Over the past few weeks we've been highlighting some of the things a sales person never say to a customer, as listed by service expert and former retail proprietor Bob Johnson in Appliance Retailer magazine. So far we've covered You'll have to, I can't, I know how you feel and I don't know – here is the next phrase you should never say: "Will that be all?".
This is a really dumb question from several angles. First, how would the customer know if they have everything they need? With most products you sell there is a plethora of accessories and add-ons; some are simply nice-to-have and others are must-haves.
You are a professional in your particular area of selling, so it is your job to advise every customer of what they need to get the most out of their purchase.
Have regular product knowledge sessions where you and your team challenge each other to come up with all the potential items a customer could need or want to go with the major item.
And start work on getting rid of questions such as, “Would you like some extra ink cartridges with that?” or “Can I show you something that will go nicely with your purchase?”.
You’re the expert so replace these with confident, informed statements like, “You’ll need a surge protector, quality 3D glasses, a protective cover, a wall bracket…” and so on.
The complete list of phrases you should never say to a customer were published in two parts across the February and March issues of Appliance Retailer magazine – both are currently available.