12/22/15
When customers walk onto your sales floor, they immediately tune into the moods and energy levels of reps. Engaged, excited employees have an infectious energy that captivates customers and makes them more likely to buy.
Unfortunately, employee excitement isn't the norm. A 2014 Gallup* survey indicated that about two-thirds of all American workers polled reported being "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" at their jobs.
Since retail customers can compare or demo products in-store, and then complete their purchases online, excited and engaged employees are particularly crucial for brick-and-mortar retail stores.
It’s important to generate employee excitement and build a team of engaged, committed sales reps willing to go the extra mile to satisfy customers.
If not already included, modify your employee performance measurement system to reward sales reps who effectively engage with customers. You can gather this type of data through employee and/or customer surveys and individual employee sales numbers.
Alongside more traditional measures of sales effectiveness, add metrics that encourage high-quality employee-customer interactions.
Give customers multiple opportunities to share their experiences—both positive and negative. Ideas for implementation include:
• Offering in-store surveys at checkout
• Including a link to online survey on sales receipt
• Asking simple questions at checkout and recording answers for later review
These are just a few methods that provide additional opportunities for employees to engage with customers while gaining better insight into how their actions affect the customer experience.
Excited reps really want to hear what customers have to say about their selling and engagement skills. Share relevant feedback, both positive and negative, shortly after customers provide it.
Feedback is a powerful coaching and mentoring tool. Use positive input to reinforce effective engagement strategies and get reps excited to make an impact on the customer experience. Use unfavorable feedback as a teaching opportunity to introduce better strategies and tips that will help reps improve customer interactions and increase their sales.
Your store is a place for customers to purchase exciting technology products and solutions. That's not all it is, though. Your store is also a venue for deep, lasting connections between customers, employees, and the cutting-edge products they both love.
Emphasize more than just raw sales, revenue and bottom-line numbers. Encourage reps to energize and educate customers, even those who aren't quite ready to buy.
Engaged, excited customers led by engaged, excited sales reps are more likely to turn into repeat buyers and brand advocates. That's great news for your store's long-term prospects.
Looking for another way to motivate and excite your sales reps? The Intel® Retail Edge Program is a great way to boost sales rep engagement. Encourage their participation to keep up on the latest information about Intel® products and technologies.
Opportunities for learning are provided through interactive online courses, videos, articles, sales tools and more. Reps have the opportunity to earn rewards, prizes, and more as they successfully complete activities.
Ready to empower and excite your sales team? Learn more about the Intel® Retail Edge Program today.
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*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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