Want to know a secret?
Most people do!
When I first started selling in a retail setting, I found talking to customers awkward and often felt red-faced after conversations didn’t quite turn out as expected.
Sometimes I’d feel like I was being pushy and that I was a fraud.
Often I would feel tongue-tied, or like I didn’t know the right words to make the transaction go smoothly.
It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that ‘selling’ is all about being a ‘salesman’. Dodgy car dealers and pesky telemarketers are what comes to mind when you think of ‘making a sale’.
In reality, you are just being there to assist your customer, show them what’s available and make them feel special. Simple!
Sometimes it’s not easy to step out of your quiet, comfortable and sometimes isolated studio or home space where you’ve been creating and nurturing yourself and into the bustling sales arena at markets and shows.
It’s occasionally terrifying and often an awkward shift to get from one head-space to the other.
I often find it difficult to snap out of thinking about what’s happening in other aspects of my life; Did I feed the dogs this morning? I can’t believe the postage prices going up AGAIN! What was with all the traffic today?
When you are selling in a retail setting, just like a market or show, you need to put all other thoughts out of your mind and concentrate on one golden rule:
Think about what makes you a satisfied customer when you shop in retail stores or at markets.
Can you adopt any of these practices to look after YOUR customers?
Customers want you to ask about THEM, to make them feel special and like they are the most important person in the room.
Leave your bad morning or stressful life at home and think happy thoughts so you can show your customer your winning smile.
Treat your customer well and sales will be a happy consequence.
Can you think of a time when you were the customer, and the salesperson was obviously caught up in their own life or troubles, and left you feeling less-than-cared-for? Share it with us in the comments – along with what that experience taught YOU about being on the other side of that interaction.
Did it affect how you treat your customers?
Image sources: Image in Cafe & Kath Chown
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