Sales associates occupy the frontline of any brand strategy. They are direct influencers of customers ready to purchase products. Well-trained, knowledgeable, and friendly sales staff increase sales while steering customers away from competitors.

Your product partners must ensure their training programs for your staff are the best they can be and that they continually evolve to keep pace with today’s market and consumers. Effective product and sales training programs use a variety of elements to create a successful learning environment for participants. 

Posted: 7/5/17

One of the best ways to empower your sales associates is to give them access to information and tools that educate them about the products you are asking them to sell and how to best present them to customers.  

The benefits of associate product knowledge impacts most every facet of the retail business from store revenue to customer loyalty. Here are three areas that are highly impacted by the product knowledge level of retail sales associates.

Posted: 6/21/17

Staying current with the latest advances in technology helps retailers stay relevant and financially viable. This is especially critical for companies that specialize in consumer electronics and technology.

By incorporating the latest and greatest tech into your marketing strategies, you can enjoy greater local saturation and increased loyalty among your regular customers. 

Posted: 6/8/17

The best tool sales reps can have in their toolkit is knowledge. Knowledge is the key to unlocking new demographics, understanding consumer motivations, and providing excellent customer care in the retail environment. 

Understanding the various types of knowledge needed by your sales associates and how to deliver that information to them quickly and effectively has a major impact on your overall sales and success. 

Posted: 5/26/17

Are the attributes of your training programs couched in words and phrases such as “effective,” “efficient,” “thorough,” “aligned with the organization's mission,” and “delivered on budget”?

Does that sound dry and uninspiring to you? Just imagine how it sounds to your employees. In some cases, it might conjure up visions of tedious hours of monotone lectures accompanied by endless bulleted slides in 14-point type. Back seats in the training room are generally highly prized during these types of presentations.

Posted: 5/17/17

Managers in the PC sector of the retail industry have tough jobs. Long hours and even longer lists of responsibilities prove taxing for even the best. A search in the LinkedIn* jobs section for PC retail general and district manager openings revealed responsibilities ranging from achieving sales goals to actively participating in the community.

What’s really interesting is the recurrence of certain action verbs listed in the job responsibilities. These verbs are consistently used across different levels of management from three major retailers...

Posted: 5/5/17

Your category merchandising strategy may include several components such as product placement, advertising tactics, customer incentives, plus customer and sales associate education.

Depending on your specific goals—growing foot traffic, increasing sales, category growth, or beating the competition— you must prioritize which components to emphasize. Ensure that the products within your target belong there or if products could be pulled in from another category.

Posted: 5/2/17

A sales team that is deeply knowledgeable about your store's products is a valuable asset. There are many benefits of thorough product training.

So, how do you ensure that your sales team is up to speed on all of the features and capabilities of, say, your stock of PC devices and peripherals? There are some proven methods to help your sales associates increase their knowledge levels.

Posted: 4/20/17

Upselling is an essential element of in-store tech revenue. Finding ways to engage customers and to provide value-added services can help you stand out from your local competitors. 

Your sales team is a key part of this equation. Understanding the right ways to upsell will make the most positive impression on your customers. The experts at Business.com* recently published an article detailing some key pointers for making the most of upselling efforts and increasing your sales and profitability to a surprising degree. Here are some of the highlights to keep in mind when implementing upselling strategies in your store.

Posted: 4/3/17

All of your store's customers either are or were first-time shoppers at some point in time. Congratulate yourself on your return customers but ask yourself if you and your sales staff are doing enough to convert first-time visitors to repeat customers. Are sales associates trying to identify new customers? Do they work at making a warm, lasting impression that inspire customers to return? Do they know what questions to ask to uncover customer needs?

There’s an old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  In the competitive tech retail market, it’s crucial to make an impressive first impression. Not doing so can impact sales

Posted: 3/24/17