Monthly Archives: March 2019

The Greeting Part 3: Just doing what I am told?

Posted on by
Reply

Walking through the mall today, I stopped into a store.  Not that I was looking for anything in particular, it was just that I had not visited this store recently.  As I crossed the threshold, I was spotted by the friendly and vigilant salesperson who quickly shouted out a “Welcome in” greeting.  Not in the mood to talk with any clerks, I boded and smiled then turned in the other direction trying to signal that I appreciated the greeting but I wanted to be left alone.

Much to my surprise, the salesperson had hustled around to get in front of me and once again extend their greeting. The conversation went something like this.

“Welcome in”

“Thanks, I heard you the first time.”

“Can I help you find anything today?”

“No, I just came in to kick around.” I hoped that would signal to leave me be. At this point I was getting a bit annoyed. He was friendly and attentive which I could appreciate but he was attentive to a fault.

“That’s fantastic.  Feel free to look around.”

“Thanks, I will.”  Great, I thought I would finally be able to wander in peace.

“Just so you know, almost everything in the store is on sale.”  (I had gathered that by all the signs, toppers and the easel at the entry way providing me with that same information.)

“Thanks, I will just want to look around.”

“That’s fine…Actually all of our winter wear is up to 60% off.”

I did not respond and just continued walking away.

“Okay then,” he responded, “I will just let you look around.”

Ah, the magic words.  All I came in for was to walk around and check things out AND finally, it appeared I would be allowed to wander in peace.  But NO.

“I will check back with you.” After which I shot him a glare that I hoped would tell him that I would prefer to be left alone. Not able to leave well enough alone, he added, “My name is _______ if you need anything you can track me down.”

Now I understand that they were just trying to make me feel welcome and more than likely they were possibly trained or coached to be persistent in offering service.  But clearly this salesperson did not recognize that I needed and wanted to be left alone.  It appears that they felt obligated to say all the things as if getting through a script will aid in sales.

Annoying customers will never aid in conversion and increasing transaction size.

Having spoiled the mode for my visit, I made a shortened loop of the store and headed out the door.  Amazingly, I was not offered a farewell.

Oh, so shoppable!

 

The Greeting Part 2

Posted on by
Reply

I think that it is sometimes assumed that when new employees join our stores that they know how to properly greet our customers.  After all, they did greet us during the interview.  Unfortunately it has been my experience that many store employees do not know how to properly greet a customer. It seems in most retailers today, if an employee makes any effort to greet a customer the management is satisfied.  (As for those employees that are simply not inclined to greet customers, that is another issue all together.)

So what does a great customer greeting look like.  Here I will break it down.

Pre-Greeting  It is important that employees maintain their sight-lines so they can check for customers. If engaged in tasks, an employee should look up regularly from their work.

Acknowledge  If an employee spots a customers they should acknowledge them with eye contact and a smile.  A nod helps a customer know that they have been spotted.  If the customer maintains eye contact you know they need help and you should move to the next phase. If the customer nods and smiles in return but then looks away and  continues their wandering, you can assume that they do not need any immediate help.

Approach  If the customer maintains eye contact, you should approach them immediately. Walk towards them with a certain sense of urgency to show that you feel they are important.Step up to them and stop an arm’s length away from them.  The is the generally acceptable distance to maintain when talking with a customer.

If the customer backs off, do not move towards them.  The want more space.  If the customer moves toward you, hold your ground, they are likely a “close talker.” If a customer makes you uncomfortable being so close, simple pick up some product and hold it in front of you as if you needed to pick up that item as part of your work.

Engage  Now engage the customer.  First as a human being, not as a walking wallet.  Extend a friendly greeting to develop rapport than pivot to helping them with any immediate needs such as way-finding or a simple question.  Finally, you will be in position to move onto helping fulfill their needs.

Simple, effective, professional.