If you sell physical products, there is one question I believe needs to be avoided at all costs! 

What is it? Well, it’s a simple closed ended question, something similar to:

“Do you need a hand?”

Most of the time the customer will respond with “no, I’m just looking”, or “I’m just browsing today”.

Some sales people ask this question to not feel as though they are imposing on the customer, but I think of asking these questions as being similar to having a guest over at your house.

Your guest has chosen to walk into your house and spend time with you, similar to a customer choosing to walk into your store and check out your products! More often than not, customers walk into stores with a specific purpose in mind.

What can you train your team to do when a customer walks into your store? 

Ask open ended questions. For example, “what brings you to the store today?” or “what are you shopping for today?” or “what are you up to today?” 

These questions can help build rapport which then allows you and your team to understand your customer and their needs better. 

My advice in a nutshell? Genuinely understand your customers first and everything will flow from there. 

I hope that has been helpful! If you need help implementing a business or marketing plan, contact us today.