little group based on the principles of harmony which are stated and
illustrated in unit VII, page 142. In some cases a small table will be
enough; but usually it will be better to use a larger table, a lamp,
and often a small rug and a length or two of drapery fabrics, if you
stock them. The purpose of this procedure is to help the customer see
your chair as an integral part of her own room and to emphasize its
desirability as a means of making that room more attractive. If she
already has the pieces necessary to form a complete group when the
chair is added, select pieces as nearly like her own as possible. If
not, select pieces that harmonize perfectly with the chair. Don't tell
her that she ought to have these pieces. Merely show them without
comment, and defer any attempt to sell anything more than an easy chair
until after the chair has been sold.
THREE GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CLOSING SALES
BE PREPARED TO CLOSE A SALE AT ANY POINT
Some salesmen make the serious and costly mistake of assuming that
every customer will be exacting and hard to sell, and that a large
percentage of them enter the store with no real intention of buying.
The really able salesman knows that this is not true. Under present
conditions the woman who enters a furniture store or department may
be presumed to have an active interest in furniture. When you have
found her real needs and offered her something that satisfies them,
there in an excellent chance that she will be ready to buy. If so,
take the order at once. Don't make the tactical blunder of showing
additional merchandise, or of completing all the steps necessary to
close a difficult sale. Many salesmen talk themselves out of a sale by
suggesting unnecessary alternatives. In other words, prepare carefully
and intelligently for the order, expect it, and take it at the first
opportunity.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION UNTIL YOU KNOW THE CUSTOMER'S BUYING MOTIVES
At the start of a sale it is safe to assume that the buyer is thinking
in terms of her own interests. Don't tell her that a given chair is in
the latest or most popular style until you know that she is interested
in the latest rather than the best style for her particular room. Don't
tell her that it is your best-selling number; or that Mrs. Jones just
bought a piece like it; or that you think, or the buyer thinks, or the
head of the house thinks it "wonderful."
DON'T QUOTE A PRICE--UNLESS YOU ARE ASKED FOR IT
As a general, but by no means invariable, rule, don't quote a
price--unless you are asked for it--until you see definite signs of
interest in the piece under consideration; and even then not until you
have prepared for it by a brief but convincing statement as to quality
or desirability. However, when you are asked the price of an article,
give it immediately and without apology or comment.
MEETING THE CUSTOMER
All first impressions and most sales start at the front door of your
store or department. For any lack of promptness and courtesy at this
point there will be a penalty.
Anyone who enters the store should be met immediately. If it happens
to be a customer, whether man or woman, a long delay for any reason
will be resented, and even a moment's pause to finish a conversation
may be regarded as an affront. It is impossible to overestimate the
importance of this matter, both to yourself and to your house. In
a competitive market few persons will buy from the man who treats
them discourteously, nor will they return to the store where they
have met with discourtesy if another store with better methods is
accessible. Moreover, one offended customer can do more damage through
word-of-mouth advertising than a thousand lines of newspaper space can
repair.
The visitor should be greeted with a smile, a bow, and the words "Good
morning" or "Good afternoon." Test both your smile and your bow before
a mirror and improve them if any improvement is possible. A genuine
infectious smile is literally a priceless asset. After this greeting
usually you will be told what is wanted. If not, after a slight pause,
ask: "May I show you something?" or "What may I show you?" _Don't_ ask:
"Can I help you?" "Are you interested in furniture?" "What can I do for
you?" or "Anything, today?"
For the purpose of illustration, suppose the customer is a woman who
asks to see a sofa bed. Don't ask her how much she wants to pay, or
even what sort of sofa bed she wants. If the stock is on another
floor it will be enough to say: "We will take the elevator, please,"
and indicate the direction. Do not precede her. Walk abreast, and,
if the aisle is crowded, drop behind. If she is carrying a parcel of
burdensome size ask her if you may have it.
Although many successful salesmen begin at once to draw out information
as to the customer's requirements, it is better practice to defer such
questions until you are in the presence of your merchandise and beyond
the possibility of noise and confusion. Whether it is wise to try a few
impersonal remarks, or to keep still, from the front door to the sales
floor, will depend upon your judgment of the individual customer.
