Indian Retail Forum
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Source : http://www.shiningconsulting.com
Activity:
9 comments
237 views
last activity : 05 19 2011 08:57:15 +0000
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My British friend Paul wanted to take home a sari for his wife in Liverpool. I took him to a typical Indian traditional store. Within 5 minutes, 30 saris were unfolded and held up in demonstration. Such extravagant, spontaneous selling skills mesmerised him. He quadrupled his buy from his initial purchase intent. He was keen to indulge himself too, so we entered a modern Indian fashion apparel store.
As Paul walked alongside the merchandize shelves, he found a salesman following him. When he walked, the salesman did so behind him, when he stopped, so did the salesman. Paul was embarrassed. He asked the salesman to stop shadowing him. The man stepped back a bit, but kept a hawk’s eye on Paul, the customer, purportedly to help him. When Paul did turn around to ask for help, the salesman ran to his boss to verify the veracity of his answer. So what was the point in following Paul if his knowledge about the merchandise was so sketchy?
Obviously this in-store staff’s training was not just inadequate in facts and figures, but pitiful in soft skills. He’s never been trained how to read the face of a shopper who steps in. Nobody taught him how to talk with different types of shoppers.
So he has no clue, no sales tactics or behavioural skills on how to engage with a shopper through dialogue. Unlike the proverbial garrulous British barber who entertains you with a constant stream of talk as he shears off your hair, the sales staff of modern Indian retails has cultivated no speech that can engage a shopper and help him to buy.
In lieu of not having learnt anything, they tail the shopper, make him feel not just irritated, but intimidated, resulting in no business conversion.
So in such stores you may find shoppers coming in, taking a round with eyes glued to products on the shelves as though on an inspection, and walking out the exit door. Those who are actually buying have come with a pre-decided need based agenda with prior knowledge of the store’s merchandize.
Clearly the big requirement is soft skills training for every moment presence. There has to be pragmatic coaching with a systematic review mechanism. Such retail outlets need a service manual productization for training that covers every moment of action of the sales personnel’s activities at the retail. An organised retail environment requires systematic discipline for the sales and store management staff.
You can read the complete article here - http://goo.gl/Qo0mr
What do you think? Share your views.
Best
Chitra
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