gripmarketing

Another thread about price shoppers prompted me to post this...

5 Rules for Answering the Phone at the Salon

Rule #1:
It is a cardinal sin in retailing that you never, ever, and forever give out prices over the phone.

Try calling a Best Buy or a WalMart store to get a price over the phone – you’ll be tied up in their voicemail system for about 20 minutes. This is no accident – it’s by design. Surely, these companies are large enough to have someone hosting reception (playing receptionist) for the day sitting in front of a phone and a computer screen. The receptionist could easily, with a few button clicks, look up the price. (These companies have a policy of not giving out prices - FYI). Why don’t they?

A) A brick-and-mortar retailer’s goal is to get the prospect into the store, keep prospects excited or re-excite them with in-store point-of-purchase displays and materials, and set consumers loose with their credit cards. Sales rise, and unplanned impulse purchases are made as well as add-on sales, cross sells, and up sells.

B) Giving pricing over the phone also gives pricing to your competition, allowing the competition to practice one-upmanship. You offer “5 Tans for $10”, and your competitor knows this because it’s easy for them to just call and find out what your specials are. Prospects calling your place hear the 5 for 10 offer and then call your competitor who responds with a special “10 Tans for $10”. You just lost your prospects.

Know this: you cannot ever say something like, “It’s company policy, and we don’t give out prices over the phone.” This will just make people mad. So how do you accomplish it? Let’s talk about how to begin…

Rule #2
Always “qualify” your callers first. To give quality sales service you must first qualify your caller. Qualify to find why the caller is inquiring. Qualifying is accomplished by asking questions. Asking, “Have you tanned with us before?” will qualify and determine whether the caller is an active/inactive customer or a new prospect (a newbie).

Rule #3
Stay in control of the sale.

When a caller asks a question such as “What time are you open till tonight?” and you answer “9 o’clock”, the caller is in control of the sale – not you. Then you just wait for the caller to ask the next question, you answer, and ‘round it goes until the caller hangs up. In this brief exchange, the caller knows all about us, and we know nothing about the caller. Your job, however, is just the opposite. To find out all we can about our customers.

How do you gain or regain control of the sale? Ask questions. Answer a question with a question. The person in control is the one asking the questions. It will take some practice to learn this technique.

Rule #4
Practice your pitch and talk faster than normal. When you speak very
s-l-o-w-l-y, your prospect will speak slowly, think slowly, and make decisions slowly. When you speak fast, your prospect will mimic your speed, speak faster, think faster, and make decisions faster.

Rule #5
Wear the right hat. Qualifying determines which hat you will wear: The New Prospect Hat or the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Hat.

CRM Hat
Sales are highest in salons that practice the best Customer Relationship Management techniques. Why do these best practices increase sales? Because people want to do business, not with a cold, uncaring business, but with PEOPLE.

Sales increase when you press the buttons on consumers two favorite radio stations: WII-FM (What’s In It For Me?) and W-AM (What About Me?). CRM means taking some time, but not so much time that you become inconvenient for people, to know your customers. Keep your questions brief and let the customers TALK about themselves.

When a caller asks a question such as “What time are you open till tonight?” you can answer, “Have you tanned with us before?”. Should you hear a “no” response put on your Prospect Hat (which is covered next).

Should you hear a “yes” put on your CRM Hat and don’t wait for the caller to ask another question before barging in with:

“How late do you need for us to be open?”
Caller: “Well, I don’t get off of work until 8:30.”
Salon: “Oh yea? Where do you work?”
Caller: “Down the street at Blockbuster.”
Salon: “I bet I know you, I go in there all the time.”

In this brief exchange, the caller knows nothing about the salon until we finally tell the caller that we are open until 9. BUT, we know all about the caller. People love to talk about themselves. Don’t believe us, at the next party, talk to someone and only reply “Noooooooo.”, “You don’t say”, and “Oh, really?” They will talk for an hour about themselves and think you are a brilliant conversationalist.

New Prospect Hat
After hearing “no I haven’t tanned at your salon before” or “what are your prices?”, you’ve qualified this caller as a newbie or prospect. So how do you not give out prices over the phone?

Caller: “I’m calling to find out prices”
Salon:


_________________
Gary[ This Message was edited by: gripmarketing on 2004-07-28 11:52 ]

engfant

“How late do you need for us to be open?”
Caller: “Well, I don’t get off of work until 8:30.”
Salon: “Oh yea? Where do you work?”
Caller: “Down the street at Blockbuster.”
Salon: “I bet I know you, I go in there all the time.”

This EAXCT conversation has happened more than once over here.

ALOHATANCA

I try not to give prices over the phone because I want them to see my Salon & equipment, I ask, are you shopping price or the equipment that will tan you the best...

I call the other Salon's to find out what they are doing....

TanningEmporium

We use to., we now refer all clients to our website, we do answer any questions, but for time and for the convinence of having it, we tell them about the coupon and most just check it out.

gripmarketing

'“How late do you need for us to be open?”
Caller: “Well, I don’t get off of work until 8:30.”
Salon: “Oh yea? Where do you work?”
Caller: “Down the street at Blockbuster.”
Salon: “I bet I know you, I go in there all the time.”

This EAXCT conversation has happened more than once over here. '

The rest of the conversation should be:

Salon: "We're open until 9, but I tell you what - if you find you are running a little late, just give me a call here and I'll have your bed ready when you hit the front door!"
Caller: "Wow! Thank you very much."

Now THAT's customer service.

AND the caller will actually think twice and feel guilty trying to show up at 8:59 to tan because they now know you "personally".

tanu01

Only the draw them in prices.
Flick

gripmarketing

Flick, if you're offering draw-them-in pricing, then this applies:

B) Giving pricing over the phone also gives pricing to your competition, allowing the competition to practice one-upmanship. You offer “5 Tans for $10”, and your competitor knows this because it’s easy for them to just call and find out what your specials are. Prospects calling your place hear the 5 for 10 offer and then call your competitor who responds with a special “10 Tans for $10”. You just lost your prospects.

Are you offering specials that your competition can't or won't match?

tanu01

Doesent make any diff. when his girls are in my store daily.
Flick

TanningEmporium

OUR CONVER:
Tanning Emporium may I help you
..Can you tell me how much your packages are..
OUr month is 40.95, do you have access to a computer
.. Yes
Well let me give you our website information, you will find our package prices, hours, and a gallery of the salon..you can even go to special offers or the newsletter and download money saving coupons.
..Really, ok that would be great
www.tanning-emporium.com
..thanks, so much
you are very welcome, have a great day
...MOST SAY>>YOU TOO

West Side Tanner

Ok Margaret, whats the conver if the answere was "no" to access to a computer?
I'm looking at ways to do this. It's gonna be difficult for us, because we have never tried this and it's gonna be a "change".