Attitude, product knowledge and sales skills are said to be the tools possessed by all great retail salespeople. Furniture World’s long-time contributor Dr. Peter Marino likens each to a leg on a three legged stool. Shorten one and the stool starts to wobble. Remove a leg and it’s a difficult balancing act for any retail sales organization.
Of these three, attitude is perhaps the most important foundational element. Without proper attitude, even superior sales skills and impeccable product knowledge can fail to create customer buy-in.
So, what is an optimal attitude for retail salespeople? Is it positive/ upbeat? An attitude of listening? Helpful? An attitude of being hungry for sales? These are good, but what about having a romantic, loving attitude toward customers?
You probably want customers to love your store, but do you want your salespeople to romance your customers above all else?
Larry Mullins’ makes a case in his article,
“Romance & The Big Ticket”, that this is exactly the inclination your salespeople should adapt. He suggests that the concepts of romance and love are a key to making big ticket sales.
As always, your comments are welcome at
russ@furninfo.com.
Russell Bienenstock is Editor-in-Chief of Furniture World Magazine, founded 1870. Comments can be directed to him at editor@furninfo.com.