Hello, dear readers, site site!
In this article, I would like to share with you my thoughts on how to increase furniture sales. Or what needs to be done in order for your business to bring you more profit and customers than at the current stage.
The idea for this post came about by accident. At the time of writing my thesis, and I write it according to the assortment and commercial activities one of the furniture manufacturer in Chernihiv.
So, in one of the sections, I came across such an item as: "Organization of sales and ways to increase it." I began to describe that there are the following, according to which the enterprise operates. And that's how they sell their products.
He also described that furniture prices are lower than those of competitors, as the organization applies a cost optimization strategy. I wrote an article about this strategy "?". We figured out the organization of sales, now we had to think of something to increase sales.
Methods for increasing sales in a retail store
After a little brainstorming of competitors, the same segment as they are, I noticed one feature. None of them have a website. Only a few are listed in the general information directory of the city. Where the name of the organization and contact details are indicated.
Everything! Nothing more is said, that is, a person who wants to buy furniture should call them and find out if they make such furniture that the client is interested in. And this is called the 21st century? Guys, today such methods are not very effective. Today, effectively it is an excellent service of the services offered. Whoever has it better is the one who is successful.
After that, I used the Yandex keyword service to analyze how many queries there were over the past month for the word “furniture Chernihiv”. The results are as follows:
As you can see, good results. And these are only the results of queries in Yandex. And then there is Google, Rambler. Therefore, having a website can significantly increase your sales. Especially if you live in a small town where it is not so developed yet. For example, if we consider large cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv. Then it will be more difficult with this, in terms of promotion. So there is more competition.
Now, I would like to talk about the service. Let's say you have created your website. They wrote there what services you offer, wrote contact phone numbers, directions to the store or office. "And that is all"? - you ask. "Not!". On the site you need to place such information from which the visitor will be delighted.
To start this post, all your most successful work. Keyword"Yours". And that is, there are a lot of “wise men” who pump up pictures on the Internet and post them. Well, if they knew how to make it, then this is one thing. But, in my experience, I often saw a painting when they had no idea how to design it. And the customer loved this product. As a result, either the client leaves, or they do. something other.
If I were making such a site, it would be nice to create a service with which. a person who could arrange furniture directly on the site. Using your dimensions of the room or room. And based on this, the cost would be indicated. After that, he would be asked to place an order or contact the manager to clarify additional information.
Even if something does not suit the buyer, then using such a service, he will definitely tell his friends and acquaintances, and this, in turn, will again be potential buyers. I think you understand my train of thought.
Such different services can be very a large number of. You need to come up with something that others don't have. and if there is, then do it much better than competitors.
Emotions as a gift
Every year, the competition is getting stronger and stronger. And in order to survive in this struggle, many simply "play" with the prices of their products. Yes, of course, this is not an unimportant factor that will help attract buyers. But, to work almost to zero or even worse, in the "minus" is not the best good option entrepreneur.
Now, people are more responsive to the service and the price suddenly becomes a back burner for them.
And now for an example. Telling information to a potential client (at the stage of drawing up a furniture layout, choosing colors materials, cost calculation, when placing an order, etc.), offer him a cup of coffee. Agree that it would be nice for you if you were offered this. And most importantly, this is a trifle, but a person develops positive emotions(about his care). The chance of buying also increases.
Another example. If the buyer came to you with a child, give the baby balloon, candy. Also a trifle, but it will be nice.
Conduct surveys
After each sale, do surveys of your customers. To do this, create a questionnaire and ask the buyer to fill out.
Of course, you come up with the format yourself, depending on what goals you want to pursue. Firstly, I would collect a sales history (who bought what) and collect additional data for these customers.
The format is as follows: full name, phone number, how do you rate the quality of the current work (point scale, if the rating is below 3, then comments why) and what kind of furniture you might be interested in in the future.
Some time later. you can call them (having previously made an offer) and offer to buy the furniture he needs.
Thus, with the help of a survey, you kill 2 birds with one stone: identify the needs of customers and look at your own weak sides, thereby correcting them.
Finally
On this list options The development on how to sell furniture doesn't end there. I will write about them in future articles.
From the above, I think you understand that the technology of selling furniture is a painstaking task, you need to take into account many factors. which were previously ignored.
P.S. How do you like the article? Perhaps someone has their own sales techniques and you would like to share them, it will be interesting to know. Good luck and see you again.
