Basically, suggestive selling is referred to as techniques that are being used in sales to persuade customers to add extra items to their purchase. This is also a very powerful way to give the clients the chance to consider and walk around more over the shop to further find out if there are more things they can buy that’s beneficial for them. Thus, simply, suggestive selling can influence customers to complete a purchase of items that did not think about buying the time they walked in your store.
In line with that, always know that there’s always a thin line between suggestive selling and irritating your customers. We all know that when a customer feel like your staff is pressuring him, there would be a big probability that they would just walk out your store, avoid himself from coming back, or perhaps, he would come less frequently. As a general rule, you always have to ensure that all your customers would leave your store with a smile on their faces and are feeling excited to actually come back to your store. Therefore, training your support staff on proper suggestive selling techniques is a BIG must.
Hence, here are some suggestive selling schemes to keep in mind:
- Welcome your customers differently.
A research says that a simple act of saying, “Hello, ma’am/sir! Have you been here before?” can actually escalate your sales by 16%. Therefore, if a close-ended question can help you increase your sales by 16%, what more if you’d ask the right kind of questions that’s more proper, engaging, and appealing to your customers? Considering that some of your customers don’t have any idea of what to purchase when entering your store, you might want to try opening up with statements or questions that would simply encourage them to follow you or lend you more time with a good response. Take, for example, in a restaurant, you can start with “Hi, ma’am! We’re currently having a promotion on our new delicacies. Perhaps, you might want to try it. I would be more than glad to assist you.”
- Utilize personalized avowals and inquiries.
On this portion, we advise you to utilize complementary questions and statements that would merely encourage your shoppers to discover more about an item in your store. For example, a shopper is fitting a shoe in your store. In this situation, you might want to consider asking the following questions:
- On what occasion are you planning to use that shoe?
- How do you typically care for your shoes?
- How much are you willing to spend?
These kinds of questions would let your customers know that you care about their needs. It would also build trust which usually leads to up-selling chances.
- Recommend other items that compliment.
As an aggressive retailer, you should always look for opportunities to endorse other products that they would also need upon purchasing the product they have already chosen. On this matter, your customer would not just appreciate the way you consider them as special, but would also probably consider one of the items you are suggesting.
Take, for example, a customer walked in your women’s clothing boutique and is trying on a necklace, you might want to render some words of affirmations and then eventually recommend a pair of earrings that would match the necklace she’s currently trying.
However, there’s a challenge to not be too pushy. It has to be seeming like they are the ones who had the idea. When it came to the point that your customer would already pay for the products, let your cashier thank them and invite them to come back again. Also, if you have any upcoming events or planned promotions, take the opportunity to let them know.