Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2021 | Page 26

it brings it back to what your memory is of your experience in that store .”
Retail can be frustrating , Fefer reminds me . “ You owe it to yourself to have fun , and if you ’ re having fun , the customer is having fun .” This is why he likes to find common ground with the customer around pop culture references . It ’ s provides a little comic relief , he notes , and “ a little break from the sales pitch . A big part of sales is bringing your personality into the transaction .”
Lastly , he reminds us not to lose sight of the bigger picture . “ Even if you miss out on a big sale , a small investment of your time can turn into a bigger relationship over time . They may buy the guitar they want at another store , but come back for strings , lessons , or repairs , because they had a good shopping experience in your store .”
Here ’ s a few things to watch out for that I ’ ve noticed myself .
One time the customer was a teenage girl with tattoos all down both arms . The salesman demonstrated an acoustic guitar by playing some folky , finger style piece he knew ; that ’ s probably not the kind of music she ’ s into . So , take a moment to observe your customer , and you can make some assumptions to tailor the sales process to them .
One of our sales staff would always greet customers when they arrived , then say , “ Feel free to try out anything you like !” Welcoming customers is important , and in this store we really encouraged customers to play the guitars ( though the more expensive ones were hung higher up , so they had to ask for assistance to reach them ). But counting on customers ’ feelings to guide the sales process isn ’ t very reliable . Guiding customers into an established sequence in an efficient sales process is a way to make them comfortable , and to ensure they make a purchase , if they decide they want to .
Sales is a position that can be filled by people with different personalities , and because customers all have different personalities too , individual approaches to the job provide the opportunity to tailor the sales process to each customer . This personalization of the sales process helps customers feel comfortable in the store , and they are more likely to make a purchase .
The various selling styles I observed all serve the same end goal : to assess the customer ’ s needs , offer options from inventory , and have the customer purchase an item they ’ re happy with — then the goods are satisfactory and they don ’ t feel the need to have their money refunded .
Morgan Ahoff is an experienced repair technician based in Vancouver , BC .
TALKING SELLING STYLES WITH SHEP HYKEN
Customer service expert Shep Hyken is a regular NAMM U speaker who ’ s also a musician himself . He is also a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author with books like The Cult of the Customer , The Amazement Revolution , The Convenience Revolution , and Amaze Every Customer Every Time .
CMT : Is there such a thing as the one “ best ” sales style or technique ?
Shep Hyken : It varies from business to business and industry to industry . When we get into the music business , I think the style that the sales person has to have
should adapt to the customer ’ s style .
For example , you have “ mission shoppers ,” and these are customers who know exactly what they want . Like , “ I ’ m a guitar player and I ’ ve done my research online and I am coming in to buy this pedal – sell it to me .” Then we have “ browsers ” who come in and have done a little research and may think they know what they want , but they ’ re just looking right now . They are collecting more information and may or may not be ready to buy . So , you have to look for the buying signals , or you have to give them incentives . Then there is what I refer to as a “ project shopper .” This is a person who says , for example , “ I ’ ve decided I ’ m going to take my music to the next level by learning recording . So , I am going in and I need that sales person to help me with my project .” You ’ ve got these three major categories and , as a sales person , you must adapt to each one .
From the research that I
look at and the different types of categories that sales people fall in , my personal preference is that of a “ consultive ” and helpful approach to selling . Some call it “ consultive selling ” or “ selling with service ”…
In the music industry , you go into that store , our people need to be properly trained to answer questions . Just call Sweetwater and you ’ ve got these unbelievable , deep-dive learned technicians who are able to answer every single question you could possibly have about whatever it is that you ’ re buying . That comes from a lot of effort and training , not just passion for the music industry . So , unless the customer knows exactly what they ’ re going in for , we need to have people who are well-trained , and who are not only trained to give good service , but to give helpful service .
CMT : In this industry , you have a lot of folks on the sales floor who are musicians themselves
and passionate about music and the products , but who aren ’ t trained in sales …
Hyken : And they need to be !
CMT : And in that case , what ’ s the sales training that is typically lacking ?
Hyken : It ’ s knowing what questions to ask and when to ask them . Also , and this is really important , having the confidence to ask the question that allows for an upsell or a cross-sell .
For example : “ I ’ m coming to buy a pedal .” “ Well , you do have the extra cables you need to go with that ?” “ Oh yeah , thanks for telling me about that .” If I don ’ t upsell them , they ’ re going to go home and realize they didn ’ t get everything they needed and have to come back , and that ’ s not good .
So , we ’ ve got to train them on a couple of things , like some techniques . And if you have somebody who has very little
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