Unprofessional seller, unable to answer not only objections, but also simple questions a customer about the cost, equipment and discounts on goods is a fairly common phenomenon. Also, there are often overly intrusive and illiterate “specialists”, from whom, as if from a cornucopia, product characteristics are pouring in that are uninteresting to the buyer and do not meet his needs.
The main disadvantages of sales training
Furniture selling is one of the areas where employees go through a lot of training that is out of touch with the real thing and learn skills that only scare away customers. Intrusive and aggressive sales assistants make them want to refuse cooperation. The buyer needs clear answers to his questions, therefore incompetent consultants who do not understand the advantages of their product and have not studied it elementary characteristics, are also unlikely to be successful in their field. The best way to get the necessary skills is through experience, studying the product and working with customers. It is also important to communicate with experienced successful employees and learn from them the technique of sales on real examples.
Who should ask questions
For effective sale furniture, there are many techniques, but their study does not guarantee the appearance of professionalism when working with people. Success depends primarily on the seller himself and his activity. It often happens that the client himself throws questions at the consultant, and he only answers, and often inappropriately. But the one who asks the questions controls the conversation. Therefore, if a consultant or furniture sales manager himself does not ask anything from potential buyer, it is unlikely that he will be able to make a good deal.
The situation on the market is constantly changing, so the seller does not have to wait until the client himself makes a decision to buy. Because of a wide range, constant sales, promotions and discounts and the opportunity to purchase used furniture on websites free ads over low prices it becomes increasingly difficult to motivate a customer to make a purchase. What can be done? What does a furniture seller need to know in order to manage his behavior himself, and not leave him alone with the goods?
Why you need an individual approach to the buyer
Today, when working with a buyer, there are no universal schemes that would be suitable for everyone and work regardless of the nature and preferences of the person. The approach to the client should be individual, and the behavior of the seller should change depending on who he communicates with. To understand how to sell furniture, on initial stage As a consultant, you need to learn the main types of customers, sales techniques and work with objections. At present, the usual sale of a product with a story about its benefits is ineffective, the seller should learn
Customer focus: basic steps
The customer-centric approach consists of several steps, which must be performed sequentially, one after the other:
- Training.
- Making contact with the client.
- Identification of his needs.
- Product presentation.
- Work with objections.
- Deal.
The first step is preparation. It consists of the following items:
- Product knowledge.
- Customer insight.
- Studying competitors.
- Appearance.
- Sales skills.
- Planning.
- Appearance.
The basic principle of customer-oriented sales is: "Don't sell a product to a customer, but help him buy it." To do this, you need to understand the desires of the client and be able to put yourself in his place. But how to do it and learn how to help the client with the choice of the product he needs?
The Importance of Product Research
A seller who wants to figure out how to learn how to sell furniture, first of all, must thoroughly study the product with which he works. It is important that the consultant could answer any question about him immediately, without hesitation and without asking anyone again.
The most common questions from customers when buying furniture:
- Complete set - what items are included in the price, and what needs to be bought separately. For example, is a mirror included in the cost of the hallway.
- Color scheme - the furniture is chosen for the interior, so it is important for the client to know if a suitable shade is available and, if not, whether it can be ordered.
- Manufacturer - most people prefer well-known companies that they have heard a lot about and can trust, as well as domestic brands. If the firm is unknown, they want to know more about it.
- Possibility of additional configuration - is it possible to add or change something in the furniture set. For example, for sofas can be sold various options covers that the customer is willing to purchase in the future, if color design its interior will change.
Discounts as motivation to buy
When making a purchasing decision, the cost of a product is not as important as it might seem. According to marketing research, the average buyer is able to change his mind about the acceptable cost of goods up to + 20%. The cost is always on the same scale with the goods, and the seller's task is to make these scales swing in the right direction. But the client must clearly understand why he should pay more in this particular case.
Discounts are of last interest to customers, since most of the promotions can be repeated in other stores, so they have ceased to be an advantage. But they can serve as an additional motivation when buying, if all other factors, except for the cost, are satisfactory. Having studied the product, the seller needs to learn how to find out the needs of his client and become familiar with the basic sales techniques in order to learn how to plan communication with potential buyers. Next, you need to study what similar positions competitors offer and how they work with buyers.
Dress code for a furniture sales assistant
On the next step, even if the organization does not have a dress code or corporate uniform, the consultant himself must bring his appearance in line with the standards of business attire. When entering the store, the client should immediately understand that he is in front of a specialist who can be contacted with a question, and not the same potential buyer as himself. As a representative of the company, the seller must look appropriate and stand out, inspiring the trust of the client with his appearance. furniture, if you yourself look unpresentable at the same time? Business style in clothes makes you feel more confident and more comfortable.
