Your Greatest Sales Asset

The best and least expensive way to increase sales is through your employees. Just a smile on the faces of employees can lead to greater sales. We are attracted to people who smile. We want to do business with people we find pleasant.

One study showed that brief exposure (16 milliseconds) to images of smiling or frowning faces affected the amount of money subjects were willing to pay for a beverage. Those exposed to smiling faces were willing to pay twice as much for it.

Encourage your employees to interact with customers. In fact, train them how to do it. I would also suggest that you hire for personalities that will easily interact with customers.

The more contact shoppers have with employees, the greater the sale.   It’s been proven any contact initiated by an employee increases the likelihood that a shopper will buy something.  If things are suggested, the likelihood is even higher.

Talking with an employee draws the customer closer. In today”€™s retail environment of smaller work forces, that becomes critical.

It’s not just about sales, either.Security experts say the best way to discourage shoplifting is to acknowledge each shopper’s presence with a simple hello. Wal-Mart’€™s greeters came about in part because of Sam Walton”€™s belief that if you hire a sweet little old lady to say hello to shoppers as they enter, they wouldn’€™t dare steal.

It’€™s best to ease into the contact. Greet them at the front door with a hello, but don”€™t try to help them at that point. If you ask if you can help them as they are transitioning into the store, they will likely say no. But if you give them a minute to shop before approaching them, you become resource rather than a salesperson.

Sources: Why we Buy, The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill, and Buy-ology. The Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom.