A survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) found that between now and Christmas Day, consumers will visit a shopping center an average 6.5 times a week for goods and services, and will be spending, on average, $147.00 a week.
Some stores will get a little bit of that. Some stores will get their share. But the best retailers will get their share – and more. They’re going to crush it! Here are five tips to doing just that.
1. Greet every customer. You can’t fall short on this. Customers need to see that you and your staff are right there, ready to deliver a great shopping (and buying) experience. This is especially important when the store is slammed. Otherwise customers will walk in, see the chaos, turn around and head for the hills. Or at least to another store, or home to shop online.
Consider designating a staffer to be the greeter during peak times. You might think you can’t afford to not having everyone selling, but when it’s crazy you actually can’t afford to not have someone at the door.
2. Declare your store a No Clerk Zone. Customers are in your store to buy something. Most need to buy something for people on their list, and the rest are looking to add to what they’ve bought or buy something for themselves. I like to tell the staff to approach every customer as if the customer has walked in with their credit card in hand.
3. Be sure your staff engages EVERY customer with Who, not What. Being a No Clerk Zone means no closed-ended questions. No asking “how may I help you?” Associates need to welcome people and immediately ask for whom they are shopping. It’s easy and it works. I believe keeping the entire focus on who the customer is shopping for, not what the customer is thinking of buying, is worth an extra 10% – 20% or more in sales. Really!
4. Make sure every employee has a winner’s attitude. Customers can feel the passion and energy of the store team (or lack thereof) when they’re in the store. Everyone on the team needs to leave negativity and problems at the door. Managers and colleagues need to call out and turn around any staff member who isn’t 100% onboard.
This is especially important for any stores and/or staff that are struggling this month. Last weekend’s warm weather affected a lot of stores. And the unseasonably warm weather doesn’t push out Christmas beyond December 25th. Sales are just going to be compressed into the next nine days. We all must be on top of our game…especially the leaders.
5. Run a simple crunch time sales incentive. One of my favorite incentives at this time of year is called The Double and Triple It Sales Incentive. I like this one because it keeps the staff focused on exceeding the daily sales goal as a team.
Here’s how one of our multi-store clients is using The Double and Triple It Sales Incentive program from December 15th to December 24th.
When the store hits the daily sales goal, everyone working that day earns $10. If they hit 105% of goal the payout doubles to $20. If they hit 110% of goal they triple it to $30. But if they fall short of goal, they don’t earn any money that day.
Of course you can change the sales targets and payouts to fit whatever is best for your business. You can use cash, store credit, or gift cards as the incentive.
So let me ask, which of these actions are you already taking? Which of these tips will you quickly apply so you’ll be sure to crush your sales goals?
