Developing a Sales Training Plan

A retail sales training plan can be used to teach new employees how to handle different situations that could come up during the day.  The first encounter with a customer is the first thing that should be taught.

Companies have their own ideas about how a customer should be approached.  If this is a retail environment and your employees are strictly cashiers, they should be trained in being polite, helpful and friendly.

Employees need to put a smile on their face when they first greet a customer.  Your supervisors or managers should be willing to counsel an employee that seems to have a bad attitude.  Otherwise, you will lose customers, no matter how good your prices are.

In an environment where your employees are actually salespeople (car dealerships, furniture stores, etc), they need to be taught to approach customers and try to initiate a conversation. 

Hello, how are you doing today?  What kind of furniture are you interested in?  What room are you decorating?  What project are you working on?  Those are some of the better open-ended questions.  Your employees should be trained not to ask “yes or no” questions. 

What should your employee say when a customer waves them off and says “We’re just looking”?  If they have a good sales training plan, they will say, “Let me walk with you and tell you about some of our specials.”

It is possible to talk too much, but the customer will let your salespeople know if they don’t want to hear about it.  The salesperson will get an “I’m not interested.  I’ll let you know if I need help.”

Of course, then the customer will be angry if they do need help and your salesperson has moved on to someone else.  It’s something of a catch-22 situation.  One solution is to have the employee remain available, if at all possible. 

A good sales training plan will include actual education and information about the products your employees are selling.  There is nothing more frustrating to a consumer than to ask an employee a question and get a blank stare. 

Of course, no one can remember everything.  If an employee doesn’t know the answer, he or she should say, “Let me find out.”  It is important that your salespeople know where to find the answers, if they can’t come up with them on their own.

Role playing can be a part of your sales training plan.  There are many different situations that can come up during the day.  Your employees may be able to come up with some on their own.

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