RetailSmart

Almost without fail, in every sales training session we do, someone (usually more than one) will say something to the effect that they ‘hate being pushy’ or hate selling stuff to people but they don’t mind helping them or offering assistance. As evidence for their position, they usually relate how they feel when an assistant approaches them and tries to ‘sell’ to them.

To all those people I say (repeat after me): Service IS Selling and Selling IS Service.

One more time: Service IS Selling and Selling IS Service.

In fact, we rarely do any ‘customer service’ training in a retail environment. (Only for e.g. staff working on customer service desks.)

Of course this only makes sense if your retail selling philosophy is that you are actually NOT there to sell to customers, but that you are there to HELP THEM BUY.

A retail store is a commercial market place. People buy stuff. People WANT to buy stuff – that is why they entered your store. Helping them to get what they want is what makes the retail world go round.

To view customer service as about ‘being nice’ and ‘solving problems’ is very limiting and in fact detrimental to your business.  Proper retail selling is about solving problems in a nice way – ANYWAY, so there is no need for customer service.