How much time do we put into training our front line, the people who have the most to do with our customers? Whether these people are newsagency owners or employees, regular training on how to sell is vital – especially since we think that customer service is a kay point of difference for us.
Sale training could be as simple as a regular staff meeting talking about events in the business, seasons and selected products or as complex as structured training delivered by external experts.
We are in a highly competitive environment with all retailers working hard to win in the customer service stakes. The difference we have is that we are more likely to spend effort on actions rather than smoke and mirrors around customer service.
To me, good selling in a newsagency is about:
- Natural friendliness.
- Local knowledge.
- Proactive service – getting out from behind the counter and genuinely helping a customer.
- Understanding the importance of the customer to the business and reflecting that.
- Being at work because you want to be there.
This last point is vital. People who front up to work out of grudging necessity can do plenty to harm the business. The same is true with newsagents. We should only be serving customer because it’s what we want to do.
Treat your customer how you would want to be treated from another business
Is the only thing i can think of adding to your coments Mark
yes i agree david, i take notice when out shopping myself as to how you are served in the shops, we all have our bad days but some people can be very rude.