Retail Details: Six ways to overcome "I'm Only Buying What's on Sale"

Published on Thursday, January 08, 2009

By Doug Fleener

Contrary to what's taking place in retail today, you can't give products away and stay in business. We have to make sales AND profits.

But some might protest that right now customers are only buying items that are on sale and if they can't buy something on sale they won't make the purchase. I don't agree. I think a number of customers do come into a store with the intent to only buy items that are on sale. Intent! A great experience and a well-trained staff can overcome that need for a sale price.

Here are six actions you can take with your next customer to move past their intent to only buy products on sale and have them leave thrilled about their full price purchase.

1. Deliver an engaging and enthusiastic welcome. I firmly believe that the first thirty seconds makes or breaks most sales. A welcome is especially important when other retailers are cutting back on floor staff and the remaining employees are not feeling too thrilled about the atmosphere. Big smiles and big welcomes really do overcome "sale price only" intent.

2. Be the best experience your customer will have today. Most retailers have to do sales because they are in the business of transactions. I'm positive that if you make sure that every customer who walks through your door has the best experience he/she will get in the entire day, price becomes secondary. How you do that depends on your store, market, etc.

3. Assume every customer is a buying customer. Let them prove you wrong or even better, let them prove you right. Treating every customer as a buyer increases the likelihood of making a non-sale sale.

4. Engage with purpose. Find the reason the customer has an interest in your store. As I tell my speaking audiences, I don't walk into sewing machine stores but I do walk into sporting goods stores. Learn who your customer is and why they're in your store.

5. Focus on the personal values of the customer, not price. Think about your own shopping. Is it more important to you to find a product you love or a great sale price? Of course we all love to get both, but most people would rather find the right product at a fair price than compromise on the product at a great price.

While your competitors are only telling the customer what's on sale, you should be learning what's important to your customer besides price. Whether it is fashion, convenience, quality, ease of use, or whatever, focusing on your customers' values before price will increase your odds of making a sale. When people want something price almost always becomes secondary.

6. Give the customer an opportunity to make the purchase. It's as simple as asking the customer to buy it. The more bad economic news there is, the less likely your competitors will ask for the sale. Do you?