If someone told you to conjure up an image of a good sales technique, what would you think of?
You’d probably think of two people interacting; ones salesperson, one customer. The salesperson oozes charm and likeability; the customer is caught in their web, smiling happily as they hand over their credit card. That’s the image most people would come up with when contemplating the idea of sales– we see it as a physical thing, a human interaction, a brash salesperson and a customer who is hanging on their every word.
Good sales techniques don’t need to be so upfront and domineering. In fact, it might actually benefit your retail business if your sales techniques are less overt; silent but effective. Is it possible to encourage your customers to buy more, without them even knowing it?
The Tactile Approach: Touching Is Believing
Studies have conclusively proven than if customers touch an item, they are more likely to buy it. It’s been theorized this is all about the connections between our brain and our emotions. The connection customers make when they touch an item is far more real than just looking at the item. If they see it, hold it, momentarily possess it, then they’re more likely to want to own it completely.
Incorporate this fact into your store by making items accessible; encourage customers to browse and pick things up. Locking items in display cabinets might be wise for theft prevention, but you’d be better off security tagging items instead, so that customers can still touch them.
The Sense-ible Way To Sales: In-Store Fragrance
Again, there is plenty of scientific evidence for the fact that fragrance can make a huge difference to how willing someone is to buy. Stores have found that fragrances pumped into their store by the likes of www.aromatech.com can increase their sales, with vanilla and lemon particularly effective choices.
No one is entirely sure of why this link between fragrance and willingness to spend exists, but it’s definitely beneficial. With all the evidence behind the idea, this is definitely an idea you should consider implementing if you want to drive sales.
Cut The $$$: How Symbols Make People Resistant To Spend
Something as simple as removing the dollar sign from your labels can make a huge difference when it comes to how much a customer is willing to spend. You can still display the price, but drop the $. This is even more effective if you keep amounts to simple digits, so rather than $89.99, you label as just ‘90’, as detailed by kissmetrics.com.
It’s easier for a customer to spend more when they’re not seeing the symbolic reminder of money; the dollar symbol. Instead, they focus on the item and the number itself, missing the immediate link that those numbers are actual money. This isn’t foolproof, but it’s such a small change that it might be worth giving it a try.
As the above show, your sales techniques don’t need to be loud and dominant– they can be subtle, quiet, but still completely effective. Mix and match different techniques to see what works best for you; a good salesperson combined with the methods above could be a match made in retail profit heaven.