"It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."

-- Jenny Craig, diet guru

by Jami Petersen

Sometimes we get so caught up with running our daily businesses that we forget the fundamentals of management and retail. Dennis continues to take us back to the basics with part two of this three-part sales series. Scroll down to read his tips for training your salespeople. 

Jami Petersen
newsletters@a-z.com

Wooky Entertainment

Target New Consumers:

Teenagers with the Paris Hilton Creativity Collection. This new line is for teens from 10 years old and older who are interested by scrapbooking. Following the latest trends and fashion, the Paris Hilton Creativity Collection is adapted for teen girls of 2010!

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Press Releases

News you can use about the latest media coverage of hot trends, noteworthy events and dynamic industry leaders. Learn more about the current headlines in arts and crafts by clicking on the title of each article segment.
 

Internet Brands acquires Splitcoaststampers.com. "Internet Brands, Inc. has acquired Splitcoaststampers.com, a stamping website that provides articles, galleries, and discussion forums about rubber stamping, card making, and scrapbooking. Both the companies are based in the US."

Wilton Brands names Jerry Levin CEO. "Wilton Brands Inc. has given interim CEO Jerry W. Levin the job permanently. Mr. Levin, who will continue as the Woodridge-based company's chairman, became CEO at the end of October when Richard Conti resigned."

Fiskars reinvents the reel mower. Compared with traditional reel mowers, the Momentum™ mower is easier to push, has more cutting power, StaySharp™ blades, a greater cut range, closer side edging, superior ergonomics, easier adjustment, & a better warranty. In fact, the Momentum™ mower beats all other reel mowers in every one of these important areas.

The Memory Tradeshow

The Memory Tradeshow is the premiere market for scrapbooking and related products, family history and digital imaging.

It is the most important gathering of this industry regionally, and it’s attracting executives from all sectors: manufacturers, retailers, distributors, suppliers, sales reps, designers and press. The show’s goal is to provide the highest ROI show within the industry with a greater focus on the business of the memory industry, education and best business practices.

Learn more and save >>

by Dennis A. Conforto, A-Z Media Group, Inc.

Last week I discussed whom to train and the profound difference between a retail clerk and a retail salesperson. This week I'll focus on what to train your sales staff.

Sales training can be broken into three areas: product and demonstration knowledge, competitive knowledge, and basic knowledge of each consumer. The natural salesperson is always on a quest for more knowledge to help them sell more products and/or services. When a consumer steps into a scrapbook store, they are planning to buy something, and they often seek help from someone who knows what they are talking about. The more knowledgeable the salesperson, the more likely she will be to close business.

It is important that each salesperson have strong product knowledge, which is a clear understanding of the features and benefits of every product they sell. They must also have the ability to communicate that knowledge visually and concisely.

SMART store owners try to offer products at three levels: good, better and best. It stands to reason that the more expensive the item, the more features and benefits should be included. It is then the salesperson’s job, with a clear understanding of each level of selection, to move the customer from good products up to the best products.  In other words, your staff should convince the consumer that spending more will help them get more out of the products they purchase. This can only happen if, in fact, it is true. If it’s not true, you are overselling, which only to hurts the relationship with the consumer rather than serving it.

The real test of someone’s working knowledge of their products is their ability to demonstrate how to use it. It’s always useful to have examples on hand of what individual sales staff have created with your products, even if the samples are stored under a counter to save space. Samples and demonstrations prove to the consumer that your staff believes in the product. It shows the consumer that they are not only talking the talk but walking the walk. Here the salesperson transforms from peddler to fellow consumer. It’s a powerful tool when trying to close business because the consumer knows that the salesperson had access to a wide selection of your products, but they chose a specific product for their own project.

Competitive knowledge is another key to sales. Your salespeople need to understand why your store is different, in a positive way. Disparaging any competitor is unprofessional and should never be done. Rather, seek to understand what makes their business unique and then make sure your business is just that much better in the eyes of the consumer. The consumer will decide for herself what is better based on the differences in products, service, price, location, selection, quality, and ease of shopping the store.

