo on jackets.

But if someone looks ugly in someone and your manager is riding your ass to sell more, then I have no qualms on telling them they look good as long as they think they look good.

How ya doing, buddy?

eh I worked at a local Gamestop for christmas season and man I didn't know Gamestop did a lot of underhanded stuff. But other than that the experience of working in retail wasn't that bad.

Once myself and a co worker were standing across of each other and this lady walked in between us, he welcomed he to the store like he was supposed to and didn't even get a head gesture in return....and as she walked away he flipped her off which was funny as hell for me.

But yeah the experince was worth having but I doubt anyone would want that as their full time job till they are of retiring age.

Also its good not to have a problem with smiling...see i do and my manager constantly told me to keep smiling even if no one was in the store!

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?