Why have a selling method?  Using a selling method ensures consistency in delivering quality sales and service to the consumer.  As in any profession, the ability to deliver excellence is achieved through a measurable and consistent delivery of performance—whether it is performing as a musical artist, an Olympic athlete or a Retail Sales Associate.

Listen as George Hines, President of George's Music Stores, Inc., discusses the three key concepts of the Participative Selling method for Music Retailers, his sales training course:

1.  The Three “P’s” of Retail
2.  Physical Needs vs. Emotional Needs
3.  “Participative Selling” vs. Selling the Customer 

This is the customer's first contact, both with the store and with an individual Sales Associate.  There should be an initial greeting to acknowledge that the customer has entered the store; there also needs to be a more personal greeting that shows the customer that there is someone to assist them.

Building Rapport is the process of establishing trust between you and your customer.  People buy from people when they feel a sense of trust and connection. Your job is to connect with customers as quickly as possible.  Focus on them. 

Your Best Friend
Imagine if your best friend walked into the store.  What would you say?  “How have you been?” and "When was the last time you were here?" and "It’s great to see you!"  Building rapport is truly a skill, but the easiest way to do it is to think of how you would treat a friend who just walked in.

Establishing purpose is an easy step that is sometimes overlooked.  People have many reasons to visit a retail store, and sometimes Sales Associates make assumptions that impede their ability to assist customers.

Why are they here?
Customers shop in stores for various reasons; it is important for you to establish that reason quickly.  This will prevent you from starting the wrong discussion or mistakenly assuming the reason for the customer's visit is based on the merchandise they're looking at.

One of the most valuable skills for you to develop and practice is the ability to qualify needs.  Your ability to properly qualify the customer's needs shows that you understand your customer and will let you meet those needs quickly and correctly. This is an area where the true professional will consistently perform efficiently and increase the number of regular customers—and their own earning potential.

Suggesting product is the process of you presenting the possible solutions for your customer to make a buying decision. The proper interaction here can greatly facilitate the buying process.

Asking Permission
As part of the Participative approach, you need to ask for permission to show a product that will meet the customer’s needs. This appeals to the customer's sense of being respected and establishes that they are giving you permission to provide options for them.

Customers have earned the right to be asked to buy if the Sales Associate has done a proper job of assessing their needs and meeting their requirements.

Respect for the Customer
Failure to ask for the sale is disrespectful to the customer, who deserves to be asked if the best product that meets their needs at the proper price will make that person a happy, satisfied customer.  People who are given the chance to purchase by asking them to buy will more often purchase than those who are not asked.

When you ask for the sale, there are times when you will uncover objections that will lead the customer to answer “No” when you ask them to buy. Objections are an opportunity to clarify information and help the customer make the buying decision. Your job is to handle those objections effectively and, if meeting their needs, to ask again for the sale.

People buy from people who meet their expectations.  People refer others to those who exceed their expectations and are trusted individuals.  Treat your customers very, very well.  Serving them at the highest level possible will position you to comfortably ask for their help when you seek referrals.

It is important to let your customers know that you are as concerned about them after the sale as you were before the sale.  Assure them that you really do care about them since they have already given you their money and that you will still be there to provide service and support.

The goal of using the phone should be to build relationships with your customers in order to bring them into your store.  One of the top two ways that customers assess the value of your company's service is determined by their interaction with you on the phone.  Learning proper telephone techniques can truly set you apart from the competition and increase your customer retention and sales.