UNIT E

SELLING FASHION

5.02 Demonstrate the steps

of a sale.

The Steps of a Sale

Approach
Determining customer needs and wants
Merchandise presentation
Handling customer objections
Closing the sale
Suggestion selling
Thanking and reassuring the customer
Sales follow-up

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

Observe customer type

Use open-ended questions

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

Product features and benefits

Product features: Physical
characteristics of an item.
Product benefits:
Satisfactions customers
derive from product features.

Translate features into benefits.

Customers buy benefits, not specific
features!
Benefits change from customer to customer
for the same features.
The salesperson observes, listens, and
questions to determine which benefit(s) to
stress to customer.
An individual customer may desire different
features and benefits from time to time
even for the same product.
Example: The vertical stripes (feature) make
you look taller (benefit).

Handling Customer Objections

Objections: Honest reasons a customer hesitates
to buy.
May be spoken or unspoken (hidden)
May be logical or psychological
May relate to the product, price, store, time,
salesperson, or need
May occur at any point in the sale
Should be welcomed
To handle an objection, listen, acknowledge,
restate, and then answer the objection.

Techniques For Handling

Customer Objections
Boomerang
Question technique
Superior point
Direct denial
Demonstration
Third party

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.

Techniques For Handling

Customer Objections (cont.)
Direct Denial: A technique of handling
objections that provides proof and accurate
information in answer to objections.
Demonstration: A technique of handling
an objection by showing one or more
features of a good or service.
Third Party: A technique of handling
objections that uses a previous customer or
another neutral person who can give a
testimonial about the product.

Closing the Sale

Getting a commitment from the customer to
buy the merchandise.
Look for Buying Signals
Physical actions such as smiles or nods
of agreement
Comments that imply ownership such as
This jacket will go well with jeans and
other casual pants.
Questions such as Does this dress
come in black?

Closing the Sale

(cont.)

Trial Close: The salespersons initial

attempt(s) to close the sale.
Used to get an indication of what else
needs to be done to close the sale.
Example: Sales associate asks the
customer, Would you like to place the
purchase on your store credit card?

General Rules for Closing the Sale

If you think the customer is ready to make a
buying decision, stop talking about the product.
When a customer is having difficulty making a
buying decision, stop showing additional
merchandise.
Help a customer decide by summarizing the
major features and benefits of a product.
Dont rush a customer into making a buying
decision.
Use words that indicate ownership, such as
you and your.
Use major objections that have been resolved
to close the sale.

Techniques for Closing the

Sale
Which close: A method of closing
the sale that encourages a
customer to make a decision
between two items.
Remove unwanted items to bring the
selection down to two.
Review the benefits of each item.
Ask the customer, Which one do you
prefer?

Techniques for Closing the

Sale (cont.)
Standing room only close: The
method of closing the sale that is
used when a product is in short
supply or when the price will be
going up in the near future.
Example: This is the last pair of
these shoes that we have in your
size.

Techniques for Closing the

Sale (cont.)
Direct close: A method of
closing the sale in which the
salesperson simply asks for the
sale.
Example: Would you like to put
this purchase on your charge?

Service close: A method of

closing the sale that explains
services that overcome obstacles
or problems.
Example: May I gift wrap this for
you?

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

Suggestion Selling (cont.)

Add-ons: Additional related merchandise items
that create complete outfits.
Trading up: Suggesting a substitute item that is
higher priced, of better quality, or more economical
for the customer than the item originally requested.
More-than-one selling: A type of suggestion
selling in which the salesperson offers more than
one (multiples) of the same or similar item.
Special offers: Additional items that can be
obtained as a result of purchasing an item.

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.

Announce the amount due, take payment,

and make change as necessary.
Remove the merchandise from hangers,
etc. and fold if necessary.
Place the merchandise in a bag or box.
Provide the customer with proof of
payment.

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.)

Cards with magnetic strips

Cards are processed electronically by
swiping them through a machine that reads
the magnetic strip and sends information
over the phone lines to credit bureaus or
financial institutions for approval.
Customer is required to enter a personal
identification number (PIN) or to sign the
store copy of the transaction tape.
Transactions are electronically approved or
disapproved by the credit bureau or
financial institution.

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

Processed similar to a credit card but debits

the customers checking account instead of
creating a credit debt.

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.

Deferred Payment Sales

Layaway: A deferred purchase
agreement in which the store sets aside
the customers merchandise until the
customer has fully paid for it.
Customer pays a deposit and makes payments
until the full price has been paid.
If full payment has not been made by a preset
deadline, the merchandise may be returned to
stock and the deposit may or may not be
refunded.

C.O.D.: A cash-on-delivery sale in

which payment is made to the delivery
person when the merchandise is

Returns, Exchanges And Other

Adjustments
Return: Merchandise
returned for a refund or
credit on account.
Exchange: A transaction
in which previously
purchased merchandise
is returned and replaced
by other merchandise.

Returns, Exchanges And Other

Adjustments (cont.)
Exchanges
Even exchange: An exchange
transaction in which the replacement
merchandise is the same price as the
returned merchandise.
Uneven exchange: An exchange
transaction in which the replacement
merchandise sells for more or less than
the returned merchandise.

Returns, Exchanges And Other

Adjustments (cont.)
Exchanges

(cont.)

Allowance: Partial return of the retail

price for merchandise the customer has
kept.
Usually given when there is a defect in the
merchandise
Often given as a percent off the sales price
or a specific dollar amount off the sales
price

Rain check: A certificate that entitles the

customer to buy an out-of-stock advertised
special at a later time at the same
advertised price.

Thanking and Reassuring the

Customer
Reinforce customers
buying decision with an
approving statement and a
sincere Thank you.
Use the customers name.
Shake hands when
appropriate.
Give personal business
card to the customer when
appropriate.

Thanking and Reassuring

the Customer (cont.)
Bonding (relationship selling): The process
of salespeople doing everything possible to
strengthen relationships with customers.
Develops loyal, repeat customers
Increases sales
Examples:
Follow-up calls to ensure customer is pleased
Contact with customers when products they
typically purchase come in or are on sale
Survey of customers needs/wants

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