How to get in touch with a client
Working with a client begins with a greeting. Here it is very important to choose for him correct form and not to use hackneyed phrases that make everyone nervous, for example: “Do you have anything to suggest?”, “Have you already chosen?”, “Is there anything you can help with?” etc. At best, the buyer will laugh it off, but more often than not, such greetings cause everyone negative emotions and a desire to respond in a rude manner and leave the store. For typical questions, the client will always find a typical answer that does not encourage the continuation of the conversation.
"Hot" and "cold" clients
According to one theory, out of the total number of people, those who are ready to make a purchase right now will be no more than 5-10%. Such clients are called "hot". Trivial questions will make them immediately decide not in favor of the seller who asks them, and look for someone more professional. Doubting customers who want to buy, but have not yet decided on the desired characteristics of the product or its cost, will make up about 25%.
The rest of the people are “cold” customers who either wander aimlessly around the stores or are simply not ready to make a purchase right now. A separate question is how to sell furniture over the Internet, when the client simply views the offers, and does not communicate directly with the seller. Thus, most potential buyers are “cold”, but they are able to bring maximum profit to the store when correct work sales consultant. Therefore, if they are asked a question to force them to make a purchase decision that they are not ready for, this will only scare them away and seem like pressure to customers.
How to greet a customer
The seller, addressing the client, must first of all greet him and introduce himself. Further, experienced sellers can act in different ways, for example, not to offer help in choosing right now, but to inform the client that they can be contacted with questions about the product. Sometimes consultants continue to obsessively follow the client on the heels and tell him about the characteristics of the product without waiting for questions. But in this case, the potential buyer will still not remember most of the information, and the sensations from communication will be unpleasant for him. People prefer to buy, but they don't like to feel like they're being sold. Even customers who are ready to make a purchase are likely to leave the store without listening to the seller. Excessive intrusiveness and information flows make you feel obligated to buy something, which causes discomfort. A conversation with a client should be a dialogue, not a monologue of one of the parties.
Identification of customer needs
Before selling furniture, the seller must find out the purpose of the client's arrival and in no case leave him unattended. Friendly communication without pressure and negativity is the optimal behavior strategy. Unfortunately, very often before selling furniture, instead of identifying the values of the buyer, sellers begin a thoughtless presentation of goods or begin to dryly list specifications. Efficiency and obsession are two different things. The client should feel comfortable and be able to walk around the store without the close attention of the seller. Important to use individual approach, speak the language of a potential buyer and talk about what is relevant to him. The conversation should be about the client, their goals and needs. With a negative attitude, the seller needs to back off.
How to ask the right questions
When working with a client, it is important to ask him the right questions. They can be of two types - open and closed. In the first case, a detailed answer will be required from the buyer, and in the second, confirmation or disagreement. Both options help to identify the needs of the client and are one of the important components of the sales technique. For example, before selling antique furniture, you can ask about what antiques the client already has. This will allow you to suggest an option that will be combined with them.
Clients with high incomes prefer products created in a single copy. Identification of such a desire will be one of the answers to the question of how to sell furniture handmade. If the client answers a question with a question, the consultant can give a short presentation and talk about the benefits of the product, moving from the general to the specific. Then you need to take the initiative again and ask a question open type. When a salesperson knows how to ask questions and uses this skill effectively, he can quickly find common ground with buyers and respond to their needs. If you show initiative and activity, then there will be no problems and questions about how to sell furniture.
Product presentation
Product presentation is an important part of sales technique. Having identified several needs of the client, you can move on to it, or you can first find out the details. Only laudatory reviews about the product cause distrust of the buyer. Before selling upholstered furniture, the seller needs to look at it through the eyes of his client and find out what questions he may have. A need-based presentation, not a feature-based one, generates more customer engagement. Talking about new furniture, used furniture or just a project should be in a certain sequence. First, its properties are described, obvious characteristics that do not raise questions from the client.
How to describe the benefits of a product
Before selling cabinet furniture or another product, the consultant needs to carefully study both their and non-obvious characteristics or advantages that distinguish the product from others. At the end of the presentation, the seller should talk about the benefits that the client will receive if he purchases this particular furniture. The properties of the product tell the buyer what exactly he is buying, the benefits - why he does it, and the benefits - what he gets as a result of the purchase. It is important not to forget that the customer is looking for a product that can solve his problem. The seller only needs help in solving this problem.
In this case, Maslow's pyramid and focus on the needs of the buyer can help. For example, before selling old furniture, among its characteristics can be mentioned natural materials from which it is made. This will satisfy the client's basic need for security.
Work with objections
Common mistake sellers - disputes with customers instead of finding out what is behind their objections. But the real work of a professional begins when the customer says, “No.” In order to understand how to quickly sell furniture, the consultant must understand how to deal with objections and not be afraid of them. After listening to them, it is worth thanking the client and giving additional arguments in favor of buying your product. If you use Maslow's pyramid again, then it is worth considering that when working on this system with a complex client, you need to transfer him to a level with higher needs. This will allow you to sell furniture more expensive. For example, from the basic need for safety and health, switch his attention to the need for belonging. If the client is not particularly concerned about his own safety, he will definitely think about the safety of his loved ones.
Make a deal
Final stage the work of any seller is the conclusion of the transaction. At this time, you need to act decisively and not overdo it, repelling the desire of the buyer to purchase the product. Completion of the sale and payment important point when you can't be wrong. The seller should pay attention to the client's signals about the readiness to make a purchase, stop the presentation in time and lead him to the checkout. After confirming the order amount, you can offer additional goods and services, such as an additional warranty. It's also important to get the paperwork right. Then the seller should thank the client for the choice and spend it with a friendly goodbye.
If the customer is not ready to buy now
Another common mistake made by unprofessional salespeople is to lose interest in a client if they are not ready to make a deal right now. At this point, you can lose not only the future reward for work from one person. Offended by an inattentive attitude, the buyer will definitely use word of mouth and share his dissatisfaction with relatives and friends who are unlikely to decide to purchase something in this store. Thus, the seller loses several potential customers at once. A professional will definitely give you time to think, tell you about additional discounts and bonuses in the future, so that the buyer leaves with pleasant impressions and returns again some time later. You can ask the client for a phone number and offer to call him back later if a better offer appears. For an effective sale, the main thing is to do everything right, to solve the client's problem. Then he will definitely come back again and recommend the store to his friends.
For owners, directors.
Attention! This free article is not part of the course " furniture business uncensored."
I hope for your understanding and forgiveness...
The fact is that I am writing from the position of a person who works in the furniture business, in furniture retail for more than one year. And it seems to me that I have the right to act as a person who has an idea about the furniture market.
Precisely because I have an idea about the state of affairs in the furniture market, I constantly write in my articles that “it’s difficult now, that it’s hard, that everyone owes everyone, that everyone survives” ... Forgive me for being blunt.
Those people who read more than my first article will confirm: I do not offer everyone universal “miracle solutions”, “instant results without effort”, “101% guarantee” and so on.
This would be equivalent to the fact that I would guarantee a person who decided to lose weight "to lose 20 kilograms in a week with absolutely no consequences." Believe me, I lost weight, my maximum result is 10 kilograms per week (from 105 kg to 95 kg). At the same time, I simply didn’t eat anything all week, and by the end of the week I was falling down from weakness. This is not a healthy situation, but a health problem. Don't lose weight so fast. It will not work.
As you have noticed, I do not offer you a miracle remedy for overcoming the crisis. I just communicate with people of my circle, I try to be something useful to these people. In 99% of cases, the solutions I offer for certain tasks have been tested by me at my own furniture stores, so I do not offer you a pig in a poke, but only proven and workable strategies, promotions, and events.
Russia is a big country. And what works great in one region may not work at all in another. We understand this. Therefore, in almost every article I warn: experiment, do not immediately pump a lot of money into one unverified event, no matter how great this event may seem.
And then, I really want to believe that more and more normal people is doing business. Precisely normal, adequate, thinking. And not those who were born on time, cut down a lot of money on the transition from scarcity to satiety, and now they feel quite comfortable. I'm just happy for these people, God bless them. But among these people there are those (and quite a few) who do not develop, who are stuck in the nineties, who are still the “red director”, who have not worked in a competitive environment and will never learn. Competition touched these people only from one side: having earned on the transition from a shortage to an excess of money, these people stopped producing, stopped trading; now their business is commercial real estate, renting out space (the most best business). And you yourself know what is happening in this market segment now - everyone is building and leasing everything. Hard workers, like you and me, are simply not able to pull this strap of 500-1000 rubles per square meter. And now these people have begun to fuss, secretly offering both 300 and 100 rubles for renting a square meter. This is no longer a business, but a barryzhniye. And in fact, a business without competition is always a barry. And in the era of the rise and prosperity of these people, there was just no competition.
