You have invested so much in making your business the best in all possible ways. Your products, online transactions, business interior, and other aspects of your retail venture are well-thought and crafted to drive profit and success. 

However, it is inevitable that despite your hard work and dedication, everything can be put in a negative light once your customers are greeted by an unwelcoming salesperson, totally ruining their whole experience. 

Given that, it is crucial to be very picky in choosing the face of your retail stores, as customers’ first impressions can be a vital factor in their purchase decision. 

With that, let’s discuss how you can strategically determine your ideal employees that fit your business culture and uniqueness beyond the lens of résumé—the interview process. 

#1 Start the interview with ease 

Give applicants a chance to share about themselves to help release their stress and pressure. Also, this allows you to know them better and find something similar between you. If a casual back-and-forth conversation takes place, this signifies that they can also build the same interaction with customers. 

#2 Ask them to share the most challenging sale they were able to close

This part of the interview lets you determine the level of perseverance the applicant can offer to your store. Understanding how they make a sale can be valuable insight to know their way of dealing with customers and overcoming difficult situations. If they can’t share an experience, there is a high probability that they are not the ones you are looking for to sell your products. 

#3 Let them narrate an expected sale that did not push through 

Let the applicant narrate their story of losing a sure sale and why it happened. Hearing their story gives you an awareness of how they were able to learn and rise through the occasion. Unless it was habitual, their experience of failing is one of the greatest lessons they can ever have. 

#4 See how they can effectively upsell

In retailing, you only don’t sell what your customer has in mind. You need to squeeze more into their list to sell your products. In that case, give them a scenario where you are fixed on buying product A, and see how they can add products B, C, etc., as complementary items.

#5 Make them sell themselves for the position they applied for 

If they really have the skills you are looking for, they should be able to sell themselves for the job they want to get. If they fail to sell a product they already genuinely know (which is themself), how much more about an item that they still need to learn about? 

#6 Give them a “sample shift”

If you like the person you are interviewing, and are thinking of hiring them, it’s always best to have them come in for a sample shift before bringing them on board.  Have the prospective employee come for a few hours during a busy time.  During that shift, you are not expecting them to sell, you only want to see if they can engage in conversations on the sales floor.  If they can do that, it’s worth bringing them on board.  If they can’t, you’re best off not hiring them.

Hiring your people is rigorous, similar to building your retail stores. There are no shortcuts; it must be thorough to ensure that you have appropriately filtered those deserving. 

Hence, with multiple aspects that need to be considered, Retail Smart Guys can simplify things for you. Our employee services offer hiring policies and guidelines so you can quickly determine how to hire, interview, and find great people. 

Moreover, we can implement proper training techniques, compensation plans, and benchmarks to measure employees. In this way, you can ensure that you have tailor-fit employees ready and equipped to face your customers. 

Never allow unwelcoming salespeople to ruin your business. 

Build a successful sales team today with Retail Smart Guys!