Sei sulla pagina 1di 39

UNIT E

SELLING FASHION

5.02 Demonstrate the steps of a


sale.

The Steps of a Sale


Approach
Determining customer needs and wants
Merchandise presentation
Handling customer objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Thanking and reassuring the customer
Sales follow-up

The Approach
The initial face-to-face meeting with the customer.
Usually within 30
seconds from the
time a customer
enters the store or
department
Used to acknowledge
customer presence

Greeting approach
Service approach
Merchandise approach

Greeting approach
May include an
introduction of oneself
May be combined with
the service or
merchandise approach

Service approach
Considered the least effective
approach method
Appropriate method to use
when customer has already
decided what to purchase

Merchandise approach
Includes comment(s) or a question about
the merchandise the customer is looking at
or handling
Appropriate to use if customer is actually
handling or looking at specific merchandise
Considered the most effective approach
method
Customers make a purchase
approximately 63% of the time when a
merchandise approach is used.

Determining Customers Needs


and Wants
Determine buying motives

Observe customer type

Use open-ended questions

Buying motives:
A customers
reasons for
buying goods
and services.

Rational motives
Emotional motives
Patronage motives

Rational motives: Customer


reasons for buying based on
logical thinking and decisionmaking.
Emotional motives: Customer
reasons for buying based on
feelings.
Patronage motives: Reasons
customers choose to shop at
one store instead of another.

Types of customers
Casual lookers: Customers who are
killing time or simply browsing.
Undecided customers: Customers who
need an item but want more information
before making a purchase.
Decided customers: Customers who
know exactly what they want and why, and
prefer to make their purchase quickly.

Open-Ended Questions
Cannot be answered with a yes or
no
Used to get more information from
customers to help select appropriate
merchandise to show

Merchandise Presentation
1. Determine which product features and
benefits are important to the customer.
2. Translate features into benefits.
3. Actively involve the customer in the
presentation.
4. Show no more than three items at once.
5. Show medium-priced merchandise first.

6. Exceptions are made to items 4 and 5 in


the case of the decided customer who
already knows what he/she wants to
purchase.

Product features and benefits


Product features: Physical
characteristics of an item.
Product benefits:
Satisfactions customers derive
from product features.

Translate features into benefits.


Customers buy benefits, not specific features!
Benefits change from customer to customer for the
same features.
The salesperson observes, listens, and questions
to determine which benefit(s) to stress to
customer.
An individual customer may desire different
features and benefits from time to timeeven for
the same product.
Example: The vertical stripes (feature) make you
look taller (benefit).

Handling Customer Objections


Objections: Honest reasons a customer
hesitates to buy.
May be spoken or unspoken (hidden)
May be logical or psychological
May relate to the product, price, store, time,
salesperson, or need
May occur at any point in the sale
Should be welcomed
To handle an objection, listen, acknowledge,
restate, and then answer the objection.

Techniques For Handling


Customer Objections

Boomerang
Question technique
Superior point
Direct denial
Demonstration
Third party

Techniques For
Handling
Customer Objections
Boomerang: A technique of handling
objections in which the objection comes back
to the customer as a selling point.
Question technique: A technique of handling
objections in which the customer is questioned
in an attempt to learn more about the
objection(s) raised.
Superior Point: A technique of handling
objections in which the salesperson
acknowledges objections as valid, but
offsets them with other features and benefits.

Techniques For Handling


Customer Objections (cont.)
Direct Denial: A technique of handling
objections that provides proof and accurate
information in answer to objections.
Demonstration: A technique of handling an
objection by showing one or more features of a
good or service.
Third Party: A technique of handling objections
that uses a previous customer or another neutral
person who can give a testimonial about the
product.

Closing the Sale


Getting a commitment from the customer to buy
the merchandise.
Look for Buying Signals
Physical actions such as smiles or nods of
agreement
Comments that imply ownership such as This
jacket will go well with jeans and other casual
pants.
Questions such as Does this dress come in
black?

Closing the Sale (cont.)


Trial Close: The salespersons initial
attempt(s) to close the sale.
Used to get an indication of what else
needs to be done to close the sale.
Example: Sales associate asks the
customer, Would you like to place the
purchase on your store credit card?

General Rules for Closing the Sale


If you think the customer is ready to make a buying
decision, stop talking about the product.
When a customer is having difficulty making a buying
decision, stop showing additional merchandise.
Help a customer decide by summarizing the major
features and benefits of a product.
Dont rush a customer into making a buying decision.
Use words that indicate ownership, such as you and
your.
Use major objections that have been resolved to
close the sale.

Techniques for Closing the Sale


Which close: A method of closing the
sale that encourages a customer to
make a decision between two items.
Remove unwanted items to bring the
selection down to two.
Review the benefits of each item.
Ask the customer, Which one do you
prefer?

Techniques for Closing the Sale


(cont.)

