Increasing sales is normally the goal of a retail salesperson. There are many ways to approach the task, but one way that works is talking to your customers in a relaxed and open-ended manner. Many nurseries employ an expert who spends time with each customer, explaining their products.
Rather than just using what "works", it's important to always think about how you can be more personal with your customers and make sure they have the best shopping experience possible. If you forget this rule, it may negatively affect your nursery.
The first thing to keep in mind is that no one likes to feel pressured. Customers don't always want to buy now, they want the freedom to decide when and if they're going to make a purchase. If you get over-aggressive right off the bat, you may scare away a potential customer.
Remember that customers aren't stupid, and you need to give them something extra if you expect them to buy from you. The easiest way is by treating them with respect, being helpful and informative, and giving them fresh ideas or news about your garden pots and plants.
Being kind can go a long way towards convincing all but the most stubborn customers that your products are worth buying.
Here are a few tips for being more personable and building relationships with your customers:
1. Be nice and be flexible- One way to get closer to the people who buy from you is by being able to bend over backwards for them. If they need any help with anything, give it without argument. If someone has questions, answer them fully and politely. The more flexible you are, the more respect you will gain as well as the opportunity to learn how best to help a customer.
2. Make eye contact- It's important to be the first to make eye contact with a customer. Let them know that you are interested in what they have to say by letting them look your way. Don't ever ignore a customer, or make them feel like you aren't interested in what they have to say by avoiding eye contact.
3. Show interest- If a customer is telling you something, show interest by looking at their face and nodding occasionally (not incessantly). By encouraging someone to continue talking you will gain their respect and build more of a relationship than if you just listen without showing any kind of reaction.
4. Explain the details- It may be tempting to just give a quick overview of the product, but that won't help in making a sale (in fact it could be downright rude). Customers prefer to know all of the details about a product as well as anything else about it.
5. Ask open-ended questions - If you really want to understand what customers want, ask them open-ended questions. This is one of the best ways to get their attention and learn how they work and think. They will gladly offer you suggestions and let you know exactly what they need or want.
6. Ask for feedback- A simple "How do you like the product?" can go a long way. If a customer doesn't like something, they'll be much more likely to tell you than if they don't even mention it.
7. Ask for their opinion - If customers aren't willing to tell you what they want, then ask them what it is that they think. Most people will happily rattle off opinions and provide hints of what might make them more likely to purchase from you again or recommend your nursery to others.
8. Try something new - If you have a new product, try it out on your customers. If it turns out that they really like the product, you can be more confident in offering them something else that might appeal to them. This will create a much better chance of making more sales.
9. Keep updating your customers- If you don't want to make a sale, keep up with what's new in the industry and let your customers know about any changes (what's gone down since they were last in the nursery). Customers will then have more to talk about when they are back in your store again.
10. Always be smiling- Customers want to feel important and part of the family. Try to appear like you are proud to have them in your store, and it will come off as genuine and make them feel good about spending their money with you again.
Talking to your customers can make a big difference in the number of sales your nursery will make. If you're having trouble getting anything other than one sale per visit, maybe it's time to give your customers a little extra attention and see how things go.