Do you need greeters or should you avoid them? That’s the perplexing question many retail organizations are struggling with today. Often touted in the press as the perennial poster child for the benefits of employing greeters, Walmart has stuck to its practice faithfully. But does it work, and if so, will simply placing any warm body with a forced smile at your store door do the trick in turning incoming customers into satisfied shoppers?
Not necessarily, there is much more to successfully using retail greeters to make a significant difference to your bottom line. The basic problem lies with retailers not adequately defining what it is they hope to achieve. Retailers and receptionists must fully understand their role.
Establishing goodwill with customers is the only reason to use greeters. Four fundamental purposes and their
Appropriate methods for using greetings should be applied to achieve this goal.
These are:
1. Recognize the client.
Purpose: Most of us spend much of our time in a very impersonal world. Unless we live in a small rural community or have celebrity status, we receive little personal recognition. From the gas station, which in most cases is now pay-at-the-pump self-service, to the grocery, department or discount store, we have run out of names. Even when a store clerk or restaurant server has our identity, in the form of a credit card, firmly in
the palm of their hand, rarely do they take the initiative to address us by name. Too often, our credit card and receipt are returned with little more than a blank stare and a monotonous “Thank you.”
Method: Making eye contact one on one is the key. Too often, greeters fail to capture the customer’s attention by looking them directly in the eye. Greeters may be preoccupied or self-conscious and therefore fail to make this first critical contact. Pushing a shopping cart into the customer’s path or shoving a sales flyer into the customer’s hands does not establish real contact, at least not in a positive way.
2. Give the store a pleasant atmosphere.
Purpose: We all want to shop at a friendly place, but what does that mean? When we think of friendship, we don’t imagine a store where the staff are enthusiastic about us or where we feel pressured to buy. Usually, we don’t want to be sold to anything. Instead, we want the opportunity to sell ourselves on the needs we came to the store to fill and the benefits we can expect from making a good purchase decision. A friendly atmosphere simply means a place where we feel welcome, comfortable, free to browse and shop.
Method: We create this friendly, but non-threatening environment by greeting the customer warmly and personally, not mechanically. A fake, unenthusiastic, or forced smile is a clear signal to the entering customer that you would prefer that they leave and not be disturbed. Customers entering the store may be in a hurry, worried, or even in a bad mood. The greeter’s job is to change that customer’s mindset, if only for a moment, by eliciting a smile from them that matches the greeter’s. I venture that you too have experienced this. You’re flying through a store door, stressed and anxious about being late and having to make three more stops on your way home, when you’re suddenly stopped by the warm smile and genuine “hello” of a stranger who adds up. to your life. a much needed ray of sunshine at that time. No, your busy schedule and tardiness haven’t magically disappeared, but the ice has been broken and you smile back with a momentary sigh of relief at a friendly, personal greeting. Some stores have chosen to take this one step further. In the UK, ASDA supermarkets recently began advertising 100 talented actors and actresses to serve as hosts. According to Sally Hopson, Director of Customer Services at ASDA: “Greeters make the first impression of ASDA when a customer walks through the door. If we can find someone who can make our customers smile and make their shopping trip more fun, then that’s what will do.”
3. Inform and offer help as needed.
Purpose: We frequently need the help of store employees. While no one wants to be harassed by overzealous salespeople, it’s even more frustrating to want to buy something and not be able to find anyone willing or competent to help. I’ve walked out of stores vowing never to return for this reason more than any other. Having sold myself, now all I want is some help so that the purchase can be completed.
Method: The solution here is simply to provide information first and then, if necessary, follow up with direct assistance. A perfect example is my local ACE hardware store. A few years ago, Home Depot built a new mega store on the hill that directly dwarfs the local ACE store. Now, I shop at Home Depot as well, as they have lumber and a lot of building supplies that the hardware store doesn’t carry, but for the items that the ACE store does, I’m a loyal customer. Why? Simply because when I walk in the door there’s always someone at the register and if they’re not serving a customer they turn around and say “Hello”. Then, as I walk down the main hallway, someone invariably greets me and asks if there’s anything they can help me find. I am in that store every week and most of the time I know exactly what I want and where to find it, but I also know that in case I need help, their employees are always willing and ready to help me. Greeters should not only welcome and acknowledge customers as they enter, they can help by asking questions, updating customers on the latest deals and sales, and telling them what’s new and exciting in store since their last visit.
4.To empower the customer.
Purpose: Today, people want to control their own destiny, even when shopping in our stores. Give them the ability to do this and they will respond positively.
Method – As I said before, today’s customers do not want to be sold to; they want to be empowered to decide for themselves. We have to do everything possible so that they can do this. Victoria’s Secret understands this perfectly. Their customers fall into two very different groups, the women who generally know what they want in the store and usually just need help with colors and sizes, and the men who generally have no idea what they’re there for and They often feel embarrassed. even being in the store.
Victoria’s Secret sales staff are well-trained in handling both types of customers and tend to be especially adept at making their male customers feel comfortable. A true attitude of being helpful, keeping in mind the client’s best interests and attending to their needs ensures this result. Nothing encourages me to make a buying decision more than when I feel like the seller is looking out for what’s best for me, rather than just trying to make a sale. This is because good, old-fashioned TRUST is the foundation that builds long-term customer relationships.
We’ve all had negative experiences with people who say hello, including car dealerships, where salespeople eyed us up and down like vultures to determine if we were bona fide buyers or just tire kickers even before we walked through the door, and computer stores. , where, for example, sales staff rarely take the time or interest to listen to our questions, preferring to simply send us the latest hardware and software.
Whether or not you have designated greeters at the door of your establishment, it is essential that each employee
Understand and actively practice these four principles to establish goodwill with every customer you meet. By doing so, they’ll give your store a friendly, small-town personality that provides a positive, caring experience that shoppers will want to return to again and again.
Copyright 2005 by John DiFrances