How to 'Be Yourself' and Still Sell
Dear Friend,
In an update earlier this week, I touched a
little on the importance of a script:
http://www.kioskexpert.com/un-natural-091806.htm
When I started my first cart, selling heat
packs and massagers, my supplier gave us
a sales script they said was proven to work.
It was five pages long. It took five minutes to
deliver. Kind of long... as scripts go.
When we used that script... we made
sales.
***
I trained all my salespeople to use that sales script. And would use it myself.
But I had one salesperson my first season who was 'extra-resistant' to using that script.
Caleb was a charming, and capable college student, but he didn't want to use it....
'It's just not me'.... 'I just want to BE MYSELF'
It was my first season as a cart operator, and I wasn't as vigilant as I should have been. I was so busy... and felt so overwhelmed... that I just kind of let it go.
Although I would work a little with Caleb on the script... I didn't push it.
I let Caleb just 'Be Himself.'
And in the process learned something about people 'Being Themselves.'
***
Most of us, and most of your salespeople
are NOT natural salespeople.
I find if I let my salespeople 'Be Themselves',
when first learning a script, one of two things
generally happens:
a) They go into 'May I help you?' mode... which
leads to absolutely 'zippo' in sales; or
b) They start to talk like they THINK a salesperson
SHOULD talk'.... and use lots of 'sales-ey' words.
They often end up sounding a lot like a
used-car salesperson... eeek!
***
Now... Caleb was a high achieving college
student... one who was used to being good
at things.
When Caleb would sell, without the script... he
sounded a LOT like a used-car salesperson.
And not just a average one.
He sounded like an UBER-Used-Car-Salesperson.
Just way too 'sales-ey'
***
Now... at first, he sold about as much as
everyone else... mainly on sheer enthusiasm.
Which to him... justified his approach... which
I unfortunately allowed him to continue to use.
But as we went forward that holiday season,
everyone ELSE started to get better with script... and the buying mentality in the mall picked
up as we got closer to Xmas.
Everyone started to sell more!
Everyone except Caleb.
***
This finally came to a head after the Thanksgiving
weekend.
By that time folks were literally starting to
out-sell Caleb three to one.
His natural enthusiasm was long gone.
He was frustrated at his lack of success.
Even little fourteen year old Natalie was now
outselling him three to one. How was that possible?
We sat down after one of his shifts, and had a
heart to heart talk.
***
And Caleb finally agreed to really focus in on
using the script.
And over the next week, we saw Caleb literally
transform himself.
He learned the script, and practiced it.
That UBER-Used-Car-Salesperson disappeared.
And in his place was this warm, and charming
college student who customers loved to buy
from.
Within that week he went from my worst
salesperson, to one of my best.
***
What I've found is that use of a script actually
ALLOWS your salespeople to 'Be Themselves'.
Instead of continually trying to think of 'what to
say next', and talking in a 'sales-ey' way... they can 'let the script' do the selling, and focus
on interacting with the customers.
If they need to take a little 'side detour' off the
main script... say... to answer an unexpected question, or
address a particular need of your customer... they can interact with your customer... and
just 'be themselves'... and then they can bring the customer BACK
onto the script, and onto a path that they KNOW
leads to a sale.
***
I gained a productive salesperson in Caleb the
last month of that holiday season.
But I COULD have had a productive salesperson
the whole season, if I had just been more vigilant
early on.
If you have a staff person that resists using your
script, and tells they just want to 'Be Themselves'... don't buy that crap. Help them learn the script.
Stick with it and them. It'll be worth it!
In the long run, they'll sell better AND feel
better about 'being themselves'
You'll end up with a more productive salesperson,
a happier salesperson, and one that will put profits
in your pocket!
Brady Flower
The Kiosk Expert
P.S. A well-trained staff is a RESOURCE you can profit
from over and over again.
On my September 26 tele-course... The Seven Profit Streams
of a Remarkably Profitable Cart or Kiosk... you'll learn two
specific strategies to MONOTIZE your staff... in other words,
how to make money from them... month after month, even if
you close after the holidays. Register to learn how:
http://www.kioskexpert.com/profit-streams-091906.htm
