A retail sales associate with deep understanding of the product they’re selling, good communication skills and honest enthusiasm has always been one of the most powerful tools for sales success. This dynamic has never been more critical than during the pandemic, for a handful of reasons.
For one thing, consumer behavior patterns have shifted. In the “new normal,” shoppers with a stay-home mentality are less likely to visit multiple stores. When they do, they’re looking for an in-store experience that efficiently and effectively answers all their questions, likely beyond what they can find on the web. And a concise demonstration of the benefits a product provides validates a purchase.
In the saturated consumer electronics market, the retail sales associate’s role in educating consumers about the latest technologies, compatibilities, brands and products has never been more important for increasing sales and building customer loyalty. Austere understands the need to provide tangible and demonstrable benefits, and that’s why we prioritize our retailer’s success through educating and training sales associates about more than just our products but also about the consumer for whom we designed the product.
Beyond training our retailers about our brand and product, we also help out retailers with the art of attachment selling. To continue this effort during the pandemic, we’ve adapted online training to not only continue to grow but also assist our valued retail partners across the country so they can better serve the customer.
Austere wants to make sure that our retailers fully understand what the customer is looking for from their home theater experience so sales associates can drive toward products that make that experience a reality. We teach that it’s critical to connect with that consumer when they are in the store by asking the right questions about what they want for their home. For example:
- What entertainment experience are you looking for?
- Is gaming part of that experience?
- Is a home office or hybrid learning area important to you?
From there, those answers enable the associate to suggest the right hardware and accessory solutions to the customer.
There’s no denying the pandemic has cut a huge swath across multiple retail sectors, precipitating layoffs and cutbacks, product shortages, as well as the shuttering, either temporarily or permanently, of many storefronts. In this environment, regional retailers with a strong focus on investing in sales associate training to better serve their customers have an opportunity to be the prominent destination for consumers to find brands they trust.
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