Don’t let any of your sales team lose a sale or, worse yet, a customer. Unfortunately, it happens every day in all types of retail businesses.

For example, my wife and I once went to a flooring store to shop for a particular floor tile we had learned about and thought would be ideal for a remodeling project we were planning. The store featured much of what customers want when they go shopping. They had a good inventory, very nicely displayed, with a lot of top quality, name brand product options. But they did not make a sale and, in fact, lost a customer as a result of the sales lady who waited on us. She was rather rude and insulting! As a result… we walked out and have never gone back to that store. They lost what could have been a sale as well as a good customer. Continue reading Don’t let your sales team lose a sale or a customer →

Excerpted and adapted from How to Succeed in Marine Retailing by Ben H. Sherwood

It is inevitable that from time to time you will have an irate customer in your store. Whatever made the customer upset may be real or perceived. Either way, how you or your personnel handle such situations can keep or lose customers. Continue reading Handling an Irate Customer →