Don't leave your sales reps to fend on their own!

Two weeks back, I met a young sales representative at a petrol filling mart (PFM) when purchasing a bottle of water. As I reached out for my chosen bottle, the sales rep approached me requesting I buy their particular brand of beverage with the words “kindly purchase our product.” I responded, “Why?” to which the sales rep responded that there was a promotion without offering much detail. Looking around the outlet, I did not notice any impactful or eye-catching communication concerning a promotion. I wondered whether he was left to fend on his own with little support and coaching.

As sales and commercial leaders, we all understand the importance of having an impressionable and impactful first contact with potential shoppers. The sales rep I met was motivated but needed coaching and support. So, I shared a few pointers I learned over the years that I usually shared with my team on how best to connect the benefits of their product and promotion to the customer’s needs, especially in PFMs that serve as quick-stop convenience outlets.

As sales/commercial leaders, we must support and coach our team on practical selling skills concerning shopper engagement. Some of the critical areas of my short discussion with the sales rep focused on:

• Create points of immediate connection and interruption within the entry points. This creates a distraction and, when done well, builds slight awareness of an ongoing customer promotion or retail activity in-store. It should be at the “first position” near the entrance, with additional interruption points depending on the store layout. Let shoppers know a fantastic promotion is happening in this store that they do not want to miss.
• Be proactive. Go ahead and engage customers. Please do not wait for them to pick up their product before you engage them. It is much harder to change a customer’s mind after they have committed to a purchase.
• Know the type of shopper experience based on the type of outlet. PFMs offer little time for engagement as most customers are looking for a quick shopping experience. So, your engagement needs to be straightforward. “Good afternoon, Sir/Madame (depending on gender); today, our company X is running an exciting shopper promotion on our product Y that you do not want to miss….” Then, highlight the promotion. Is it a buy x and get x free? Is it a price saving? Is it a new product introduction?
• What is your selling story? What benefits are you offering? Curate your products’ benefits to the customers’ needs. It is essential to consider the customer profile and store types. This will determine the level of engagement and allow you to connect your benefits to their needs directly. i.e., Convenient packaging for easy carry, storage, and opening. Affordable pricing that offers savings to customers. Variety with new flavor offerings.
• Practice active listening. Once a customer asks a question, a door has been opened! Listen to what your customer is saying or asking. If possible, ask probing questions to identify their needs better. It would help you to connect your product’s benefits better.
• DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE WORDS “No, thank you.” Remain motivated and optimistic. Believe in your potential. Use the previous failure as a learning opportunity to sell to the next customer.

As sales managers, team leaders, and commercial heads, we are responsible for providing our activation teams and field sales reps with the necessary resources (communication materials), training, and coaching. In addition, conducting regular visits to the outlets to observe their engagement, address gaps, and conduct coaching builds the team’s competency and sustains their motivation. After all, they are our champions.