About Training.....

[MatFramer]

We are all in need of new ideas for better selling techniques. Sometimes we use the same ones over and over and get in a rut. Sometimes we forget something that worked well and for some reason stopped using it.

Lets say we are training a new employee to be a sales person..........What would you want this person to know, assume that they are on board with us in keeping each sale what the customer wants, educating the customer to use the proper techniques, and increasing our profits. Also, what about using wider mats and teaching someone why we use wider mat margins today.

This is a long standing one, but I think it is inmportant to know that increasing your mat margins by 1" increases "profit" by 11%. My quesion to that statement..... Is it 1" all around, thus increasing it actually 2" or only 1" increase.

I hope this thread will be fun and useful for all of us.

Thanks,
Candy

 

[Puppyraiser]

One of my most critical is "Give it the old "Reality test" before you quote the price. Have you forgotten anything? Did you remember to add a 'stitch small item' charge if necessary? Did you charge for fitting? These things have cost us over the years when $5 here and there weren't charged, but yet had to be done in order to produce a quality package. Of course, we had one employee who (as it turned out) thought our prices were 'too high' and so would substitute regular glass, knowing that we would do the UV upgrade. Oh, I did say 'former' employee, didn't I?

 

[Matoaka]

The first thing I'd want a new salesperson to know is... "Engage with the customer". There's nothing I hate more in a salesperson than the feeling that they're looking over my head (which isn't hard) trying to find a bigger fish to fry.

We don't train in the direction of upselling and profit margins. We strive for total customer satisfaction, using the best materials. If the customer's budget won't accommodate the price, then we work to bring the price down without embarrassing them. It's that silly old "Do unto others..." thing.

We're an established "neighborhood" shop. Very casual, but with a large price range, and lot's of return customers. It works for us.

My 2 cents..