Sales Advisor
At first glance, Sales Advisor Diane Bell seems to take a lighthearted approach to engaging customers. “I might say to a husband who is pushing his wife’s shopping cart ‘gee, that’s a nice purse you have there,’” she says. But she’s not just trying to get shoppers to smile. She knows that engaging them on a personal level is the secret to reeling them in.
“People love to get compliments and to talk about themselves,” says Bell. “That can be a good way to get the conversation started. Once we engage, I ask them to try my product.”
When shoppers are reluctant to try something new, Bell reminds them, “‘You never know if you like it until you try it!’ I encourage shoppers to broaden their horizons. When sampling store brands, I also point out that there’s a money-back guarantee. So if they buy it and decide they don’t like it, they can return it.”
Bell says she focuses on emphasizing product benefits that will be most relevant to individual customers. “When I see someone shopping with young children, I point out how a product is healthy for the children—for example, I mention that it’s all natural, or has no added sugars or artificial colors. For a business person walking into the store at 5 o’clock, I point out how the product can make for a quick and easy dinner.”