Some really clear and concise common sense tips aimed at retail staff who may or may not be in sales and are customer facing and want to improve their confidence levels These tips are ideal for new staff looking for a place to start

1. You will always have targets, from
minute one. Getting your mindset
right is the first step to hitting
them

2. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
All things being equal, the sales person
who talks to the most customers will
always get the most sales

3. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
Look after the pennies
and the pounds will
take care of themselves
Breaking a daunting target down into
manageable daily chunks helps both
the targets seem much more
achievable and also ensures you
remain focused on the smaller
opportunities that come up as you
have a heightened awareness of
how they all help build toward the
bigger goal.

4. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t
understand it well enough
It’s perfectly possible to hit several related targets from one customer
but without a smooth process you may bring one up as an afterthought
and interrupt the flow of the conversation, which in turn affects your
success rate.
A process should not be confused with “patter”. While patter is a
prepared speech, a process will ensure you know exactly where you
are in any conversation.
Knowing where you are in the conversation means never forgetting to
discuss an option that could lead to potentially more sales, increased
profit or cover important terms and conditions that may be important to
closing the sale.
Spend some time before hand thinking about where each topic/target
belongs in a typical conversation with a customer.
The customers confidence in you will increase as a reflection of your
assuredness.

5. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
If a customer leaves without
buying, the chances are you
have lost the sale
Despite what they may tell you, if a customer
leaves without buying they almost certainly
won’t return.
One of your competitors, whether it be
another company or even your own company
website has the greater chance of securing
the sale.
Whenever, despite your best efforts, the
customer can’t or isn’t willing to complete the
sale there and then, wherever possible get
the customer to commit to the purchase by
completing some of the relevant paperwork
or leaving some type of a deposit.

6. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
Turn one customer into two or even three
You can’t guarantee more new
customers but you can gain more sales
from your existing customers
The likelihood is that the majority of your conversations are with
existing customers.
Rather than treating this as a done deal, think about where the
opportunities lie.
Two sales from one customer will double your profit and
maximise your time

7. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
Some profit is better than no
profit
All promotions and offers come at a cost and
cut into the profit of a product but without
them the product may not sell at all.
By understanding the profit margins and the
tools available to you, you have another card
to play in your negotiations with customers
Discounts and free additional products
should not be offered unless necessary and
should only be done so to gain a commitment
from a customer i.e. “would you buy today
if I can give you x,y,z was included in the
price”
.

8. HOW TO HIT TARGETS
People want holes, not drills
Understanding the difference between the
features of a products and the benefits is key
to selling.
Take the example of the iPod launch. Nowhere
did it mention the memory capacity in GB, it
sold the device at a human and an emotional
level. It instantly connected at a level
everyone could grasp no matter what their
technology knowledge levels are.
Every customer is an individual and good
questioning will be key to understanding their
desires but if you can match there wants to the
feature then you greatly enhance your chance
of a sale.