Well, why philosophize? I repeat, I want to deal with thinking and adequate people. It is for these people that my articles, my case, it is with these people that I am ready to communicate and cooperate.
And it is these people, I am sure, who understand best of all that no matter how sweetly and beautifully you wrap a piece of shit, it will still remain a piece of shit. But strawberries from the garden, no matter how dirty they are, will be washed off and remain juicy and tasty strawberries.
You have already managed to make sure, and those who have not yet managed to, will have time, that in each article we will definitely present you with a certain amount of really useful tips about the furniture business. This is not even advice at all, but simply we share our experience. Believe it or not, apply it or not - your right. We have checked everything for ourselves.
Here in this article we emphasize the usefulness of competition, the importance of the brain of the business owner, the trend towards changes in the market commercial real estate, and most importantly - below you will find three important components for improving business in a furniture store:
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COMPONENT |
RATIONALE |
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Upgrade Warranty |
At present, there is practically no certainty about the "legitimate" warranty periods for furniture, they say, the manufacturer himself sets the warranty periods for his goods. The society is between "what the fuck is your guarantee" and "I'm going to court now." Both extremes are not beneficial for a furniture businessman: in the first case, he loses the Client forever, and in the second, he is almost guaranteed to lose a decent amount of money (never bring it to court). The stores do not pay attention to the warranty period. This point is not worked closely with suppliers. For example, if a supplier sets a service life of 10 years, then the feeling that this is not necessary for anyone except the owner-supplier himself. Neither the manufacturer's managers nor the store's salespeople talk about this outstanding indicator to the Client. It will turn out something like this: upholstered furniture 18 months, cabinet furniture 12 months. So set the warranty period for all furniture for 24 months and shout everywhere “we have a guarantee above the guest!”. Teach salespeople to talk about it to each Client, use it when working with objections. If you are selling quality furniture, do not worry about the warranty period of 24 months. Good furniture will last much longer. |
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Reduce order lead time |
Customers strains "order". They want now. Customers are annoyed by the delay in the order. Customers are annoyed by the lack of information about the delay in the order. Sofa production time (in the presence of fabric) is no more than two weeks. The production time for a bedroom (if it fits into the supplier's production plan) is several hours. Suppliers try to keep a small stock of the most popular models in stock. If you have enough working capital, You can easily get orders from suppliers to deliver the order "no more than two weeks." Just imagine how it will set you apart from the crowd of competing stores! |
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Have only liquid goods in the store |
It's not easy (passed, we know). However, do you have a product that is sold in the most amazing way, barely exhibited in the salon?! So why not try to keep such a product in the salon in the majority? And the illiquid that still appears, no matter how you fight it, track and discount it up to the purchase price. For the most liquid positions, try to keep 1-2 pieces in stock. It’s not expensive for a warehouse, but according to paragraph 2 of this table of authority, it will add decently to you. |
We did not invent anything, did not leaf through any textbooks, working through these three points. We just tried to analyze the obvious and hidden reasons for not buying furniture in our store.
Of course, you yourself understand that in order to fulfill especially the 2nd and 3rd points of the table, you will need a decent amount working capital. Nothing to do about. And with this in our business now it is very difficult.
Good luck to you!
01.09.2015
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1. What a furniture seller needs to know 2. Real story furniture sales manager WITHOUT work experience 3. Tips for furniture sellers:
4. How to offer furniture to the buyer in order to achieve results 5. Another sales story 6. Why I am so confident in the performance of the technician furniture sales? 7. Sales formulas that definitely work! |
If you are directly related to furniture sales, then most likely you are interested in what's new in this industry. I suggest you read the article "Advice to furniture sellers from an expert in sales techniques." Read the entire post and you will find out that it turns out that you can achieve a high sales rate with absolutely no experience in furniture sales. And at the same time successfully increase the volume of revenue within one month. This will help you in building your own career as a furniture sales assistant.
What furniture retailers need to know
For furniture sales consultants, despite interesting times . Namely: career prospects, the possibility of self-realization. And these are not my conjectures, these are facts.
Employees of my company conducted a survey: out of 30 furniture sales consultants who have been trained by AS Furniture Sales, 28 people consider their wages to be fair, and 27 want to move up the career ladder. If you are interested in this direction, immerse yourself in reading.
The payment system is almost the same everywhere: salary + percentage of sales. At good sellers the premium that is paid for sales always exceeds the salary, sometimes several times. You just need to learn proven sales techniques and convert large quantity visitors furniture showroom into buyers. How to do this, you will learn further.
