The limits of the reasonable. Motivation and training of sellers in times of crisis

A typical situation in times of crisis is a reduction in staff and pressure on the remaining employees, who are obligated to maintain sales at the same level. At the same time, as a rule, the time and financial resources allocated for advanced training and staff motivation are reduced. Anya Pabst, director of the Russian branch of BEITRAINING, is confident that freedom of maneuver can also be found in austerity policies. We figure out how to increase the effectiveness of sellers in today's difficult times, turning the crisis to their advantage.

Right now it is necessary to adopt the installation to be the first and to differ from its competitors. Now that purchasing power continues to decline, and the supply-demand ratio is becoming increasingly unprofitable for sellers, it’s important in marketing to introduce new ideas and provide a service that sets you apart from your competitors.

Games with prices do not always increase sales

Most owners of shoe stores rely on price focus, using discount programs so that the goods are sold out, even below the desired price. But often this strategy does not justify itself: customers with low purchasing power come to the store to "see", take the time of sellers, but as a result do not buy anything, those who respond to stocks and are ready to buy something are pushed out first (to staff not enough time at all) and also do not buy anything. This is especially true for the middle and premium segment, so when playing with prices, do not forget to instruct the sellers so that they try to evenly distribute their time and attention to all buyers.

Putting pressure on sellers is not the best way to motivate them

A very important aspect of the crisis time concerns the remuneration of sellers. Almost always, their salary consists of a constant “minimum”, to which interest is charged from individual or collective sales (per shift or monthly revenue). With the fall in purchasing power, revenue falls, and, in accordance with it, the salary of employees decreases. Moreover, they are required to better communicate and maintain the quality of service so as not to lose customers.

From the seller’s point of view, the situation is unfair, because, in fact, the management transfers responsibility from its shoulders to the shoulders of the staff. If the risks of the enterprise and responsibility are assigned to ordinary employees, this naturally leads to discontent and conflicts, as well as the loss of the best employees, who provide work with clients.

What should be the action? Firstly, do not require sellers to increase sales. Incentives can be used already for those whose sales are maintained at the same level. And, of course, if the non-fixed part of the salary is reduced, employees should know that the income of managers will also be reviewed. This proves the unity of the team, which will together, as one team, withstand difficulties. It’s good if the company has created an “incentive fund” or mutual assistance fund, which will help to survive the crisis and partially compensate for the reduction in the non-fixed part of the salary. True, such measures must be taken very well in advance.

Secondly, do not refuse to train staff; refresher courses and trainings have not yet been redundant for anyone. Examine the information on the websites of numerous centers for vocational training and retraining, choose trainings and seminars that may be useful for your sellers and send them the most sensible. The skills that they will receive there will be useful to both themselves and their colleagues.

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Do you know this type?

Understanding the situation is the first step towards resolving it successfully. The right learning strategy is to focus on quality service. So, in a crisis situation, a drop in sales can be mitigated or suspended if sellers are familiar with the types of customers that most often appear in the store during this period.
Immediately determining the type of client and correctly reacting to his behavior is not an easy task. Experience, positive attitude and psychological skills help here. Everyday life of a seller is work with people, but since each person is individual, in different situations people react differently. But at the same time, similar behavioral reactions can be combined, conditionally dividing clients into several types.

Confident and with a smile

Some methods of communication with complex clients are universal and can be used in different situations. For example, an aggressive client wants to “let off steam” and at first is immune to logical arguments, arguments, and the best way is to take him aside and let him speak. Nodding and just listening, the salesperson gives the impression of emotional unity. When emotions end, the time comes for questions (“What can we do for you?”, “How would you like us to be? ..”), calling the client for a dialogue.

The flow of negative emotions of the client can be interrupted by their own positive reaction. For example, a client says to you: “The sole began to peel off two weeks after being worn!”, And you thank him in response: “Thank you for your message, this is very important for us, as we monitor the quality of the goods and consider all complaints, transfer their representatives to manufacturers so that this does not happen in the future. After all, quality depends on them. ”

The ability to lead the conversation back on track is required not only with dissatisfied customers. For example, “talkers” can take time to talk about other things. To return the buyer to a constructive course, you need to respond to his remarks in this vein: “Yes, I understand you. This is very interesting, and brings us back to the question of choosing the right model ... "

Regardless of which client you have to deal with, the seller must observe several immutable rules:

• be friendly and open, but unobtrusive;
• to be able to professionally present the goods and at the same time not to fall into formalism;
• listen to the buyer and show his interest in solving his problems.

Trainings that help hone psychological skills prove to be a good help, and such a strategy remains the only true one at any time, and especially during a crisis.