Increase Sales

The previous example assumed you are already doing all that you can to maximize sales — but are you really? Ask yourself:

• Have you and your staff been through formal sales training?
• Do you and your staff actually make use of your sales training on a daily basis?
• Do you and your staff have a common set of features and benefits you present to meet customers’ needs — and a consistent way of overcoming common objections?
• Do you take the initiative in closing sales? (Or do you simply wait for the customer to decide?)
• Is your sales staff on commission? (Or are you paying them, instead, to not sell?)
• Are you taking advantage of all of the advertising and promotional opportunities that have proven themselves effective? (i.e., Yellow Pages, direct mail, e-mail, website, handouts/flyers, etc.)

If you can honestly answer Yes to all of these questions, great! If not, then these are opportunities that can immediately increase both sales and profitability.

Improve margins »

Sales Commissions: Not an Added Expense

Sierra Diving Center owner Keith Chesnut points out that some retailers do not pay commissions because they think of commissions as being an additional expense. They aren't. As Keith points out:

• Commissions should not be a bonus you pay on top of what you think an average employee should get.
• An average employee making average sales should hit his or her target salary only through a combination of salary and commission.
• Above-average employees will make more than this; sub-standard employees will make less.

The idea is to make employee compensation better reflect employee effort. When employees sell more effectively, the store does better and everyone wins.

Improve margins »

::: TOP ::: SUBSCRIBE ::: CONTACT US ::: ABOUT US :::