Page 22 - GS170302

Views

selling complex, customizable solutions designed to be
seamlessly embedded in a merchant's business and brand.

"A long-standing sales axiom is to know your client and
know the industry," wrote Paul H. Green in Good Selling! SM:
Thirteen Weeks to Personal Success. "This was easy in the
old economy, back in the days when shoes, cars and
Merchant first, sportswear were the heart of retail, and Internet retailers
were not part of the business landscape."

service second When the book was published in 2004, Green noticed a
shift in shopping patterns. The industry veteran and
founder of The Green Sheet predicted that multilayered
By Dale S. Laszig digital technologies would change the way people shop
DSL Direct LLC and buy. "You can't look under the hood, and you no
longer can depend on an elegant showroom to display
very selling day has pros and cons. Business your product or service," he wrote. "Instead, you must rely
owners may be more relaxed on Fridays, but on the look and feel of your product's display on a screen."
they're often also signing checks and trying
E to make payroll. They may be more business- More than a decade later, ecommerce and mobile commerce
minded on Mondays, but their thoughts are typically are taking market share from stores and shopping malls.
focused on the week ahead. Sales pros have learned to Merchants have outgrown one-size-fits-all credit card
navigate distractions and direct the focus to opportunities. terminals. They are working with ISOs, value-added
resellers and independent software vendors to create POS
Merchant level salespeople (MLSs) have a small window systems that reflect their unique identities and brands.
to make a big impression. Connected technologies Removing barriers, optimizing checkout
create workplace distractions, making it difficult to get a
customer's undivided attention. Merchants rarely ignore Merchants are also removing barriers between in-store
calls, texts and tweets while they're in meetings. Their and online commerce to create a continuous shopping
businesses are their lifelines; it's difficult to look away, experience. They recognize that ecommerce has
even for a few minutes. That's why MLSs need to zero in fundamentally changed the way people shop. Whether
on merchants first, merchant services second. they are online, in stores or at kiosks, consumers enjoy
browsing more than they enjoy paying. Following are
Charm offensive
examples of how merchants are addressing this by creating
Selling is stigmatized. People delay or cancel meetings if frictionless checkouts:
they sense a sales pitch coming on. Seasoned MLSs take • Buy online, pick up in store: Consumers who
this in stride, exuding confidence and warmth when a purchase items online can pick them up at a nearby
prospect is ready to see them. I remember riding with an store, sometimes on the same day. This fast, simple
MLS on a day of cold calling years ago. When a prospect ordering method gives shoppers more control of
asked what he was selling, he replied, "Nothing. I'm the delivery process while saving shipping fees.
giving things away today. Let me begin with my cards." Retailers love it because consumers who come into
Forty minutes later, he signed the account and went on to their stores are more likely to purchase additional
sign the merchant next door. items.

He opened new accounts that day with charm, wit and • Line-busting: Retail sales associates freely roam
fascination in his prospects. He was knowledgeable about retail stores and showrooms, and use tablets
his own offerings, but he put that out of mind when he and connected devices to take orders, process
walked through the door. "I let it all go," he confided. "I checkouts and check inventory on behalf of guests.
purposely erase everything from my mind when I walk
into a store so I can absorb as much as I can as quickly as • Mobile checkouts: Mobile apps, such as Sam's
I can." Club Scan & Go, are designed to bypass checkout
lanes. Consumers can scan items as they add them
Retail is changing to their shopping carts, then check out and pay
These days MLSs still focus on customers, despite with the app. They show a receipt on their phones
how much their jobs have changed. The days of selling to an exit greeter on their way out of the store.
pure POS solutions are gone. MLSs and other business • Pay at the table: Long popular in Europe tableside
development specialists in the payments industry are payments are finally catching on in the United

22