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Education

We are all Salespeople

December 16, 1998 | By: deaneparkes

For many there is an uneasy feeling associated with thinking of themselves as salespeople but please get out of the closet and accept the fact. Either you are selling health products and selling people products for a healthier lifestyle or you are???

It is all nice to be educators, friendly, caring etc but if we are not selling anything we will be running nonprofit organizations.  Sales is a profession and like any profession requires enthusiasm, training , study , interest , strong people skills , good manners , strong self-esteem , clear goals , great listening skills ,  etc , etc. One article is not going to make anyone a salesperson anymore than reading a book on water will quench your thirst however I hope to give you a few examples that may help you acknowledge your store’s selling power.

  1. The Golden Rule of Sales – Never sell anyone anything you would not buy if you were in their shoes.
  2. “Do you drink coffee”? – The # 1 proven advantage a specialty retailer has over mass is the ability to give advice. I know many of you have taken courses on health products and read many books on health products but I think from my experience this little statement brought me as much credibility as all my product knowledge especially with a new supplement customer. Whenever any customer was about to buy a vitamin I would ask “do you drink coffee?”[Thanks goes to Earl Mindell and his priceless Vitamin Bible]. Simple enough, not too invasive. Most people drink coffee and if not someone they know does. They are curious and wonder why you asked. You tell them that coffee will neutralize the effect of most of their vitamins especially the B’s and C, so if they want to get their monies worth take the vitamin half hour to an hour from drinking coffee. That’s it ! Say no more!, no long winded dissertation on biochemical breakdown of this process just don’t mix the two. So what happens? Generally you will get a thank you , I never knew that , you will be seen as having great advice , and often they have bought supplements before at stores that never told them this so you go up the scale of credibility and the competition go down. Trust me they will not hear this at Walmart. Have simple little tips like this imbedded in all your stores sales staff. 50% of supplement users began this past year so there are alot of people who need these useful tips.
  3. Cost of supps by a per day – Getting people to buy a good supplement program can often be a challenge because we know it costs a lot to buy the 4 or 5 products you know they need. I used to take the ouch out of the costs by having a good understanding of what a basic supplement program costs on a daily basis. For instance someone wants to buy a program for candida and the total of all the products is around $150. For a 3 month supply. To ease the pain of paying I would tell them it costs around $1.50 per day and also give them the equivalent in common used non health products like the equivalent of a cup or 2 of coffee. Most people would think and say that’s not so bad and buy the program. I had sold them $1.50 per day not $150 worth. Often we under sell people who need a little more because we are afraid of the initial shock of the $150.. Before I would go around choosing the products for a program I will have figured out the estimated cost in my head and during the conversation give them the daily estimate. Never oversell anyone for the sake of a sale. If you have been selling supplements for a while you have a general idea of the programs you suggest to your customers, try this out and see if it helps.
  4. Don’t knock competitors – If a customer comes in and says they have been using a competitive product. Don’t knock the brand. My standard line for any competitive product is , I’m sure that’s a great product , we also sell great products and I know our selection , price and freshness will meet and often exceed any other brands and I guarantee you will be more than satisfied. You must never invalidate them for anything they have ever bought. If they have smoked 3 packs a day for the past umpteen years they don’t need to be told it was bad for their health. They wouldn’t be in your store without that knowledge. I’d might tell the smokers of how strong their constitution must be because at that rate I’d have been gone years ago. [use your own judgement on what to say]. Then I would give them a few tips on how to offset the negative health effects of smoking. Never would I tell them to stop smoking, that’s their choice. Do everything possible not to personally assault them while giving them suggestions to better their health.
  5. The basic program – I find it interesting how many, as I call them, antioxidants of the week enter our market. If there is an antioxidant in a plant it will be isolated, scientifically proven and given a great marketing spin all at the expense of an already confused consumer. Generally if someone came to my store to buy a specific single ingredient I would attempt to find out how they heard of it. I usually would ask the very simple question “how did you hear of this”. More often than not they just read about it in some magazine and thought it would cure all that ails them. Now , this is where it gets interesting , I would attempt , if I thought they were being a little lead down the marketing pitch path [which I know well having created a few] to see if I could interest them in a little more information on the subject. Let’s say it was a product for prostate problems and they came in for something they read. I would ask, do you take anything else or is this the first product you have bought for prostate problems. Generally if they really are concerned and want to take preventive measures to correct a condition one single ingredient will not do the trick. I would attempt to lead them to a book or further information without confusing them more. This takes practice but I found most customers appreciated the extra attention and also came back saying they felt an improvement and if they bought a book came back with friends and family to pick up stuff for them as well.
