10 Rules of Retail Sales This Holiday Season

The holidays are the biggest time of year for retailers and according to the NRF accounts for 30% of annual sales for some businesses. This year there will be an estimated $630.5 billion spent. The Black Friday weekend brought over 200 million people into physical and online stores.

Regardless of being an online or physical store—or both—on thing is true: you need to get your sales game right. Consumers will not tolerate sloppy sales and a poor experience. If retailers want to be effective this holiday season, they must vow to serve the customer with these 10 Rules of Retail Sales.

To be successful this holiday season, retailers should follow these rules:

1. Never ignore the customer: They come to buy. Don't make them have to find a sales associate or turn the store upside down trying to find something. It is better to pester a customer with offers of help than it is to ignore.
2. Greeting is great: I once went to a major retailer and it took over 17 minutes before being acknowledged. Appoint a greeter who makes the customers feel welcomed and directs them to the department they need. "Thanks for coming what can I get you information on or what department can I direct you to?"
3. Disregard the idea that a customer is “just looking": This is an important one. A customer can “just look” online if they choose so ignore this idea that any buyer is just looking and respond with, “90% of the people that come here start off by having a look. Why did you come today?" Show them specials, updates and other inventory choices that may not appear on your website. Take advantage of the fact that you have them there in-person to interact with.
4. Never allow a customer to wait: When customers wait they become restless and unreliable. No customer who ventures out to a store using his or her time should have to wait for anything. Make sure you sales process is fast and easy. Waiting on long lines to pay should be a thing of the past.
5. Provide the best solution: Always remember that people buy things to solve problems. Salespeople must ask the right questions, listen to the customer and know available inventory to provide the best solution. "Why did you come here today," "what are you looking for here that you didn't find online?”
6. Treat EVERY customer like they came to spend money: Handle anyone who enters your store as if they have money to spend regardless of what they say or how they act.
7. Always aggressively sell: Set higher sales targets this season. Selling beyond normal expected levels requires a commitment to aggressively selling every customer and making the most of every opportunity. Commit and become obsessed with selling.
8. Help the customer extend their budget: Almost every household in America, including our own government spends over their designated budget. Acknowledge their limited budget and prove to them that your products are more valuable than the budget that is restricting them. The opportunities, potential and so on are worth more than the monetary confinement keeping them from making the purchase.
9. Management should participate: One way to increase both the customer experience and loyalty is to make sure management engages with every customer. This makes the customer feel appreciated and valued for their time and business.
10. Seek a second sale: Every product purchase creates an opportunity for another product sale. Wait until the first product is all but rung up and offer other products that would best support the first purchase. “We have a scarf that would be perfect with that coat. Let me show you.” People are open to buying more to justify their first purchase. We have all done it before. 

Retailers are under more pressure than ever to provide the best shopping experience for customers today—it must go above and beyond all expectations. All consumers can instantly get on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and any other social media platform to spread the word—good or bad—about your product and service.

Make it your goal to give 100% of your attention to the customer regardless of the quality of the prospect or the estimated odds of closing the deal. Human beings are much more valuable than money. Treat them like that and you'll be rewarded.

Be great,

Grant Cardone