Have Staff Who Show and Share Expertise

Your shoppers love being served by experts. In fact, they judge the salesperson's expertise even before the two start talking. The salesperson's dress and body language say a lot as the prospective customer asks, "How much does this salesperson look like somebody I'd like to trust?" If the store is busy, does the salesperson appear to have things under control? If so, that's the mark of an expert.
     Then as the salesperson asks questions and answers the customer's questions, it gets clearer. So do your floor staff know where all the merchandise is located? Do they show deserved respect for the shopper's expertise and for other retailers? Are they aware of the comparative features of brands in their department? Can they explain them to the customer if asked? Can they explain other things as well?
     Staff your store with experts who enjoy sharing their knowledge with customers in a team-oriented way. Customers want sales staff who know it all, but without acting like stuffy know-it-alls. Retired journeyman plumbers make terrible hardware store employees if they have trouble explaining the steps to replace a faucet. Teens with a wonderful sense of fashion style are bad clothing department advisors if they label some teen customers as beyond fashion rescue.
     An image of expertise can be built with an image of the employee: When we see a portrait-style photo of someone that's posted in a public location, and then we meet the person face-to-face, we subconsciously grant that person additional respect. You could benefit from this by including in store advertising and on your website some photos of your employees or posting an 8 x 10 in the department where the employee spends most of their time.
     Customers don't expect the salesperson to know everything. However they do expect the salesperson to get the answer when they don't know and to do a personal handoff to another salesperson when necessary.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers