SELLING FASHION
The Approach
The initial face-to-face meeting with the customer.
Usually within 30
seconds from the
time a customer
enters the store or
department
Used to
acknowledge
customer presence
Greeting approach
Service approach
Merchandise approach
Greeting approach
May include an
introduction of oneself
May be combined with
the service or
merchandise approach
Service approach
Considered the least
effective approach method
Appropriate method to use
when customer has already
decided what to purchase
Merchandise approach
Includes comment(s) or a question
about the merchandise the customer is
looking at or handling
Appropriate to use if customer is
actually handling or looking at specific
merchandise
Considered the most effective
approach method
Customers make a purchase
approximately 63% of the time when a
merchandise approach is used.
Determining Customers
Needs and Wants
Determine buying motives
Buying
motives: A
customers
reasons for
buying goods
and services.
Rational motives
Emotional
motives
Patronage
motives
Rational motives:
Customer reasons for buying
based on logical thinking
and decision-making.
Emotional motives:
Customer reasons for buying
based on feelings.
Patronage motives:
Reasons customers choose
to shop at one store instead
of another.
Types of customers
Casual lookers: Customers who are
killing time or simply browsing.
Undecided customers: Customers
who need an item but want more
information before making a purchase.
Decided customers: Customers who
know exactly what they want and why,
and prefer to make their purchase
quickly.
Open-Ended Questions
Cannot be answered with a yes
or no
Used to get more information from
customers to help select
appropriate merchandise to show
Merchandise Presentation
1. Determine which product features
and benefits are important to the
customer.
2. Translate features into benefits.
3. Actively involve the customer in the
presentation.
4. Show no more than three items at
once.
5. Show medium-priced merchandise
first.
6. Exceptions are made to items 4 and
5 in the case of the decided customer
Techniques For
Handling
Customer Objections
Boomerang: A technique of handling
objections in which the objection comes
back to the customer as a selling point.
Question technique: A technique of
handling objections in which the
customer is questioned in an attempt to
learn more about the objection(s) raised.
Superior Point: A technique of handling
objections in which the salesperson
acknowledges objections as valid, but
offsets them with other features and
benefits.
(cont.)
Suggestion Selling
A method of increasing sales by
encouraging the customer to add
items to the original purchase.
Used to help customer, not to force the
customer into purchasing unnecessary or
unwanted items
Takes place after the customer commits to
make the original purchase, but before the
sale is entered into the register
Requires knowledge of stores products
and customers needs
Checkout Procedures
Enter the sales data into the cash
register
Computerized point-of-sale (POS) systems
include price lookup (PLU).
Registers compute discounts, subtotal, taxes,
and total sale.
Methods of Payment
Cash
Personal check
Photo identification usually required
Check verifying companies may be
used to electronically approve and
guarantee
money or
disapprove if
customers account funds
are insufficient.
Methods of Payment
(cont.)
Methods of Payment
(cont.)
Charge/credit cards
May be issued by the store or a
financial institution.
Salespeople encourage a customer to
complete a charge application and
open a store account.
Charge customers spend four times
more than other customers.
Methods of Payment
(cont.)
Debit cards
Gift cards
Electronically debited with each purchase
until the card balance reaches zero.
Additional amounts may be added to gift
cards while still carrying a balance or when
the balance reaches zero.
A popular means of gift giving.
(cont.)
Sales Follow-Up
Follow-up: Contact with the customer
after the sale has been made.
Ensures customer satisfaction and creates
goodwill
Follow through on commitments made during the
sale.
Alterations
Delivery
Special orders
Send thank you notes or call.
Client File
A book, card, or electronic file in which
customers names, addresses, phone
numbers, sizes, important occasions,
color preferences, and previous
purchases are recorded.
Helps salespeople manage
customer information
Should be updated with
each purchase