QUESTIONS
_1. This unit discussed three methods of starting the sale. How would
you proceed to sell furnishings for the new clubhouse at the community
center?_
_2. What would you do to correct a wrong attitude toward use of certain
types of furniture in a living room?_
_3. A woman tells you that she cannot afford costly furnishings. What
steps would you take to show her that good taste is not necessarily
expensive?_
_4. Of what advantage is the study of advertising to the young man who
expects to become a furniture salesman?_
_5. What use should be made of dealers' aids furnished by the
manufacturer of products you are to sell?_
_6. Give five sources of information regarding prospects which a retail
furniture salesman may use._
_7. What should a good furniture salesman know about the history of his
firm?_
_8. Why is the excessive use of superlatives an indication of ignorance
of the article being sold?_
_9. (a) Of what value is a knowledge of competing goods? (b) How should
such knowledge be used?_
SUGGESTED READING LIST
(Most libraries will have other excellent books discussing retail
salesmanship and these should be consulted freely.)
ROLLING, CUNLIFFE L. _Retail Salesmanship._ Sir Isaac Pitman &
Sons, Ltd., London and Pitman Publishing Co., New York, N. Y.
1930.
Studying the Customers, VII, pp. 89-107.
Receiving the Customers, VIII, pp. 107-131.
Sales Persuasion, IX, pp. 131-152.
Methods of Increasing Sales, XI, pp. 165-186.
DE SCHWEINITZ, DOROTHEA. _Occupations in Retail Stores._
International Text Book Co., Scranton, Pa. 1937. (Study sponsored
by National Vocational Guidance Association and the U. S.
Employment Service).
Hiring, Training, Promotion, IV, pp. 41-65.
Hours, Vacations, Earnings, V, pp. 65-93.
JACKSON, ALICE _and_ BETTINA. _The Study of Interior Decoration._
Doubleday Doran & Co., Inc., Garden City, N. Y.
Furnishing the Home, XVI, pp. 351-388.
PELZ, V. H., _Selling At Retail._ McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New
York, N. Y. 1926.
The Psychology of the Retail Sale, III, pp. 19-31.
Studying the Merchandise, VI, VII, pp. 81-119.
Customer Types and Characteristics, X, pp. 159-185.
How to Meet Objectives, XIV, pp. 235-259.
Substitution Sale, XV, pp. 259-265.
RICHERT, G. HENRY. _Retailing Principles and Practices._ Gregg
Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 1938.
The Retail Sales Process, XI, pp. 219-245.
Customer Service, XIV, pp. 295-311.
SIMMONS, HARRY. _How to Get the Order._ Harper & Bros., New York,
N. Y. 1937.
The Futility of Price Appeal, XI, pp. 97-106.
Buyer Slants on Selling, XIV, pp. 121-128.
WHITEHEAD, HAROLD. _The Business of Selling._ American Book Co.,
New York, N. Y. 1923.
The Buyer's Motives, VII, pp. 61-74.
The Customer, XIV, pp. 153-173.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Suitable floor-plan diagrams to aid in making unit sales are
available for any room in the house.
Unit III
SALESMANSHIP APPLIED
How To Demonstrate Values
Contrast in Buying Methods of Women and Men
Enriching Your Vocabulary
Hidden Factors That Increase Sales
[Illustration:
Courtesy of Merchandise Mart News Bureau.
Figure 5.--Useful because it can be placed behind a divan or against
a wall is this low eighteenth century cabinet for books, radio,
magazines, or bric-a-brac. Beside the cabinet is an eighteenth century
lounge chair, upholstered in rose and white striped satin.]
Unit III.--SALESMANSHIP APPLIED
HOW TO DEMONSTRATE VALUES
Old or young, rich or poor, we are much alike. What interests us is
what touches ourselves. When we make our choices we do not always
accept or reject things because of their intrinsic worth but because
they appeal strongly to the group of instincts, emotions, and habits
which just then is motivating the inner life and influencing decisions.
