My partner Nick was bragging about how great one of his salespeople in the Cleveland area was doing. In Nick’s words, “She was very good before but now she is great!” Lori has been selling mattresses for years in Cleveland. She decided that she wanted to enjoy a tropical climate. She moved to Georgia and continued to sell mattresses. After a little more than a year she missed her family and came back home.
Lori came home a changed salesperson. You might say she was born again. I wanted to know more about her metamorphosis. She told me she worked at a mattress store that was 1 of 15 mattress stores in a 2 mile area. This mattress store consistently ranks in the top 6 in the country out of over 600 stores. She was very good but now she felt she needed to improve quickly. She studied her new teammates and environment and adapted new techniques and thought patterns that helped her enjoy more success. Here they are.
Listen- Lori attributes her ability to listen to the customer as one of the keys to her success. When a customer is with her in the store Lori is one hundred percent focused on what her customer needs. All of Lori’s questions focus on helping her to understand her customer’s likes, dislikes, and needs.
Know Your Competition- Lori shops her competition. She not only knows their brands but she knows their policies and pricing.
Motivation- She learned a visualization technique to focus her efforts. She visualizes being paid cash in her pocket at the end of the day. She learned this technique from a fellow teammate.
“Man Up and Ask for the Sale”- This was Lori’s response to my question about what is different about her internal dialogue. Lori doesn’t believe in be backs. She gets some but she prefers to concentrate her efforts on closing the sale now. Almost all top retail salespeople share this philosophy.
“I Don’t Take No for an Answer”- When I asked Lori what changed in her selling this was her answer. She simply doesn’t accept no to her offer when she finds the right product at the right price for her customer.
Loves her Work- Lori loves the store’s owner. She appreciates the fantastic opportunity that she has been afforded. Almost all top producers have this feeling towards their owners. The customers can feel it and respond very positively to it. Her positive feelings about the store are transferred to the customer. Isn’t that what selling is all about?
Wishing You Success!
Pete