  6. Remember you generally will never go wrong selling the new supplement user a good multi, some extra C and maybe E and or Calcium. These basic elements are often needed before the specialty single ingredient hyped products are required and will most of the time bring people back happy with the results.
  7. Get customer talking and listen – Zig Ziegler, one of the all-time greatest salesmen says that when you are talking the spotlight is on you and when the customer is talking the spotlight is on them, your customer is the star performer in your store keep the spotlight on them. I still feel one of the greatest services a strong natural health store offers is an environment where people truly care and listen. Alot of the healing process begins during the conversation, who sounds pretty esoteric but studies prove this as a fact. Brainstorm with your staff to come up with questions that get people talking. Being a little on the simple side my standard question was “what got you taken supplements anyway?” Whether new users or old it gets them talking, especially if you really care to listen to the answer.
  8. Large size savings – When selling supplements you always should know the savings between the different sizes of your supplements. This should be as easy to remember as your ABC’s for the top selling products. The best statement I found was “the 90’s are xyz price but if you buy the 180’s it is like getting x amount of tablets for free. As customers got used to buying from me they began to ask what I would sell those 360 for and in time most regular customers bought the big sizes. If done right you will increase your average ticket sale and give your customer the confidence you are helping them save money.
  9. Reason to come back – So you have them at the till, their ready to leave and you now need to wonder , how do I get them back? #1 is get them on your mailing list. I’ve heard the story that you don’t want to get into their space and it is an invasion of their privacy. Sure it is if you send them a bunch of junk in the mail but you tell them by filling out your pre made form you will send them your monthly newsletter filled with current nutritional information and an update on specials. More often than not they fill it in. Make sure you deliver on your promise and send quality mail outs. The timing on when a person should fill out their name and address is the moment just before you begin ringing in their purchase. You are busy ringing in and they have nothing to do, it doesn’t hold up your lineup and you have added a piece of gold to your marketing toolkit.
  10. Literature as a placebo – Whenever you sell a customer a product for a specific ailment make sure you give them some information on the product relating to the benefit. I would ask them to be sure to read the literature before using the product. Remember the mind, body connection and the placebo effect. In most studies the placebo gets about 25 – 30% results ……sometimes more than the drug.
  11. Dress code – You’re a sales professional dress like one. This will always depend on your customer profile. An example is if you have an older clientele and you expect to be credible don’t serve them in a t shirt and sneakers , if you want to sell body care use the products , if you want to sell diet product and sports nutrition look the part etc , etc.
  12. 8 seconds – In the first 8 seconds of entering your store the customer makes their verdict on what they think and feel about it. Make every second count.
  13. Customer names – If you can say hi and “their name” in that first 8 seconds you have made them feel at home. As a service to them have you and your staff wear name tags, it not only identifies the workers from the customers but it helps the customers remember your name when you know theirs.
  14. Training – Professional athletes train all during the year , professional musicians practice daily and other professions must update their knowledge base annually to maintain their certifications. Do you and the staff you work with train to improve and update your sales skills? 2 of the best pieces of advice I ever had come at a seminar by Brian Tracy who trains 1000’s of sales people each year. #1 – Take an hour [or half] each morning to read on a subject you want to excel at. If you do this after 3 years you will be as knowledgeable on the subject as 10% of the population and after 5 years only 1% will have your understanding of the subject. And #2 listen to educational tapes in the car. We spend years in the car and if we took this time to improve our skills we would increase our knowledge a thousand fold. Both of these if practiced towards your profession will have a dramatic impact on your earning ability ………guaranteed.
  15. Smile – Having an off day and don’t know how you will ever get the energy to serve anyone ……smile, a forced smile is better than an unforced frown. You will be amazed that just by smiling your customers will smile at you, then you will feel good and often your sorry little mood will be gone. However if you really are having an off day and smiling is impossible stay in the back room or go home for the day.

These are only a few examples have a brainstorm session with your staff, make it fun and learn from each other . It takes hard work, patience and lots of practice but if done well you will maximize your marketing efforts by retaining your customers and you will grow your sales and profit goals.

As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans would have said [I’m dating myself] “Happy sales to you until we meet again …………….”.

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