The showroom has been laid out and stocked, the advertising and marketing is doing its job, and all the sales associates are trained and ready.
The customers are approaching the door.
What do you do now?
A spot-check of several retailers shows that sales associates need to use a variety of approaches to make the sale, which could include putting the customer at ease, developing the ability to know when to pursue and when to back off, and introducing them to in-house designers on the spot.
Jeffrey D. Harris, CEO and president of Furnitureland South in Jamestown, North Carolina, the world’s largest furniture store, has his design consultants meet with customers when they arrive.
“When the customer comes in, we have a nice lobby area, a decompression zone,” says Harris. “We have a Starbucks there and we try to make our consumers feel welcome, with a design consultant available to help them when they walk in. We are there to welcome them, not to pressure, but here to help them.”
Harris says that the approach is practical. With 1.3 million square feet, Furnitureland South is not a store you can do on your own without being overwhelmed and frustrated. A design consultant can help direct the customer toward what they want.
“With consumers, we want them to shop it the way they want to shop it,” says Harris. “We try to educate them. We don’t mind if they browse and look around, but we need to know if they have priorities that they want to accomplish — let us know what that is because time can get away from you quickly here.
“We do a good job of qualifying the customer and getting design consultants to help them through the process. If someone is walking through unescorted, someone is going to be close by to answer questions and partner up with them and help them.
Harris said that salespeople are trained to ask customers what kind of project they are working on and what their priorities are.
“That opens up a lot of doors,” he says. “That allows you to get into goals immediately and provide solutions. You ask them, ‘How much time do you have today?’ The sooner you can understand how much time they want to spend, the sooner you can really map out your strategy to make the most of their time.”
Judy Miller, president of Outback Patio Furnishings, with locations in Marble Falls and Kerrville, Texas, says that it’s useful to greet them within 30 seconds of their arrival — and then quickly assess whether it is best to move in or back off.
“Sales representatives have to keep an eye on it and not be pushy and instead be of assistance to find what they are looking for, or if they want us to back off and keep an eye on them,” says Miller. “If they have got a question, we are right there for them.”
Miller says it is useful to understand fully what the customer is looking for — and to not act as though you are just trying to sell them something.
“Try to help rather than try to separate them from their money,” says Miller. “How are they going to use that space? How often? What is the view like from inside the house? Ask them leading questions so that they will feel like they are working with a professional and somebody that cares.”
London Wood, a buyer for Las Vegas-based Walker Furniture, says sales associates at her store engage every customer as soon as they arrive.
“We also have designers that work on the floor that are very helpful with the selling process to help customers confirm the new items being bought will work with their home décor,” says Wood.
Putting customers at ease is the first priority at Walker Furniture.
“Our sales staff is really good about making the customer feel comfortable at the door; we also offer water bottles to each person,” says Wood. “The salesperson stays near the customer but distant enough to not intimidate them at all.” The goal? Learn to tell the difference between being pushy and being helpful, which will likely take time.
“We have a lot of veteran salespeople that really know how to create relatability and guidance to get the customer to the right location on the floor for what they came in for,” says Wood.
