Page 104 - 101 Ways to Market Your Business

ENCOURAGE YOUR STAFF TO BUILD BUSINESS

35 ‘Can I help you?’—‘No thanks, I’m just
looking’

One of the biggest mistakes in business, particularly in
retail stores, is the opening conversation. A customer walks
in the door, the sales assistant comes over and utters the
fatal words, ‘Can I help you?’

We all know the immediate response from the cus-
tomer: ‘No thanks, I’m just looking.’ This really spells the
end of the conversation and the customer has sent a clear
message—don’t try and sell me something. Now there is
tension as the sales assistant hovers close by waiting to
assist, the customer feels like they are going to be pounced
on and in a short amount of time they leave.

We have all experienced this interaction either from the
customer’s point of view or the sales assistant’s point of
view or perhaps both. Anyone who has ever travelled to
Bali will fully appreciate what it feels like to be under
pressure to buy. I loathe it.

I walked into a clothing store recently. It was very large,
with at least seven or eight sales staff milling around. A
young man started walking towards me and I immediately
prepared myself for the ‘No thanks, I’m just looking’
response. The sales assistant walked up to me and said,
‘Good morning, sir. Is this your first visit to our store?’ I
was somewhat stumped by this question and I answered
honestly that, yes, it was my first visit. The young man
then explained the layout of the shop, where men’s clothing
was, formal and casual, and then he showed me the specials
racks and quietly said that there were some real bargains
to be found here. Before I could say anything else he asked
me if he could excuse himself as he had to prepare an order
but if I wanted some help just wave and he would be
straight over. Then he asked me if I had any questions.
I quietly said no and began to shop—feeling completely at
home and relaxed.

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