How to Greet Customers in Retail - Never Say This!

Summary

In this video, Kathy Donovan Wagner, founder of Retail Mavens, emphasizes the importance of customer greetings in retail for building relationships and boosting sales. She advises against intrusive sales tactics, suggesting a warm acknowledgment and giving customers space to feel comfortable. Kathy recommends starting conversations with icebreakers and open-ended questions to create a relaxed shopping environment. She also shares strategies for engaging with different types of customers, whether they're browsing or on a mission, and encourages retailers to practice these techniques to enhance customer experience and loyalty.

Takeaways

• 😀 Greeting customers warmly and genuinely can significantly influence their purchasing decisions and likelihood of returning.
• 🛍️ Avoiding aggressive sales tactics is crucial as it can make customers defensive and less likely to buy.
• 🎶 Acknowledging customers with eye contact, a smile, and a friendly greeting helps set a positive tone for their shopping experience.
• 🕒 Giving customers a moment to settle in the store allows them to feel more comfortable and relaxed.
• 🗣️ Starting a conversation with open-ended questions helps build rapport and relationships with customers.
• 🚫 Refrain from asking useless questions that don't foster relationships, such as 'How can I help you today?' or 'Have you been in the store before?'
• 💡 Use icebreakers and compliments to initiate conversations that lead to more natural and engaging interactions.
• 🛒 When customers indicate they're looking for something specific, ask open-ended questions to better understand their needs and offer relevant products.
• 🏃‍♂️ For customers who appear to be in a hurry, offer assistance to help them find what they need quickly.
• 👥 Encourage your team to practice these customer service techniques through role-playing to enhance their skills and customer interactions.

Q & A

Why is the way you greet customers important in a retail store?

How you greet customers significantly impacts whether they'll make a purchase or become repeat customers. A positive first impression sets the stage for a better customer experience.

What emotional state should you aim to create in customers when they enter your store?

You should aim to make customers feel welcome, relaxed, and comfortable, as consumer psychology shows that customers are more likely to buy when they are feeling happy and their dopamine is flowing.

What common mistake do salespeople often make when greeting customers?

A common mistake is being too aggressive or direct, such as immediately asking, 'How can I help you?' or trying to sell a product right away. This can make customers defensive and less likely to buy.

How can you create a welcoming atmosphere for customers as soon as they enter the store?

Acknowledge their presence by making eye contact, smiling, and saying something like 'Hello,' 'Welcome,' or 'Glad you're here.' If you recognize them, you can add 'Good to see you again,' even if you don’t remember their name.

What is a recommended strategy to engage with a customer after greeting them?

After greeting them, give the customer a moment to get comfortable in the store. Then, approach the area where they are and start straightening or arranging products nearby. This allows you to start a casual conversation without pressuring them.

What type of questions should you ask to start a conversation with a customer?

You should ask open-ended questions that can lead to a conversation. For example, if it's early in the week, you could ask, 'Did you do anything fun over the weekend?' or, if it’s towards the end of the week, 'Are you doing anything fun this weekend?'

What types of questions should you avoid when greeting customers?

Avoid asking generic and closed questions like 'How can I help you today?' or 'Do you have any questions?' These don’t build relationships and can make the customer feel like you're just trying to make a sale.

What is a good question to ask when you want to understand a customer’s needs?

A great way to discover their needs is to ask, 'What brings you into the store today?' This invites the customer to share their reasons for visiting and opens up the conversation naturally.

How should you handle customers who seem to want to browse on their own?

If a customer indicates they just want to look around, respect their space. Continue straightening items nearby and stay accessible, but avoid hovering. Don’t retreat behind the counter, as it creates a barrier between you and the customer.

How can you approach a customer who seems to be in a hurry?

If a customer walks in quickly and seems to be in a rush, you can say something like, 'Looks like you're on a mission. How can I help you get out of here fast?' This acknowledges their urgency while still providing helpful service.