The real story of a furniture sales manager with no work experience
And now I would like to draw the attention of those who believe that a sales manager without work experience cannot count on a decent salary for his work. The real story of a girl from the city of Kuzbass, who got a job as a sales assistant in a salon upholstered furniture.
In July 2015, for my 27 shifts, the revenue outlet increased by 75%.
Imagine a job seeker who has such accomplishments on their résumé. Even if it’s not fate, as we like to complain, dismissal, reduction, and the consultant will already have such a fad in his portfolio. How long do you think the seller will look for a job? And this, despite the fact that this girl had only 3 months experience in furniture sales at that time.
Maybe she was born a salesperson? This is not entirely true, or rather, not at all. She was a little lucky, and everything else is a matter of technique. More precisely, the sales technician that I give in the distance course for training professional furniture salesmen.
She was lucky because she was “forced” to get into the training. She was sent to me by a company where she works as a sales assistant for upholstered furniture. And then she began to actively apply what was given at the training. Here is her verbatim review:
And this is not the only case when adding the right sales techniques to activity and initiative, such a result is obtained.
Learn how to work with a customer
Furniture companies that are developing and not standing still, whether wholesale or retail, invest in the training of their staff. It is for such companies that I conduct trainings. Leading companies build systemic internal corporate training, because they believe that this is one of the most important factors for stability and growth.
And where is the career, prospects, opportunities? You ask.
Accordingly, if you plan to work and build your career in the furniture industry, choose companies that do not just sell high-quality furniture, but those that grow and scale by investing in staff: ask about this at the interview so as not to waste time. Learn from your colleagues during an internship or probationary period whether leaders offer opportunities for learning. If the company in which you want to get a job does not conduct trainings, courses, seminars for employees, then it will take you a lot of time to learn how to work competently with a buyer and it will be difficult to build a career. Only under certain circumstances will you be able to sell a lot and receive good sales bonuses.
An example to follow in terms of systematizing staff training is the company. For their regional representatives I conducted a training in July in Moscow.
But don't just rely on the company you work for. Develop yourself. Read literature on sales.
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How to work with literature
Do not immediately discard the information that seems incomprehensible, inapplicable, absurd, unacceptable to you now.
Often, this is so only at first glance. But then the idea arises of how this or that technique can be used in your work.
And perhaps this perception occurs while you are who you are now. Starting to take care of yourself, to work out your qualities, you will suddenly find that those moments that seemed incomprehensible or unacceptable have become obvious. And you began to use them in your activities.
For example, while conducting trainings, I constantly hear the following question: “How many times can you try to establish contact with the buyer if he does not respond? Will I seem pushy?"
As a rule, this question comes from self-doubt, and from a lack of understanding of the basics of communication, and from ignorance right technique establishing contact.
After training, this mental barrier is usually removed, as we work through all these three areas on it.
After reading the book, it may also take time to realize how to start applying new knowledge in life. And it takes time to develop new personality traits.
I had a time when I started to read a book and suddenly felt some kind of anxiety. As I noted later, this happened with literature, which had a strong impact on me, and required me to make personal changes. Such “anxiety” has become for me the criterion for a good book :)
Work with books actively:
Underline the right places;
Fold the pages to which you want to return;
Write your notes in the margins.
AT e-books this is easy to do too!
Better start with these books:
Reading is not enough. You still need to practice!
Attend webinars, seminars, trainings. Many of them are now free.
If you are interested in developing not only in sales, then you will need literature and courses in management and psychology. Make requests to my mail, I will tell you what to read, what events to visit.
Each furniture sales assistant is able to earn more, and whoever wants to can build a career. Heads of furniture companies constantly turn to me in search of good sellers, administrators, and managers.
Your path might look like this:
shop assistant
senior salesperson / administrator
manager of one outlet or several directors of the entire retail.
You can go the other way too become a mentor for other sellers, a training specialist.
How to learn to work with doubts and objections of buyers?
If you see real growth opportunities in the furniture industry, take control of your career and take action. Let management know that you want more than your average furniture salesman. Proceed according to this algorithm:
In your next shift, put furniture sales techniques into practice. Make sure they work. Share the book with your colleague. Let a colleague apply the techniques, so you will remove doubts on the topic “not everyone is given”. Show the book to your management and talk about your accomplishments. Show your interest in best results. After all, you not only need a big salary this month, you want to build a career. To do this, take the next step.
