The Five Step Selling Cycle: The Greeting

We are beginning a new series for our Retail Sales Associates/Owners that is best called “Selling Tips for Success”.  The Five Step Selling Cycle seems like a great place to start.  We define the Selling System or Cycle with our customers as: The Greeting, Qualifying, Product Presentation/Trial Close, Closing, and Post sell (setting expectations.  

This month we will focus on the Greeting.  Proper greetings of customers allows you to gain control of the sale and earn the shoppers trust.  We want to establish a relationship before discussing business.  It is a great time to let the customer know that you are factory trained, product knowledgeable, and will make getting a good night’s sleep easy.

We all acknowledge the customer when they walk into our store by welcoming  them and asking them how we might help them.  “Just looking” is the common answer to our greeting.  How about asking them if they have seen any products they liked and where did they see them.  This gives you an idea of what kind of qualifying questions to ask, but it also lets you know if they have been in one of your competitors.  Another question in the greeting could be “What is your current sleep set not doing what you would like it to do” This reinforces why them are shopping for a new mattress.  They will always answer these questions and it gives you a great deal of knowledge in controlling the selling process. This information lets you know they did not buy, “You have a Chance”, so let’s get busy on qualifying the customer.

Next month we will focus on Qualifying the Customer, the most important part of the selling cycle.  Happy Sales!

-Mike Reilly