Outlines

00:00

💬 The Art of Greeting Customers in Retail

The script emphasizes the importance of the initial customer greeting in a retail setting, suggesting it significantly influences customer purchasing decisions and their likelihood of returning. Kathy Donovan Wagner, founder of Retail Mavens, shares insights from consumer psychology, highlighting that customers are more likely to buy when they feel good, happy, and relaxed. She advises against the common but off-putting approach of salespeople being overly eager or intrusive. Instead, she recommends acknowledging the customer's presence with a smile and a warm greeting, allowing them to feel welcome and comfortable. The goal is to build a relationship rather than focusing solely on a transaction. To achieve this, she suggests starting with an icebreaker or a compliment to initiate a conversation, and then using open-ended questions to keep the dialogue flowing. Avoiding common but ineffective questions like 'How can I help you today?' or 'Have you been in the store before?' is crucial as they can hinder relationship building. The script also touches on the importance of body language and physical presence, advising retail staff to stay on the floor and be approachable.

05:01

🛒 Building Relationships Over Sales in Retail

In the second paragraph, Kathy continues to discuss the strategy of building customer relationships in retail. She points out that customers are often conditioned to expect and deflect from sales pitches, which is why it's essential for retail staff to focus on conversation and relationship building. She provides practical advice on how to engage customers by asking open-ended questions that encourage them to share more about their needs. Kathy also addresses the challenge of customers who prefer to browse independently, suggesting that staff should respect their space while remaining available and approachable. She shares her experience of how acknowledging a customer's mission or purpose for visiting the store can lead to more effective assistance. The script concludes with a call to action for retail staff to practice these techniques through role play and to adopt a customer-centric mindset that prioritizes relationship building over simple transactions.

Keywords

💡Greeting

Greeting is the act of acknowledging someone's presence, typically with a verbal or non-verbal gesture, as they enter a space. In the context of the video, a warm and genuine greeting is emphasized as a crucial first step in setting a positive tone for customer interactions. The script mentions that acknowledging the customer with eye contact, a smile, and a welcoming statement like 'hello' or 'welcome' can help make them feel instantly welcome and comfortable.

💡Customer Experience

Customer experience refers to the sum of all interactions a customer has with a brand or business. The video underscores the importance of creating a positive customer experience by making customers feel good, happy, and relaxed, which can lead to increased likelihood of purchase and return visits. The script suggests that a good customer experience starts with a proper greeting and continues with attentive, non-intrusive service.

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward and pleasure centers. The video mentions that customers are more likely to buy when their dopamine is flowing, meaning they are in a positive emotional state. Retailers are advised to create an environment and interaction style that promotes this positive state to enhance the shopping experience.

💡Salesperson

A salesperson is an individual who sells goods or services. The video discusses the common customer aversion to aggressive sales tactics, where salespeople are depicted as approaching customers too directly and pressuring them to make purchases. The script advises against this approach, recommending instead a more relaxed and conversational method to build rapport and trust.

💡Acknowledge

To acknowledge means to recognize or accept the presence or existence of someone or something. In the video, acknowledging the customer is highlighted as the first critical step in customer service. This involves making eye contact, smiling, and greeting the customer to show appreciation for their visit, as illustrated by the phrases 'glad you're here' and 'good to see you again'.

💡Conversation

A conversation is an interactive communication between two or more people. The video emphasizes the importance of starting a conversation with customers rather than immediately focusing on sales. It suggests using open-ended questions and compliments to engage customers and build relationships, which is contrasted with the traditional, transactional approach to retail interactions.

💡Relationship Building

Relationship building refers to the process of establishing and nurturing connections with others. In the context of retail, the video stresses the value of building relationships with customers over one-time transactions. This is achieved through meaningful conversations and attentive service, aiming to create a loyal customer base that values the personal connection with the retailer.

💡Open-Ended Question

An open-ended question is one that cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no' and requires more elaborate responses. The video advises using open-ended questions to encourage dialogue and gather more information from customers, which helps in understanding their needs and preferences. Examples from the script include asking about weekend plans or inquiring about the reason for their visit to the store.

💡Icebreaker

An icebreaker is a conversation starter used to initiate dialogue and break the ice in social situations. The video suggests using icebreakers such as compliments or relevant questions to engage customers in a conversation. This approach is intended to make customers feel more at ease and open to interacting with the salesperson, as opposed to feeling like they are being sold to.