Familiarize yourself with the contents of the distance course. Show this page to your manager by saying, "Help me and my colleagues increase furniture store sales next quarter."
During the training process, you will learn sales techniques that will help you convert more visitors into buyers, which will certainly affect your sales results.
Each step of the seller in this course is thought out to the smallest detail:
capture attention → identify needs → persuasion → remove objections → close the deal → boost.
How to offer furniture to the buyer in order to achieve results
Read about how one of the participants of the webinar in August went through all these stages in practice, the seller kitchen furniture:
“I decided to start boldly. I really liked this phrase, which you recommended using “Have you come to us for a walk or do you want to place an order?”
I really like this style of sales - tough and straight away, without snot.
A 30 year old girl came in. (Stood by the kitchen with an orange in his hands).
I, after waiting 5 seconds and looking into my eyes with a smile like this:
Have you come to visit us or want to place an order?
What is it right now?!
There is absolutely no reason to put off such an exciting journey! Moreover, you are in the best salon of our city! (I move away from the kitchen with gestures suggesting to look around). What is your name, may I ask?
Victoria!
Great, Victoria! My name is Konstantin, let me be your assistant in the world of kitchens ?!
(She comes closer to the kitchen where I was standing).
She is(smiles - obviously thought that something was wrong with this guy):
In principle, there is nothing else to help, so only plans.
Plato argued that the world of things begins with the world of ideas - so you are on the right track! Does the kitchen already exist?
She is (can't stop smiling):
Yes. I bought an apartment, now my head is spinning.
The first step has been taken. The rest is ready to take over. Let's start...
He asked questions, answered her, exchanged contacts - in the hands of the plan of the apartment.
Conclusion: This approach can be applied to the drive. And probably be careful. Because, on the same day, a man came into our salon, in his hands he had a purchased hunting knife in a case. I didn't do that with him! He only asked if he came to us behind the kitchen or for our souls! The man smiled and asked for a catalog - I could not refuse him!
Konstantin, Barnaul, kitchens, middle plus segment.
Such stories cause a smile, admiration and surprise: “Is it possible with buyers?” At the training, I consider all aspects of furniture sales, the nuances that you will not learn about anywhere else, and, most importantly, this is taken from life.
Another sales story
from another student of mine:
"Woman considering sofa cushion with rhinestones, holding it in her hands.
Such a thought can be ordered from any fabric, so that it fits more harmoniously into your interior. (Speaking slowly closer).
Thank you. (Puts down pillow, starts moving away from me).
Sofas can also be ordered in any fabric and configuration: straight, corner, U-shaped. (without moving from your seat).
Silently goes, looks at the sofas.
What are you looking at for yourself? Which room? (Little by little I start to move after her).
Just looking.
Have you come to visit our store? Very well! Here, take the catalog, you can see the entire range on the site.
He takes the catalog silently, turns to the right, into the territory of competitors, there are also sofas.
On the right we have imported sofas, on the left our production base.
Returns to our territory, goes further, stops near one of the sofas.
A very interesting model, due to the “click-clack” mechanism, it has an additional back position, sit down, try it as it is convenient.
Yes, it's convenient. (sits down).
The sofa is on an orthopedic base, the wings can be folded, it will be more compact and comfortable (I fold the wings to the maximum), sit down, now it is even more comfortable.
He sits down, confirms the convenience.
Gets up with the words:
Just two or three people sit down and that's it ...
Do you usually have how many people sit on the couch at the same time?
While I'm alone, but you never know ...
You can see a similar model in the same style with an armchair.
(open catalog)
Here, too, there is an orthopedic base, it is also on legs, only the mechanism is different, it is a sofa-book.
It's even better, such a mechanism is reliable.
The sofa can be ordered in leather, as in the photo or in fabric. Moreover, in colored fabric it looks even more interesting, let's see the samples.
Agrees.
I take out monochromatic options, embossed fabric and with colors and components with the words " I especially like this one", I look at the reaction, looks more and touches the color one, I continue:
Highly interesting shades, you can order a sofa in color, and make the pillows and bottom plain, this will make it even more interesting.
Yes, and there are a lot of shades here, you can hang purple, and gray, and beige curtains. You are right, pillows will look better in plain colors. And I like the touch. And how much will it cost?
Sofa in this fabric 19900, we will produce in 30 days, we will deliver it free of charge.
Is there an installment?
Yes, and without (explain terms).
Thank you, Anna (name looked on the badge). You got me very interested. Please write down the name of the sofa, fabric and price.
