The most important person is always the customer. Remember they are doing us a favour by shopping at MacArthur’s. It is extremely important that they enjoy their entire shopping experience, from the time they enter our parking lot until the time they leave. You must ALWAYS BE AWARE of the customer’s needs and desires, not just when they are in the store either.Would you buy a plant if the one next to it was half dead? What about if the fertilizer display had two filthy bags on top.
Care and Handling
For many of you, this could be your first job. Get comfortable doing the following and you will be successful in any workplace.
- Always greet the customer promptly. A minute’s wait is too long.
- Get the customer’s name, and use it.
- Smile! This is the trademark of a successful salesperson.
- NEVER argue with a customer. Even if you win, you lose.
- Always say thank you. It is a common courtesy that is appreciated.
- Know your job! Do NOT guess. Customers are looking to you for advice. Ask for help, if you need it.
- If you don’t know, find someone who does.
- Keep cool! When you lose your temper, you lose a customer. It cannot be stressed enough the importance of serving the customer in a prompt and courteous manner. This applies not just when the customer is at the check out but anywhere in our facilities.
Things to Remember
- NEVER leave a customer waiting while you are talking to another employee or are on the phone. It does not matter if it is your supervisor or the owner – drop them and look after the customer!
- Regularly check on the cash registers. Do not keep your back to the cash area for long periods of time. This way, you will see if customers are waiting and can help.
- The customer in front of you is more important than anyone on the phones or intercoms.
- If there are more than three customers in line at the cash, use the P.A. system to call for help. Remember, the customer always comes first before any of your assigned duties.
- Do not point directions to customers. Take the time to personally take them.
- Always offer to carry out the customer’s purchases. If you are not sure whether need assistance, just do it!
Selling
Selling is not ringing up the sale of a box of fertilizer. That is checking-out. Selling is getting the customers to buy something they really didn’t come in to buy. It is convincing them that they need and want to buy a particular item. That does not mean you try and push something on them, rather, point out related items to the product they came to purchase. This is called tie-in sales. For example, if the customer comes in to buy a tropical plant, you suggest a decorative pot to plant it in, or fertilizer needed to help the plant grow. Tie-in sales are items that the customer can honestly use but did not come specifically to buy. Remember, if we do not sell it to them, they will probably pick it up somewhere else. Most customers appreciate these tie-in sale suggestions and you can be sure that we appreciate the salesperson that uses this method successfully.
Follow Through
Nothing is more annoying to a customer or to a fellow employee than to be told something will be done or ready at a particular time, only to find out that it is not. When you tell a customer that you will find out something for them, do your best to get the answer for them. Write it down so that you will have something to jog your memory. When you cannot find a solution, always let the customer know that you at least tried.
If a customer asks you to deliver a message to another employee, make a note of it and follow up this request. Promises to do deliveries, planting, or any other outside work should be followed up by a telephone call if you are unable to do it when promised. The call must be made before the scheduled work is to be done, so that no customer is left waiting for you. Most people are very reasonable about this if they are notified in advance. Just explain to them why you are unable to do so at the requested time and ask for another convenient date.
When directed to do a certain task by your supervisor or by the management of MacArthur’s be sure and follow-through on your promise to do so. It is very irritating to the management to have to come back and make several requests to have a certain job done. Make sure you let your supervisor know why you could not accomplish an assigned task. Never forget though, the customers always comes first and their service is your primary goal!