The salesman who is clever enough to present his merchandise in the
ways that appeal most directly and powerfully to these inner controls
enjoys a great advantage over one who lacks this ability.
KNOWLEDGE OF MERCHANDISE MUST COME FIRST
It goes without saying that this ability presupposes thorough knowledge
of the merchandise. This is fundamental.
A given rug which enters our stock from the receiving room may have 30
points of possible interest to buyers, but not all these points will
appeal to all buyers. Carefulness and system will enable us to pick and
emphasize the strongest points for each buyer _provided we know the
entire 30_. But if we know 20 only, or 15, or 10, no amount of skill
can save us from losing some sales.
Under present conditions it is extremely difficult to acquire full and
accurate knowledge of the merchandise we are called upon to sell, but
we can get this information now if we want it badly enough; we must get
it if we seriously desire to increase our earning power.
All possible information is important, because any part of it may be
necessary, in a given situation, in order to make a sale. We must
get this information wherever we can find it. In the case of a newly
arrived easy chair, for example, it may come from three sources:
1. _From personal inspection._--A cursory inspection will tell us
that the chair is a medium-size piece, slenderly and gracefully
proportioned; with open padded arms; loose cushion seat; a back
of pronounced rake; cabriole front legs with carved claw feet;
covered in a small-figure reseda green damask; and priced at
$85. We should be able to identify its style, and the tag may
indicate the name of the manufacturer.[2]
A more careful inspection will tell us that the exposed wood
is solid mahogany, finely finished; the front legs skillfully
carved; all legs with a degree of curvature that eliminates
danger of breaking under strain; frame corner-blocked; seat
springs set on webbing, or steel frame, with a dustproof bottom
of cambric; loose cushion of spring construction; and the
covering a close-woven, wear-resisting fabric with silk warp and
cotton waft.
2. _From the buyer or manager._--
_a._ Name of manufacturer, in order that we may be governed in
making statements about this chair by our general knowledge
of his line, as to quality of materials, skill of workmen,
and inspection standards, and also in order to use the name
in cases where we believe that it will have prestige value.
_b._ _Details of concealed construction, including frame_;
method of springing; build-up of seat, back, and arms;
stuffers used; strength of fiber and color in the covering.
_c._ Information as to whether the piece can be duplicated, and
if so, at what price and in what time; also as to whether it
can be supplied in other colors, or in other materials, and
if so, location of samples, method of figuring price, and
time required for delivery.
_d._ Historic source of the design, and any interesting
information as to its fashion value, gained by the buyer at
the markets.
3. _From books and magazines._--
_a._ The historical background of the style to which the chair
belongs, and the most effective methods of developing its
style appeal.
_b._ Types of rooms and color schemes with which it can be used
harmoniously.
Equally comprehensive information is necessary for all other
items in your stock. Without it the percentage of purchasers
that we can be sure of reaching with a key appeal will be
reduced, and our earning power correspondingly limited.
SELLING MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
Assuming that we have acquired adequate knowledge of the materials
and construction of our merchandise, how are we going to use it
effectively. We suggest a few general principles as guides to sound
practice:
_Both materials and construction normally are factors to be employed
in closing a sale, but not in opening it._--If you went into a store
and asked to see a pair of shoes and the salesman, seizing the first
model at hand, assured you that it was made of tanned box calf, with
waterproof soles, cork filling, and tacked insoles, by a process
involving more than 150 separate operations, all of which made it a
wonderful value at $8.50, would you tell him to wrap up a pair? Hardly.
Neither materials nor construction would interest you until you were
comfortably fitted with a shoe that satisfied your ideas of style and
color, and at a price within your buying limit.
When a customer asks for an advertised article and seems pleased with
its appearance, the demonstration of its value can start at once. In
any other situation it must wait until you find something with which
she is pleased.
There are those who appear to believe that selling is a game in which
the object is to beat down the customer's opposition and make her buy.
In dealing with customers of any type above the most unenlightened,
this idea always has proved a boomerang.
_In talking materials and construction, preserve a sense of relative
values._--When we say about a $35 chair everything that properly could
be said about one priced at $65, our customer either believes or
disbelieves us. If she disbelieves, the sale is lost. If she believes,
our chance to get more than $35 of her money is lost. Even if we leave
out of account the basically important matter of business honesty, it
is unwise to overstate the values of any article. In a well-managed
furniture store every article possesses points of merit sufficient to
sell it on the basis of what can be fairly claimed for it. To claim
more, whether intentionally or through ignorance of the facts, is to
deceive our customers, and--inevitably--to cut down our sales volume.
_Demonstrate the value of all merchandise under serious consideration
whether you believe it to be necessary or not._--Many sales of
advertised articles or merchandise chosen on the basis of its
decorative appeal can be closed without discussion of materials or
construction. As a safety-first measure, these factors should be
mentioned somewhat carefully after the order has been booked. Sometimes
a customer will buy an article in complete good faith, and yet within
the next half hour will start shopping in other stores to see whether
or not she has bought wisely. Even more important is the fact that in
every case the new purchase, when delivered, is subject to inspection
and criticism not only by members of the family but also by neighbors
and friends. Some of this criticism is bound to be adverse, and unless
we have taken the precaution to build up an unshakable confidence in
the excellence and value of our merchandise there may be a telephone
order to come and get it, or at least a loss of goodwill and future
patronage.
These precautionary build-ups can of course be brief. For example, if
you have sold a bedroom suite on the basis of appearance only, it will
be enough to say in substance: "You have bought this suite because of
its beauty and style, which will continue to delight you always. But
before you leave I want you to realize that these fine qualities rest
on a foundation of sturdy construction. This dresser, for example,
is * * *."
_Contacting the "I'll-buy-later" prospect._--There is always the
chance that the sale can be closed. A woman's statement that she is
not yet ready to buy is in many cases merely a "defense mechanism"--a
psychological device to serve as an excuse to leave if she senses that
high-pressure selling effort is being applied. It is possible that if
we answer, in effect, "Please don't think of yourself as a customer,
but rather as a valued guest of the store. This is not a busy hour for
me, and while you are here I hope you will let me show you some more of
the new things, which are particularly interesting this season," we may
be able to develop the confidence and desire necessary to effect a sale.
If we fail to do this, we can at least see to it that the customer
leaves with a clear impression of the value of the pieces she has been
considering. If this impression is sufficiently clear and deep she may
come back. Otherwise, in all likelihood, she will not.
_The shopper in a hurry._--Many of us habitually make little or no
effort with the customer who enters with the warning "I am in a great
hurry," or "I have just a moment to look around today, and will come
back later when I have more time." This is a mistake. Such statements
may or may not be entirely true. In many cases they are another
form of defense mechanism--a way out, prepared in advance. In other
cases, they are merely a form of exhibitionism--a native desire to
appear important. Such customers, properly handled, often can be held
indefinitely, with the average chance to make a sale.
_Price important in judging value._--Those who sell are rightfully apt
to think of value as the total sum of a number of costs. While this
method of evaluation is not fundamental economically, nevertheless
our opinions often crystallize when we view the cost records. Our
customer, however, is dually interested in what it costs to make and
distribute what we sell her and in what our product means to her
through its uses in her home. The merchant's, and hence the salesman's
obligation, is to satisfy her that the price she pays is in strict
conformity with the actual reasonable costs of making and delivering
the goods. Simultaneously, however, we must teach her how our product
will fit into her home, the satisfaction it will give her, the use it
will stand through the years, in order that she may correctly weigh her
satisfaction against her cost and reach a final conclusion as to her
purchase.
This does not mean, of course, that the price should be stated first,
but simply that it must be stated at the time it becomes important in
the mind of the buyer. Assuming a skillfully conducted preliminary
talk, this will normally be _after_ an article has been tentatively
accepted on the basis of appearance, and fitness, but _before_ the
beginning of a serious effort to close the sale.
