Closing the sale.... what do you do?

[boudoirblonde]

So, my national sales manager has told me I need to work on closing my sales more, particularly at the end of a makeup application appointment.

What do you girls do, and what do you find works the best?

I think my problem is I really dont want to be pushy, so I usully just ask what they would like to purchase

 

[maryphillips07]

If you tell someone they look amazing, fabulous or sexy in something. they will usually buy it, hands down. Woman are clueless and dont know what they want most of the time (not saying everyone, just in general), so if you know what you are talkin about when youre talkin about it, and they know it, they will buy it. i work retail as well and have been doing it for over 6 years now. Woman love compliments, so anything along those lines should get you a sale, hope that helps

 

[LMD84]

ok well i don't sell make up - but i am a damn good sales person! so here are some tips-

-while doing your application ask them how they think certain colours look and if they like them. that way anything they said they really liked alot put in a little pile and at the end ask if they'd like to buy any of the products that made them go 'wow'!

-this sounds silly but ask what they need - no good selling a mascara to somebody who already has 10! so during the application ask what product they are most interested in - for example a lipstick and then at the end said that you have them in stock and would they like to buy.

-try and sell extras. for example if they want a lipstick then tell them what lip liner works really well with it.

 

[SmokeSignal16]

Yeah what all the other girls said are pretty good tips. I'm the same way too I am just not the pushy type I'm just there to help lol. Just ask what they are looking for. During the makeup application explain why this product is good for whatever concern their looking for or whatever look their going for. Like for example 'This deep navy eyeliner is great because of it's long wearing power and also is complimentary to your eye color/eye look', something like that. And at the end just ask what their thoughts are on about the overall look. See if they have any questions and just gather the products and kind of feel everything out from there.

 

[XxXxX]

I'm a photographer, so I had to sell my portraits (I worked for a separate company, not for myself). Always give compliments....and mean them! As long as you say what you really think....they have great eyes, "this particular color makes your eyes POP", "wow, this really goes with your skintone." etc. Just tell them that the whole time. And don't ever forget to compliment every single customer! As long as you say it and mean it, it will never sound fake.

During closing, its best not to ask them what they want....when you leave them with a choice, they always chose less. In the end, tell them you will go pull the products for them. When you ask and leave an open ended question, it always leaves it open for them to tell you "no." Ask if this the look they want to go for, and then stop. I've always been taught "Who speaks first, loses." This means leave a moment of silence, and they will be more obliged to buy.

 

[boudoirblonde]

I always ask my customer what they are after of course! And I do always explain the product benefits, and complimentary products.

Its always the hardest when a customer just isn't very enthusiastic from the get-go

 

[rafaaa]

I always wrap up by saying "so what are we thinking?" and it kind of moves the situation forward without being pushy

. Also adding in "we" establishes a collaborative relationship

 

[lara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maryphillips07 If you tell someone they look amazing, fabulous or sexy in something. they will usually buy it, hands down. Woman are clueless and dont know what they want most of the time (not saying everyone, just in general), so if you know what you are talkin about when youre talkin about it, and they know it, they will buy it. i work retail as well and have been doing it for over 6 years now. Woman love compliments, so anything along those lines should get you a sale, hope that helps

This is such a ridiculously unhelpful comment.

If you only give empty flattery, people know it.
If you think your customer is an idiot, people know it.

Try not to let your real-life retail disdain drip through to the forums.

 

[lara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boudoirblonde I think my problem is I really dont want to be pushy, so I usully just ask what they would like to purchase

Asking them what they would like to purchase is great, but that's what you do after you close the sale

There are two parts to closing a sale - soft and hard closes.
Soft closes are those little affirmations and confirmations you do throughout a consultation that help you to a.) gauge that you're staying on track with a customer, and b.) feel out that subtle difference between something they like but they're not committed to, and something they like and want.
A hard close is that final question where you basically ask, "so what do you want to get today?". I wouldn't phrase it quite like that, but that's basically the meat of what you're doing. Yes, it feels pushy if you've never done it before or if you're a shy person, but you need to ask for that sale and you basically need to give permission to your customer that yes, it's now time for them to buy buy buy!

Say you're demoing a red lipstick and you've reached a point where you can feel that the customer is hooked on the lipliner and lipstick you've chosen, but you need to get that locked in before you move to complimentary items.

Sales Associate: "So the red lipstick and lipliner is a winner then?"
Customer: "Oh yes, it's exactly what I was looking for!"
SA: "Excellent, we'll put that with the must-have pile then! You know, I think you could pull of a real Old Hollywood glamour look with that lipstick - stay right there, I have a shimmer mascara that I'd love to try on you."​

See the pattern? Ask the question, the customer confirms it, you confirm it right back to them and you move onto the next thing smoothly.

The magic trick about closing is that if you do all your soft closes properly, the hard close becomes ridiculously easy to do. Because you've spent so much time subtly confirming over and over again, you know exactly what the customer whats and that they're going to take it. You just need to confidently line up those products neatly, remind the customer how and where each product was used and basically go 'so what am I going to get for you and do you have a Myer One card?'

Does this help at all? I'm about to start up a sales bootcamp thread where I answer sales questions and give tips and advice, so I'm more than happy to explain further there

 

[boudoirblonde]

Yes Lara, thanks so much

that does really help. I guess I've been trying to do the hard close at the end without doing the lead up and thats why Im feeling so pushy!

 

[lara]

Something else that's going to help is if you keep your demo area immaculate - tissues, buds and cotton pads straight into the bin of course, but as you're soft-closing everything and you get a positive response to an item, quickly and smoothly get all the rejected products out of sight without being obvious about it. The less visual clutter, the easier it is for your customer to connect and remember the products. Make-overs and demos can be very information overload, so the easier you make it the better.

I think I remember what house you work for, so if they've upgraded to one of those modular pod displays, the area around your demo station should have a few shallow unlocked drawers within easy reaching distance. Clear out any junk that's in a drawer, line it with paper towel and use that as your rejected product drawer. Once you've finished the sale and are cleaning and prepping your demo area you can quickly return the rejected products back to display.

 

[SmokeSignal16]

Ohhh great info Lara! I'll be taking notes on that..and that's a great idea to start a sales bootcamp thread too. I know that's going to help me and others out a lot!

 

[La Dolce Diva]

I've only been aboard a few months, but I've found that pulling as you go is important. Identify what the customer likes after each stage of the application, that way at the end, they aren't bombarded with a lot of stuff and choices- they can have already made their choices

Another thing that I'm bad about is getting conned into extra demos. I like to do them bc I like to add on items and make customers feel like they had the complete MAC experience. HOWEVER- this doesn't always work, particularly at busy times, so sometimes you just really have to ask. You can find kind, creative ways to find out if they will/want to add to their purchase. I always get a little down when I've done an amazing demo and then the person says something that clearly lets me know that they had no intentions of purchasing to begin with. Feel them out.

And sometimes, you get customers that really do want to have a MAC relationship and have every intention of coming back to get what you showed them- I've had people come back on the same day or wait for me to come in to get product. This is the customer that matters in the long run bc they will always come back to you. Hope this helps!

 

[nebbish]

Always ask open-ended questions.
Rather than, 'do you think you want x lipstick?' Instead ask, 'which products are you taking home with you?'

I've got a problem with being pushy, too. I'm starting to get more comfortable cos if they can't afford it, they'll tell you. You are selling something they *want* so it's not like yer shoving something terrible at them.