Do you want fries with that?

If you could increase your average sales by 10 per cent, how much would your profit increase by? I am sure that all of us have experienced both good and bad service in a retail store. What creates that difference in the experience is made up of all the senses banding together and leaving an overall impression. But the most telling one is the interest shown in you by the sales personnel. The greeting, the smile, the relevance of questions asked and the interest shown in going that little bit extra to help you find what you are looking for. That’s what creates a good experience!

In today’s ongoing search for additional sales, the difference between sales achieved by an average experience and great sales assistance can be as much as 25 per cent. On analysis of the difference in sales achieved between most staff and good sales people, the most telling factor is the average docket value. These good sales people consistently achieve more than the average, sometimes as much as double.

Customers already in your store are by far the easiest way to find additional sales. So many times customers want to be given good advice and are quite willing to buy a second related item, if they were told about it, or introduced to something new.

McDonalds is one business that realised this at the outset, have you? If a retail business sales increased by just 10 per cent across the board, due to the results of effective sales people, profits would increase exponentially, often double in most retail models.

And that is true, even if one has to pay 10 per cent above the going rate to get the right people. Why then do business owners tolerate mediocre sales people? Do the sums in your business and see what a 10 per cent increase in sales will mean to your bottom line.

Can any retail business afford not to have the best sales people? So simple, so effective, so ignored by so many businesses!