Calling After Delivery

In home furnishings retail showrooms, we have done a poor job with this area; it is an industry shortcoming!

We even have a name for this action: a can of worms that shouldn’t be opened. Seriously. We treat it as something to be avoided at all costs.

And yet, I assert that we could raise our revenues by 10-15% with this action ALONE. And to do that, we need to align our expectations with what is likely to happen and upgrade our skill of managing it when it does.

What does that mean?
Expectation: Many retail salespeople think that if they call, they will hear about problems that would not be brought up unless a call is made, so avoidance is the best policy. This is exacerbated by a belief that a sofa alone will transform a room…and it doesn’t and it never will. A better expectation is that ALL new additions to a room require an ADJUSTMENT or ADDITION to balance the new item into the room…a room that likely has existing items that will look worn or dated when a new item is introduced. That will ALWAYS happen. Lean into that so that it is brought up by the salesperson as a normal thing to happen, that requires conversation and further assistance.

Upgrade skills: When the salesperson calls with different expectations of the customer experience, then they can ENTER the conversation looking for adjustments and additions that need to be addressed and made. They are LOOKING for them rather than avoiding them. It’s a much, much different engagement and outcome.

Calling after delivery is a challenge for those salespeople who don’t connect, don’t ask great questions about the ROOM, and don’t take notes. They have NOTHING to use to go into the call…so it will almost always be an action that produces little. Why? Because the salesperson went into the call with nothing to ask or to offer …and not because the action itself is ineffective.

If this resonates with you and you want to improve your effectiveness with this action, reach out to me for my Call After Delivery template… it’s a winner!

Now, go call a client and look for imperfections that you can address!

oxo,
Jody

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