Know When to Hold 'Em

Wholesale is obsolete, which you probably know, but how many of the new retail methods have you really embraced? 

Indulge me for about 2 minutes for a life-altering, business-changing experience.  

Think about the last time you visited a big box store such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Menards, etc. 

Seriously.  Get it in your mind and get ready to visualize the visit. 

Now I want you to re-walk that store in your mind as you answer the following mind-boggling questions.  

Question #1.  How many aisles did you walk through on that visit?  Take your time; see them in your mind, and count them. 
Question #2.  (This isn’t going to work unless you mentally counted for Question #1.  Remember, this is business-changing).  So, of the aisles you walked through, from exactly how many aisles did you buy (put in your basket) something?
Question #3.  On that last visit, how many times did a store associate ask you if you needed any assistance?
Question #4.  On that last visit, how many times did a store associate recommend a product or service outside of what you came into the store for?  Example: did a store associate tell you that there was a great paint sprayer sale when you were looking at DeWalt Cordless Tools? (You get the idea). 
Question #5.  At any time on that visit, did you feel pressured to buy because of something a store associate was saying to you?
Question #6.  At any time, did you feel that the store, the business (the big box store), was trying to “sell you something?”
Question #7.  Did you at any time feel pressured to buy something while passing through any one of the aisles you visited?

Now, let’s recap, while I revisit my last trip to Lowe’s here in Dalton, Georgia, for some data.

I went to Lowes yesterday because I needed denatured alcohol (for thinning shellac) and epoxy glue. 

Q1.  I walked through 9 aisles as best as I can remember.
Q2.  I purchased items from 3 aisles: (epoxy, denatured alcohol, white shop towels).
Q3.  One store associate asked me if I was finding everything alright, and I asked one associate where to find the alcohol. I was quickly pointed in the right direction.
Q4.  No store associate recommended any product of any kind.
Q5.  At no time did I feel pressured to buy anything.
Q6.  At no time did I feel pressured by “Lowe’s,” nor did I feel that they were trying to sell me something.
Q7.  At no time anywhere in the store did I feel pressured to buy or do anything. 

Remember, we are looking for the newest Fortune 500 methods of retail selling. 

The big question is, “Why did I walk through 9 aisles when I only needed to visit 2 aisles?” 

I only had two items on my list, therefore, I only needed to visit those two locations; so again, why did I wander over 7 more aisles? 

If you can answer this question, you can then analyze your own customer base. 

Here’s the reason that I wandered. 

#1.  I like Lowe’s; I like wandering around shop stuff, building stuff, tool stuff.  I just like it. 

#2.  Big Kahuna! I Wasn’t Sure if I needed something else! (Remember this). While wandering, I remembered I needed shop towels, and that’s when I picked them up. 

#3.  Because I didn’t feel pressured in any way, I was able to enjoy “looking and wandering” around the store. I also looked at items I will be buying on future visits. 

#4.  Because the experience was pleasant, and I got what I wanted, I look forward to returning and doing business with them again.  

So, I know you are thinking. “What’s so mind boggling about that?” 

I am a happy habitual buyer, and I bet you are also. 

If your customer wants/needs something fixed, do not try to sell them anything.  You want them to feel like they are walking through their favorite store. It is not your responsibility to point anything out, until -- yes, there is a right time. It’s coming.

So, what does the 'retail' call look like? 

Greeting the customer respectfully and getting to the diagnosis. 
When you have an accurate diagnosis, you present options to the customer.  All options must come out of the same aisle, so to speak.  If I’m in the denatured alcohol aisle, it’s ok to recommend a better product like a better priced or better quality or better value denatured alcohol, etc., but it’s not ok at this point to say anything about any other item, so to speak, unless you see an obvious (note obvious) problem that must be addressed.   Example:  the customer says the water heater doesn’t work, and you notice a leaky pipe near the water heater while doing the diagnosis.