Retail sales training refers to the way in which you train your retail staff on how to engage with customers and make the sale. It also implies subtle scenarios like how to contrast and compare product lines, how to make convincing sales pitches and how to build a rapport in order to make an effortless sale. Retail sales training is unique though because retail sales transactions are quick, often involve just one customer visit and engage with only one decision maker. This is why brilliant sales staff require meticulous training in order to maximize that single meeting and understand exactly how to relay the correct information in the best way, to sell your product at the right price.
There are 3 levels to sales training
- The first level of sales training is the onboarding of new hires. This involves helping them understand the basics like how to navigate the layout of the store, understand the logistics like shipping, handle the cash register, use the POS and follow store policies.
- The second level of sales training refers to training staff carefully on product knowledge. including how the product works, what elements are boxed, what the product is used for, how to facilitate product trials and general benefits that they need to communicate to the customer.
- The third level of sales training refers to training staff on the soft skills required to engage genuinely with customers. No matter what type of customer they encounter they need to learn how to adapt to their requirements and fulfill their needs with your product.
The challenge for sales staff
The biggest challenge for bricks and mortar sales staff is getting people to make the effort to actually come into the store. That’s why once a customer is in your store, you need to make sure that your staff know exactly what they have to do to close the deal, and close it quickly. Untrained employees take longer to achieve this and can often come across as passive. This leads to lower conversion rates and smaller basket sizes.
Management training
Retail training needs to occur across the sales floor. This would also include your HR manager, operations director, general managers, assistants and district managers. The more senior staff can’t actually be excluded because then lower-tiered staff can’t be held accountable if their managers don’t understand what’s required of them.
Cost of training
The cost of sales training varies widely. This needs to be worked into your overall budget as it’s an ongoing requirement and will always require funding. Rather than surprise yourself with the sudden cost, plan for it and use it as a way to build your business from the inside out.
Measuring your sales training
The key to successful sales training lies in creating key metrics to measure what is required in terms of units per sale, average basket size and conversions per staff member. This will allow you to be very clear about what’s expected of your staff, so you can motivate your team with measurable metrics.
The bottom line
Sales training is not just a nice to have. Rather it needs to be worked into your overall strategy, budget, and HR plans. If you are concerned about keeping up with these costs, consider a Merchant Capital Cash Advance to fund your sales training in a manageable way. Not only is a Cash Advance available in under 48 hours but the repayments structure is also tailor made for retailers, working directly in line with turnover. Contact us today for an obligation-free quote and let Merchant Capital fund your business’s ambitious growth..