Often retailers suppose that bigger stores are better. In truth, that is not reason enough for the consumer to buy from any store. One could come up with as many arguments as to why doing business with someone who is smaller is better, but the mass merchant can and does give consumers reasons to buy from them over you. And, depending on the consumer they are both right. So come up with three things that make you unique and then prove those three things in your everyday business practices. You may want to post your unique traits as a store motto for your customers to see, reminding them of your commitment to quality.

Finally, every consumer coming into your store is there looking for a solution to a specific problem. Encourage your staff to ask the right probing questions without being too obtrusive, using a leading question like, "Are you working on a scrapbooking project that I might be able to advise you on?" Each answer can quickly lead to another question. The point is, if your staff has a lot of working knowledge of your inventory, they can tap into your customers’ knowledge to help them find products they want but didn’t even know existed. Think about the questions a doctor asks before they even start an exam. Doctors focus their time on finding a solution to your issues and or concerns. The same holds true for your store—at the end of the day you are really selling a solution to a problem.

Knowledge of your store, knowledge of the products, and knowledge of the competition must be channeled to solve the individual needs of your consumer. Every retailer can go buy the same products. The real attribute that will make you different is the working knowledge of your staff. The more your staff knows about the products you carry and how to problem-solve, the better they can help your consumers’ scrapbooks come alive. And that is being Retail SMART.

If you would like to comment directly to Dennis about this article or have him address a subject matter in future articles feel free to email him directly at dconforto@a-z.com.

Thousands of Students Entered the 15th Annual Cray-Pas® Wonderful, Colorful World Contest.

This year thousands of entries by U.S. and Canadian kindergarten through eighth grade students were submitted to the 15th annual Wonderful, Colorful World of Cray-Pas® Contest. One hundred fifty student finalists were chosen by a qualified curator, and on Saturday, January 30, a six member panel consisting of CA Bay Area art educators and artists convened to select the winners and honorable mentions. The artwork of all 150 finalists will be on display at the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland, CA from January 31 to March 15, 2010. The finalists’ artwork will be posted on Sakura’s online art gallery at www.sakuraofamerica.com/2010winners, and the winning artwork will be posted on the Oil Pastel Society website at www.oilpastelsociety.com.

Veronica Dondero, the contest curator, commented that “the quality of the pieces submitted was remarkable. I was especially impressed by the diversity of themes and the culturally charged images of people and places, beautifully rendered, underscoring the diversity of modern America. I see this exhibit as an important voice for our country’s most forward thinking young artists. It is my hope that The Wonderful, Colorful World of Cray-Pas® will continue to grow, to become an even more important venue for young artists all over the Unites States and Canada.”

Art teachers are encouraged to celebrate student art achievements in March in recognition of Youth Art Month. The winners will be featured in national art publications, and three to five hundred submissions will be selected to participate in the annual International Youth Art Exchange Program, sponsored by the World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glen Falls, NY.

Background:
In 1925, Sakura Color Products of Japan created Cray-Pas® oil pastels to bring professional-quality art materials to children at an affordable price. Now Cray-Pas® oil pastels are available for every artistic level – Cray-Pas® Junior Artist® for young students, Cray-Pas® Expressionist® for high school students and hobbyists, and Cray-Pas® Specialist® for professional artists.

Sakura Color Products of America, Inc. is committed to providing technologically superior, innovative, and safe products that support individual expression and artistic freedom. The company is headquartered in Hayward, CA. and is the U.S. subsidiary of privately held, Sakura Color Products Corporation of Osaka, Japan. Sakura also manufactures the popular Gelly Roll® gel pen, Pigma® Micron fine-line pens, and many other high-quality writing instruments and art materials. www.sakuraofamerica.com.

MOCHA is a nonprofit visual arts organization that provides hands-on learning opportunities for children and their families. They provide educators with resources to integrate arts learning across academic subject areas, advocate art education within the local community, and emphasize outreach to children in low-income areas. http://mocha.org.

The Oil Pastel Society is an international organization of artists seeking to further the advancement of oil pastels as a fine art medium. www.oilpastelsociety.com.

The mission of the World Awareness Children's Museum is to foster knowledge and appreciation of world cultures. They are committed to using art created by children to promote peace and understanding around the world. www.worldchildrensmuseum.org.