Standing room only close: The


method of closing the sale that is used
when a product is in short supply or
when the price will be going up in the
near future.
Example: This is the last pair of these
shoes that we have in your size.

Techniques for Closing the Sale


(cont.)
Direct close: A method of
closing the sale in which the
salesperson simply asks for the
sale.
Example: Would you like to put
this purchase on your charge?

Service close: A method of


closing the sale that explains
services that overcome
obstacles or problems.
Example: May I gift wrap this for
you?

Suggestion Selling
A method of increasing sales by
encouraging the customer to add items to
the original purchase.
Used to help customer, not to force the
customer into purchasing unnecessary or
unwanted items
Takes place after the customer commits to
make the original purchase, but before the sale
is entered into the register
Requires knowledge of stores products and
customers needs

Suggestion Selling (cont.)


Add-ons: Additional related merchandise items
that create complete outfits.
Trading up: Suggesting a substitute item that is
higher priced, of better quality, or more
economical for the customer than the item
originally requested.
More-than-one selling: A type of suggestion
selling in which the salesperson offers more than
one (multiples) of the same or similar item.
Special offers: Additional items that can be
obtained as a result of purchasing an item.

Checkout Procedures
Enter the sales data into the cash
register
Computerized point-of-sale (POS) systems include
price lookup (PLU).
Registers compute discounts, subtotal, taxes, and
total sale.

Announce the amount due, take payment, and


make change as necessary.
Remove the merchandise from hangers, etc.
and fold if necessary.
Place the merchandise in a bag or box.
Provide the customer with proof of payment.

Methods of Payment
Cash
Personal check
Photo identification usually required

Check verifying companies may be used to


electronically approve and guarantee
money or disapprove if
customers account funds
are insufficient.

Methods of Payment (cont.)


Cards with magnetic strips
Cards are processed electronically by swiping
them through a machine that reads the magnetic
strip and sends information over the phone lines to
credit bureaus or financial institutions for approval.

Customer is required to enter a personal


identification number (PIN) or to sign the store
copy of the transaction tape.
Transactions are electronically approved or
disapproved by the credit bureau or financial
institution.

Methods of Payment (cont.)


Charge/credit cards
May be issued by the store or a financial
institution.
Salespeople encourage a customer to
complete a charge application and open a
store account.
Charge customers spend four times more
than other customers.

Methods of Payment (cont.)


Debit cards
Processed similar to a credit card but debits the
customers checking account instead of creating a
credit debt.

Gift cards
Electronically debited with each purchase until the
card balance reaches zero.

Additional amounts may be added to gift cards


while still carrying a balance or when the balance
reaches zero.
A popular means of gift giving.

Deferred Payment Sales


Layaway: A deferred purchase agreement in
which the store sets aside the customers
merchandise until the customer has fully paid
for it.
Customer pays a deposit and makes payments until
the full price has been paid.
If full payment has not been made by a preset
deadline, the merchandise may be returned to stock
and the deposit may or may not be refunded.

C.O.D.: A cash-on-delivery sale in which


payment is made to the delivery person when
the merchandise is delivered.

Returns, Exchanges And Other


Adjustments
Return: Merchandise
returned for a refund or credit
on account.
Exchange: A transaction in
which previously purchased
merchandise is returned and
replaced by other
merchandise.

Returns, Exchanges And Other


Adjustments (cont.)
Exchanges
Even exchange: An exchange transaction in
which the replacement merchandise is the
same price as the returned merchandise.
Uneven exchange: An exchange
transaction in which the replacement
merchandise sells for more or less than the
returned merchandise.

Returns, Exchanges And Other


Adjustments (cont.)
Exchanges (cont.)
Allowance: Partial return of the retail price
for merchandise the customer has kept.
Usually given when there is a defect in the
merchandise
Often given as a percent off the sales price or
a specific dollar amount off the sales price

Rain check: A certificate that entitles the


customer to buy an out-of-stock advertised
special at a later time at the same advertised
price.

Thanking and Reassuring the


Customer
Reinforce customers buying
decision with an approving
statement and a sincere
Thank you.
Use the customers name.
Shake hands when
appropriate.
Give personal business card to
the customer when
appropriate.

Thanking and Reassuring


the Customer (cont.)
Bonding (relationship selling): The process of
salespeople doing everything possible to
strengthen relationships with customers.
Develops loyal, repeat customers
Increases sales
Examples:
Follow-up calls to ensure customer is pleased
Contact with customers when products they
typically purchase come in or are on sale
Survey of customers needs/wants

Sales Follow-Up
Follow-up: Contact with the customer
after the sale has been made.
Ensures customer satisfaction and creates
goodwill
Follow through on commitments made during the
sale.
Alterations
Delivery
Special orders
Send thank you notes or call.

Client File
A book, card, or electronic file in which
customers names, addresses, phone
numbers, sizes, important occasions, color
preferences, and previous purchases are
recorded.
Helps salespeople manage
customer information
Should be updated with
each purchase

Potrebbero piacerti anche