This morning I picked up my new laptop computer. Last week when I bought it, I asked the salesperson if there was anything else I should get to go with it as I had always had a desktop computer before. He thought a moment and said, "Maybe a great bag." No, I said, I have a bag. Then he asked, "Well, what else would you like to get?" "Maybe some good headphones," I answered. He produced a great pair and -- well, that was the end of the sale. I didn't come up with anything else and he didn't suggest anything else. The whole episode got me thinking about how little actual selling goes on in much of retail today.
It's becoming an increasingly rare experience to go into a store and have a "salesperson" actually "sell" you something. By this I mean have a salesperson ask about what you want and then progress from there to items that might complement what you want, or be something you might want to buy because it's on sale, or the perfect color for you, or the right cut for you, or just a really great product. Occasionally, in a department store, the cashier will tell me about sales on products as he or she rings up my purchase. But at that point, it's unlikely that I will go find the item and then line-up again to pay for it. The sales pitch is just plain coming too late, if it every comes at all.
Here's the question I think every store owner should ask: Is your staff selling or are they really clerk/cashiers? There's a big difference and it could be having a dramatic effect on your store's bottom line.