“Oh my goodness, that looks AMAZING on you!” Customers have heard all it before and sometimes they believe it, but more often than not, they don’t. So, is it really ok for retail employees to tell a customer something looks fabulous when it quite obviously does not, just to secure a sale?
Consumers get it. Retail staff have sales targets and bonuses to strive for, and being at the front-line of customer service isn’t easy, especially at this time of year. They also know that not everyone suits everything and pushing them to make a purchase they are not interested in is only pushing them out the door.
It’s not so much the lie that gets to customers, it’s the way it’s told. People can be convinced of just about anything, with enough persuasion and just one other person believing it too, so calling on a colleague to check out the look is always a smart move. There are 2 ways to approach this, one is to say something like “What do you think of this outfit on this lovely lady?” Keep it casual but allow your work-mate to pass comment without feeling pressured to agree with you. The second option and quickest way to get a customer offside sounds like this: “How GREAT does she look in THAT outfit? Tell her she looks amazing!” Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t put words in peoples mouths. Customers will see right through you.
With the surge in online shopping and the availability of just about anything at a cheaper price online, it can be hard to get customers to even enter a physical store, let alone maintain them for long enough to make a sale. Being genuine and offering help and an honest opinion is far more likely to secure a sale than telling a lie. No, the customer may not buy the outfit they initially tried on, but offer to help find something else and keep them in the store until they find what they are looking for. Your genuine offer to help will go a lot further than an off the cuff lie.
When a consumer comes into your store these days, they’re there for a reason. There is no abandoning cart at the checkout. So spend the extra time with them, offering alternatives, finding the right size or colour or fit or cut. Team it with an accessory if you want to bump up the sales total.
It’s never ok to lie or make someone feel uncomfortable just to make a sale, so work together with the customer to ensure that you make a sale, and they are pleased with their purchase. This is the base level of good customer service. An honest opinion could result in a lifetime customer. A blatant, over the top lie, will almost always result in losing a sale and a customer forever.
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