9 Ways to Maximize Store Visits for Salesmen
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In conducting sales activities, shop visits are one of the things that a salesperson must do. However, no one knows right, what will happen there? Will the customer be greeted well & friendly? Will they be interested? Or are they just being apathetic? Therefore, to make an effective store visit, it is important that you prepare yourself before visiting.
The following tips can help you get the most out of store visits:
Plan visits & activities
Before starting your day:
- Make sure you have made a visit plan and activities to be carried out.
- If you’re planning to visit a store somewhere, make a list of stores in the vicinity of the location and try to visit all of them.
- Plan other activities that you can do that day. This plan of visits and activities can also help you manage your time well.
Understand product knowledge well
A salesperson must understand the product he is selling. Because, how can sales persuade customers to buy products if they don’t know about the products they sell? Therefore, a salesman must master the product and its advantages so that customers are affected and interested. Make sure the salesman can answer any questions they may ask.
Learn customer’s company information
Always do your research before starting a visit. Visiting without knowing the background of the target prospect will make it more likely to fail. Understand the customer’s background, such as how many outlets they have, the owner’s and PIC’s of the outlet name, etc. It will make a good impression on customers—making them feel that you are paying attention and preparing for their visit well.
Find out about customer behavior
Observe the characteristics of customers who you will visit, find out the nature and patterns they usually do when buying a product. For example, are they the type who likes to make small talk before transacting? Are they the type who are easily tempted by discounts? Or do they prefer the regular ‘straight to the point’? Promote the product in a way that best suits their personality type. With this, the chances of them buying your product will increase.
Avoid coming during peak hours
When making store visits, you should pay attention to the busy hours of each store. Avoid coming during after hours, because usually, the shop is full of shoppers. Instead, come during idle time, so they don’t get distracted.
Based on research, most transactions occur in the morning (8-10 hours) and evening (4-6 hours), at their convenient time. Likewise, on the day of the visit, customers tend to be more responsive than on other days in the middle and end of the week (Wednesday and Friday).
Take a personal approach to the PIC outlet
Many salesmen only make “small talk” with customers when making transactions. Therefore, establishing a close connection with them is very important. Customers tend to buy more often from sellers/salesmen they feel close to.
You can also do simple things like saying hello, shaking hands, or asking how they are doing. Don’t forget to smile and use friendly body language. These things can give you a good impression and make them more comfortable with you!
Actively ask & explore customer needs
A salesman must actively ask questions to find out more about what his customers need. There’s a possibility that the customer doesn’t know that they need something until you raise the topic and ask the question. Well, this is your chance to make them aware of the importance of your product. Ask questions that provoke the problem they have, and then provide a solution; your product.
Conduct periodic evaluations
Do an evaluation every time you visit the store regularly. Find out the pattern of each store, what sales methods works, and what doesn’t. Then, use the evaluation results to form the best sales strategy for the next store visit.
Read more:
- Spend More Time on Strategy Forming and Less on Data Crunching
- How to Quickly Evaluate Salesman Activities in the Field
Set personal sales targets
Based on the information obtained from the things above, you can measure and make personal daily targets clearly and precisely. Therefore, make daily targets as a reference in conducting sales activities. By knowing what you want to achieve, you will become more motivated to work as optimally as possible.
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