I write down, I give with the words:
Do not delay the decision, we give gifts for each order, but this is only until the end of the week.
Well thank you!
Have you noticed how skillfully the seller pulled the buyer into a dialogue and brought him back when he wanted to leave?
These 2 stories are based on the sales techniques taught in the Sell Like an AC Course. You will understand why the dialogues were like this and what techniques were used when you yourself pass this Course.
Why am I so confident in the efficiency of furniture sales techniques?
Because I worked through each of them personally.
Yes! I tested sales methods on myself.
At first, I watched how the "stars" of furniture sales work: what they said, how they behaved when communicating with customers.
The seller himself, who loves his work, intuitively comes to effective methods, but he cannot describe his actions, because he believes that he does nothing special - he just works.
Then I went to sell the furniture myself instead of the seller, in order to make sure that his method was highly effective and to exclude the influence of the charm of an individual.
Sales formulas that definitely work!
Some of these formulas and techniques are described in the "Instructions on how to become a star", which I recommended above. They will be enough for you to be able to increase your income. And in order to multiply it, come to the two-month Let's share the latest developments that I formed during the summer tour of five cities of Russia.
After completing the Course, you will be able not only to systematize your experience, learn new things and start selling more, but also subsequently train others. This will be another step in your professional and personal development and a bridge to career growth!
Sign up for the next
See you!
- Sincerely,
- Alexandrov Sergey Aleksandrovich,
- Expert and author of a book on increasing furniture sales
- International Furniture Personnel Center
For heads of sales departments.
Attention! This free article is not part of the Uncensored Furniture Business course.
Believe me, at least 1000 interns have passed through my hands for the position of a furniture sales assistant.
Why so much? Why such staff turnover? A very rare case when a store employee "grew up" like a chick and left his father's house proud, to the delight of his "parents". Naturally, these quality people are always promoted: they create their own business, they are lured to higher positions in reputable companies, and so on. But this, we repeat, is an exception ... And we are talking about experienced sellers.
The bulk of the interns did not "survive" before certification. We have a rule three days”, when in the first three days of the internship we don’t even pay “trainee fees”, we don’t apply for a job, but at the same time we press the trainee to the fullest. That is three days we look narrowly at each other. So, we admit that these three days cannot "survive" 70% of the interns, they just run away.
Conclusion? People don't want to stress.
And in a furniture store it is impossible to become a quality seller without straining ... So they run ... Well, you, Boss, if you want to work with rubbish on rubbish terms, then continue to curry favor with candidates, conduct sentimental conversations, entertain interns with stories from life, with anecdotes, instead of teaching them and forcing them to plow for the benefit of the store ... There is such an expression "politeness to take for weakness" ... A good expression, vital. So, this is just about interns.
In one of our previous articles, store management mistakes were described when working with interns in a furniture store. We do not consider it necessary to duplicate this description. But, believe me, these mistakes are completely commonplace. And when you list a person, the director of his mistakes when working with interns, some even slap themselves on the forehead: “Well, I knew all this, I know, well, why do I make these mistakes again and again ?!”.
Enough about mistakes. The success of an intern, a young salesperson, depends not only on who and how much he will “tip” him during the internship period. The seller's success also depends on himself, moreover, only on himself.
Therefore, people, beginners, their bosses, those who want to work hard, study, become a professional, earn money, respect themselves ...
1 Get a notebook and write down all the suppliers there (write down the lines, collections, assortment, detailed information-presentation of the factory).
2 Make a "registry" of supplier catalogs in your notebook.
3 Learn to work with “product registers” (I don’t know what you call it - this list of goods is in stock, according to which you actually work; there is a printout from 1C, there is a notebook).
4 Learn to work with the price tag. The price tag (by law) must contain comprehensive information for both the Client and the seller (a very good cheat sheet). But! Never sell from the price tag, by the price tag. Here, as nowhere else, there is a human factor. And in furniture, a mistake of three to five centimeters can be very costly. We repeat, we “broadcast” for normal, decent stores, and not for Three A ... cooperatives, where half a meter back and forth is the norm. Therefore, sell from the “goods register”, from the price list. There should be no errors (although they do happen).
5 Learn to work with price lists.
6 Constant walk around the store, shopping salon with "remembering" what they saw.
7 You can invite one of your colleagues to play role-playing games: sell to each other, ask only open questions, trial completion of the transaction, work with a problematic (raging) Client.
This is a huge, painstaking, tedious and monotonous job! But it's worth it, and the result is amazing!
Good luck with furniture sales!
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