_Avoid resistance, and answer unspoken objections._--Use of the "How
do you like this?" type of question sets up unnecessary hazards
of resistance and should be avoided. The same is true of positive
assertions not susceptible of immediate proof, and also of statements
which tend to suggest inner doubts.
If you say of a certain sheen-type rug, "This rug, in pattern and
coloring reproducing one of the celebrated Isphans of seventeenth
century Persia, is woven of a special brand of imported oriental
wools, by methods which give to its deep, close pile almost unlimited
durability, plus this rich, velvet-like softness and luster," you
add to its value without setting up a possible source of resistance
to unspoken objections. But if you say, "The construction of this
rug makes it the best value on the market," you cannot prove your
statement, which may serve to remind the buyer that other stores are
offering special values, or that her friend is enthusiastic about a rug
bought recently at Blank's.
_Unproved assertions destroy confidence._--Suppose you are trying to
sell a table with mahogany-veneer top and red gum legs. To call it a
mahogany table will lose the sale immediately, if the customer knows
woods. To say that it has a mahogany-veneer top and mahogany finish gum
legs may suggest to the buyer that a veneer is a poor substitute for
solid wood, and that gum cannot be desirable if it must be finished to
look like something else. To ignore the whole matter of materials and
construction and to try to sell the table on its beauty and fitness
alone may cause the customer to wonder just what you are trying to
conceal, which will mean loss of confidence in yourself and your
merchandise.
The wise course is to tell the entire truth about the piece in
a perfectly matter-of-fact way designed to avoid any invidious
comparisons of woods or processes. For example: "This table whose
design and coloring you so much admire is as sturdy as it is good
looking. Following the practice of some old eighteenth century
cabinetmakers, the maker of this piece has combined several woods.
Those used in the top are built into the modern five-ply construction,
which brings out the full beauty of grain of the mahogany upper
ply, ensures freedom from any danger of warping or splitting, and
provides the strength of steel. For the legs he has used the beautiful
straight-grained red gum of the South."
It is a costly folly to try to sell one material or process by
condemning another. We show a table, for example, and speak of "solid
American walnut" as if no other wood or construction were worthy of
consideration; and 5 minutes later, finding that we have misjudged her
price level, we stammer and stumble over an attempt to convince her
that plywood is an acceptable substitute.
These are the dangerous devices of mental laziness. When a customer
asks us if mahogany is better than birch, or Axminster carpets better
than velvets, or solid construction better than veneer, a positive
answer is misleading. We certainly should know that mahogany, like
birch, varies in excellence according to the individual board; that
some Axminsters are better than some velvets, and vice versa; and that
the construction is best which best meets the particular requirements
of design and purpose, in furniture precisely as in shoes or ships.
The fact is that everything used in making home furnishings of worthy
quality has stood the test of time, and therefore is interesting and
desirable in its own right. If we cannot make it seem so to customers,
we have not learned enough about it.
_In selling materials and construction, repetition is needed._--We must
be governed by the results of our preliminary talk in picking out for
emphasis the particular points which promise to be of interest to each
customer. Having made these points, we sometimes need to repeat them,
in varying language and in different parts of our sales talk. Moreover,
we must never forget that many things which are as familiar to us as
the multiplication table are strange to our customers, and therefore
difficult to remember.
We know, for example, that concealed differences in construction
may make one easy chair worth twice as much as another of identical
appearance; that in sliced walnut veneers, figured woods may cost 5 or
10 times as much as plain; but most buyers do not know such things.
Accordingly, if we merely state such facts, but fail to groove a
memory channel by one or more repetitions, there is an excellent chance
that even the customer who wants and can afford good things will look
elsewhere, completely forget what we have told her, and buy a cheaper
article in the honest belief that she is getting something equally
good. _What too often happens is that in building up the value of our
merchandise we fail to fix the facts in the customer's mind._
_Treat merchandise carefully, and show it under the most favorable
conditions._--It is self evident that valuable merchandise must be so
handled as to imply that it is of distinguished excellence.