Be Willing to Take Risks to Make a Retail Sale | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Often times when I'm coaching a younger sales person, I'll ask them if they noticed why the sale went off the rails. And frequently they'll say, "Oh, the customer just had no need for it," or, "It was too expensive." That's kind of a loser's limp because we really had looked at what was going on in the sale early on, the customer or the shopper’s arms were folded over. They weren't looking at the associate in the eyes.

In fact, their arms might've been crossed and their feet, which basically is a big barrier that says, "I don't want anything you're selling," so to turn a sale around, you've got to be willing to take a risk. And one of the ones I always like to do, particularly if I'm waiting on a couple or something, is one is really working with you. And another one really isn't, and just say, "Hey, excuse me, did I do something to offend you?"

And they'll say, "Oh no, why?" And I said, "Well, it doesn't seem like you're really engaged like whoever the person next to you is." And they'll say, "Oh, I was really worried about my daughter." Or, "I've been waiting for a text from my work," or any number of things, and then they're back in touch with you and you frequently will make the sale. But if you're not willing to risk it, then you just let those bad things stay in the sale. Then there's no way you can close that.

So even if you're waiting on an individual, if something goes off the rails, you can certainly say, "Excuse me, did I say something wrong?” And they'll say, "What do you mean?" And I say, "Oh, it doesn't seem like you're as engaged as you were at the beginning," and they'll say the same thing to you and then you can move on. So my message to you today is to turn a sale around. You've got to be willing to risk it.

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