Page 48 - Lighting Magazine April 2020

on the mark
Mark Okun is a Sales Success Consultant for Bravo Business Media and President of MOC Performance Group with over 40 yearsí experience in sales, marketing, and business management within the furniture, lighting, and decorative plumbing industries. He is a monthly contributor to enLIGHTenment Magazine and conducts sales training programs, webinars, workshops and market seminars for retailers, sales representative agencies, and manufacturers. Contact Mark Okun via email at mark@bravobusiness media.com or call 800-425-5139 ext. 626.
self-evaluation of the processes in place and testing each part of the customer engagement process with three defining questions:
1. “Does this omnichannel focused action contribute to, or detract from, our defined concierge sales plan?”
2. “Why?”
3. “How do we make it better?”
The answers provide the map from where
you are today to the destination you want in six months. One concierge process that screams omnichannel is the addition of individual tablets for use on the showroom floor. There is no longer a need to break the continuity of the sales pre- sentation to step away and get a catalog. Think of the experience: as the client makes selections, the sales team can close some or all of the items on the order — and, in many cases, take a deposit. At the same time, the client knows which products they can take with them and which will be drop- shipped or delivered.
This type of concierge experience provides the client with focused attention, a confident, knowl- edgeable salesperson that uses all their tools and, most of all, the client saved time with a profes- sional who provided a quick, efficient experience.
Introducing all-new procedures and incorpo- rating new tools to a sales team can be met with frustration. Everyone in their daily lives has been impacted by changes brought on by the digital channel. When the team acknowledges that they are clients, too, and the way they shop for ev- erything has changed, they will look at the sales process in a whole new light.
The same impacts and interactions we want as customers demand we change the way we sell. The concierge salesperson’s defined goals are to reduce selling pressure, increase sales met- rics across the board, and build long-term client relationships.
sTeps in THe concierGe process
Concierge is simply defined as a caretaker. When we base our roles as caretakers for our clients, the way we approach everything during the engage- ment changes. Here are my five guide posts on creating the concierge method in your showroom. This is not an all or nothing approach. Begin with one suggestion, grasp it, and move to another. Please do not feel you have to master all of them at once.
THe sales role is now a service role
Customers who come to the showroom are gold. Trying to convince them to buy from you has been replaced with providing high service to the client in such a way that they will only consider buying from you. What service metrics that apply to your showroom could be put in place?
Put the client first, always. The old process put the spotlight on the salesperson; the concierge process shines the light on the client. They are the most important part of the business, without them we become extinct. Putting the client first goes beyond offering a hearty greeting and nice beverage. Provide examples in story form detail- ing how the showroom has placed past clients in the first position.
Collaboration replaces domination. Listening in order to work with the client to solve their prob- lems is where every concierge salesperson must focus. This one action demonstrates that you val- ue the other person and want to fully understand their needs and concerns. Begin with an open conversation that builds trust. It makes it easier for the customers to share their information.
Educating clients is the paramount goal. The salespeople who are best at developing the concierge method are, at heart, teachers. They educate their clients on the products they sell, the problems they eliminate, and why their showroom is the best choice when it comes to partnering with. The showrooms that have and express their own USP (unique selling proposition) are already on their way. Your USP is not just for the sales team, each person in the company must know it and share it.
Ask for the sale; closing is a requirement. Today more than ever, gaining confirmation throughout the sales presentation and then asking for the sale is required. Simply put, when the client makes a statement that is within your capacity to agree with, do it in a way that they confirm what is said. For example, if the clients say they want a light gold finish in their room, when presenting light gold items to them, confirm with a pre-closing question: “You mentioned that you wanted light gold for the space?” People do not argue with the information they share with you, and you get a “yes” on your way to the big close.
As Always, Happy Selling!  www.enlightenmentmag.com
46 enLIGHTenment Magazine | april 2020