💡Product Knowledge

Product knowledge refers to the understanding of the features, benefits, and details of the products being sold. The video implies that having product knowledge is essential for providing valuable information to customers when they show interest in an item. It encourages salespeople to share this knowledge in a helpful and non-intrusive manner, enhancing the customer's shopping experience.

💡Role Play

Role play is a method of practicing and honing interpersonal skills by simulating real-life situations. The video suggests that retailers should role play with their team to practice customer interactions and improve their approach to sales and service. This helps in becoming more comfortable with initiating conversations, building relationships, and effectively serving customers.

Highlights

Greeting customers has a significant impact on their purchasing decisions and likelihood of returning.

Customers are more likely to buy when they feel good, happy, and relaxed due to increased dopamine flow.

Customers often enter stores defensively, anticipating aggressive sales tactics.

A good salesperson's job is to make customers feel welcome, relaxed, and comfortable.

Acknowledge customers immediately upon entering, maintain eye contact, smile, and greet them warmly.

Give customers a moment to get comfortable in the store before approaching them.

Initiate a conversation with customers rather than focusing on making a sale.

Use open-ended questions to start a conversation and build a relationship with the customer.

Avoid asking useless questions that don't contribute to building a relationship.

Use the phrase 'What brings you into the store today?' to invite customers to share their needs.

Customers are often programmed to deflect salespeople, so building a relationship is critical.

Stay on the floor and continue tidying up to maintain a presence without being intrusive.

Offer information about products when customers show interest, but respect their space if they prefer to browse.

For customers who are on a mission, be direct and offer assistance to help them quickly.

Train your team with these tips and practice role-playing scenarios to improve customer interactions.

Subscribe for more retail tips, tools, and strategies to improve profits and become a richer retailer.

Transcripts

did you know that how you greet

customers in your retail store has a big

impact on whether or not they will buy

from you whether or not they'll become

returned customers it's true keep

watching and i'm going to share with you

what you should never ever say to them

and also what you should say to them to

make sure that they're having the best

customer experience ever

[Music]

hey there i'm kathy donovan wagner

founder of retail mavens and mom of

america's most fun family it's true and

i love to share the science of retail

and the science of consumer psychology

with independent retailers like you so

that you can get more profits and better

sleep make sure you hit subscribe and

click that bell to get notifications to

know when i share more retail tips and

strategies many retailers i work with

either feel awkward greeting a customer

when they walk in their door or they

fall into a standard response because

they think that's what they're supposed

to do the problem with this is that

you're not setting your customer up for

a great experience in your store and i

know that's what you want to do i know

you're known for your customer service

consumer psychology tells us that a

customer is more likely to buy when

their dopamine is flowing what does that

mean when they're feeling good when

they're happy and when they're relaxed

the problem is is that often when they

walk into a store they expect to be

jumped on they're programmed to expect a

salesperson to walk right up into their

face and try and sell them something

they don't need or don't want and that

they're going to be forced to push the

person away so they get all defensive

right the truth is people don't like

salespeople because there are sales

people like that and they give all of us

good salespeople a bad name they do walk

right up into their face and like hey

how are you how can i help you today

what are you buying today what can blah

blah that whole thing sets the customer

up for a bad experience they're already

on the defensive ready to deflect people

they're tense they're obviously much

less likely to buy your job is to help

the customer feel instantly welcome to

feel relaxed and to feel comfortable so

how do you start when a customer first

walks in no matter what you're doing if

you're behind the counter or unboxing

something or talking to another customer

the first most important thing to do is

to acknowledge the customer maintain eye

contact look at them smile say hello

welcome glad you're here if you

recognize them tell them good to see you

again it doesn't matter if you don't

remember their name it's so important to

acknowledge their presence and to show

them that you're genuinely appreciative

that they took the time to come into

your store today then give them a moment

or two to get comfy in your store you

don't want to tackle them right away you

want to allow them to take it in and

revel in this beautiful first impression

that you've set up for them then what i

recommend doing is going to nearby not

close by but in the area where they are

start straightening a display or a

counter and start sizing something just

to be closer to them and more in the

presence of them now you're getting

ready to first exchange words for them

and what i want you to know is that all

you have to do is start a conversation

that's all it is you don't have to worry

about the sale you're just here to build

a relationship because your true success

is going to

count on having relationships with

customers not just one-off transactions

so that's the reason why when you think

about this from a conversation

standpoint and from relationship

building and not worrying about the sale

doesn't that take the pressure off it

takes the pressure off you and it takes

the pressure off them everything comes

across so much more honestly and openly

and enjoyable for everybody so start

with an icebreaker of some sort

compliment them on something they're

wearing something that's going to lead

to a conversation what always leads to a

conversation an open-ended question

that's what your goal is is to get to an

open-ended question of any sort it's on

a monday or tuesday hey do you do

something anything fun over the weekend

or if it's a thursday or a friday i used

to always say hey are you doing anything

fun this weekend it's just anything to

try and get the conversation going like

i said to try and develop a relationship

questions you should never say the

totally useless questions that will not

create relationships and instead will

stop them from forming is saying things

like uh how can i help you today we're

saying hey if you have any questions i'm

just gonna be right here or i don't even

like have you been in the store before

i'm not even crazy about how's the

weather you wouldn't say that to a

friend if you were really starting a

conversation with them now you might in

some sort of context like you might say

oh my gosh what a beautiful day it was

just like this last sunday when we went

sailing what did you do last sunday it

was so beautiful wasn't it you see how

that starts a conversation so you can do

that but any of those other useless

questions just

scream at the person i am a salesperson

and they will go running so that's what

you want to do is try and get into a

conversation and then you'll sense when

the conversation naturally slows down

and that's when it's time for you to

discover how you can best serve their

needs you don't do this by interrogation

this is the phrase that i have found

that works like magic every single time

so what brings you into the store today

this invites them to share their ideas

with you right and shows them that

you're available to show them products

it's all said in those words what brings

you into the store today what's so funny

though is that because we're all so

programmed to have a sales person in our

face in a store we're so programmed to

not ask for help in a store what i've

discovered people so often say is

they'll say things like oh nothing i'm

just looking for a baby gift bingo

i had a kids store so that's all i

needed to know but it's amazing how

programmed we are to deflect salespeople

so you really have to work on building

that relationship and just focusing on a

conversation that's what's so critical

about this

and then as long as they're sharing with

you keep asking open-ended questions so

that you can learn more and showing them

relevant products in your store asking

what else do you need to know so for

example you could say to that how fun so

who had the baby and just getting them

to talking now it for sure happens that

the person might indicate that they just

kind of want to walk around by

themselves okay no problem at all give

them the space to do so and just stay

out there and continue straightening or

whatever because the thing is is the

second you go behind the counter then

there becomes this wall between you and

the customer as much as possible stay on

the floor keep resizing keep

straightening do whatever you need to do

and then what i would often do is when

they pick up something say hey can i

just tell you something about that item

and sometimes they'd say oh no it's okay

i'm fine

totally cool other time they say oh yeah

sure and then you can go into whatever

it is you want to share about that

particular item the point is is that if

they look like they have a question

about something or they're lost or

looking for something it's your job to

respond accordingly and you want to make

sure that you're there for them and that

they don't have to come looking for you

the other kind of customer that comes

into the store is the person who's on a

mission that's the person who's just

like

walks right in really really super fast

and i would just flat out come from

behind the counter and say hey looks

like you're on a mission how can i help

you get out of here fast and they would

smile like they welcome that that's not

something sales people say but it's

something that you would say to a friend

right to a person at a relationship with

that is so powerful often they'll say oh

wow that takes them aback oh yeah i have

to find a baby gift can you help me i've

got like 15 minutes yeah sure let's go

and then just start talking to them

asking them open questions that's the

best way of greeting a customer and

setting it up for success in every way

teach these tips to your team have them

watch this video and then role play play

with the scenario over and over again

with them so that they get used to it

and more comfortable to opening the sale

with someone and working to create a

relationship with that new raving fan

that just walked through your door hey

if you found this helpful but you're

thinking kathy

i need to get more people in my store

that's my problem stay tuned because i

have a couple videos for you that you're

going to love and don't forget to

subscribe with the bell for more tips

tools and strategies so that i can help

you improve your profits sleep better

and become a richer retailer

happy retailing

[Music]

you