RETAIL CORNER CUSTOMER SERVICE:

The Power of Welcome

September 2014 Main Street Matters

Article written by Rebekka Adams, Assistant State Coordinator, Texas Main Street Program

Welcome. This simple word has a lot of power. 

I have worked for various large retail corporations and sat through their selling-system seminars of tried and true practices in increasing sales. Most of the time, I thought that I sounded insincere using their techniques in real life. However, after leaving the corporate world and working in several mom-and-pop shops throughout Austin, I found myself reverting back to those corporate sales techniques. The one technique that stuck with me and has proven the most effective is welcoming a customer into your store and giving a store tour. This should be done within the first 30 seconds of a customer entering for the maximum benefit. 

Whenever you have a new customer enter your business, using the word “Welcome” is a great start. It is more powerful than hello. It lets the customer know that they are wanted there. An even better approach is to say “Welcome to (insert store name here).” Using your store name reinforces your branding. It also lets customers know where they entered, which is especially useful after a long day of shopping. 

After you welcome a customer, there is a great formula that has been proven by larger corporations to increase sales. It is called a store tour. This takes some practice to feel natural; however, once you start using this technique, you will notice a difference in your customer’s behavior. 

There are five elements to work into your store tour: a greeting/welcome, asking your customer if they have previously visited your business, sharing with the customer what makes your store unique in two sentences or less, where they can find items in the store, and your name. 

Here are two examples for a retail boutique on how to utilize a store tour: 

A customer walks into the store. 
Employee: Welcome to Amelia’s Boutique.
Customer: Thank you.
Employee: Have you been in before?
Customer: No, it’s my first time.
Employee: Thank you for coming in. Amelia’s Boutique is known for high quality women’s clothing that can fit into your existing wardrobe and accessories that fit current trends. Up front we have all of our current accessories that are perfect for transitioning to fall; in the back are staple wardrobe items; and to your right is all of our clothing for back to school. I will let you browse around. My name is Rachel, please let me know if I can help you with anything. 
Customer: Wow, thank you (and she starts shopping). 

A customer walks into the store. 
Employee: Welcome to Amelia’s Boutique.
Customer: Thank you.
Employee: Have you been in before?
Customer: Yes, I come in all the time. 
Employee: Awesome, what’s your name? 
Customer: Julie
Employee: Thank you for coming back Julie. Just to let you know, we have three new product lines in right now, the silver jewelry collection from XYZ right here, a new line of hats over to the right, and some great new printed dresses in the back of the store. I will let you browse around. My name is Rachel, please let me know if I can help you with anything. 
Customer: Wow, thank you (and she starts shopping). 

The great thing about this technique is that it can be modified to use in almost every type of business. Restaurants have hostesses to greet customers when they walk in the door. Typically, a hostess will take your name and seat you when there is an available table. If you are hungry and there is a wait, you are left standing or sitting in a small entryway. Now imagine getting greeted with the following:

“Welcome to Tito’s Italian Restaurant. We are known for our pasta, which is handmade in-house and the owner’s grandmother’s meatballs. There is currently a short wait. My name is Rachel; may I have your name for the list?”

Doesn’t this make you feel better with a short wait, knowing that soon you can taste homemade Italian food? Not only did the hostess greet you pleasantly, they also suggested a special food, which can also help maximize your sales. 

How about a dentist office? This is one place that no one really wants to go. Imagine the receptionist welcoming you into the office. This person can help you relax and make this unpleasant experience a little more relaxed. 

“Welcome to Dr. Williams office. He has been practicing for 20 years. I am Rachel, what is your name so I can let him know you are here? Thank you. We have some bottled water in the fridge, please make yourself comfortable.” 

Try it for your business:
Welcome to (Name of store). Have you been in before? 
If no:  (Name of store) is known for (insert item one), (item two), and (item three). My name is (your name). Please let me know if I can help you with anything. 
If yes: Thank you for coming back. Let me quickly tell you about our new products … 

Once you feel like you have adapted the greeting and tour, make sure to train your employees why and how to also do it. Inspire them to make every customer’s visit to your business a pleasurable and memorable one, and you will be building repeat business and word of mouth referrals.