Have you ever had a dining experience where you were left at the table for way too long without service? Or been out shopping, and unable to purchase the item you wanted because you could not find the right size, and there was no one around to help? These are common experiences, especially around the holiday season when restaurants and store have been busier than normal. If there are any subpar service experiences in your recent past I encourage you to remember them now, and think about how it could be better this year.
What we know at TrainerTainment is that selling is all about being available to serve your customers. The number one key to success in sales is finding out what the guest needs and giving them just that. Sounds simple? It certainly can be! The first step to closing the deal is asking good questions.
Lets take the example of going out to dinner. Food service is a pretty easy sell over all right? I mean come on your hungry, you go to a restaurant, and you order food. It is unlikely that a person would sit down at a restaurant unsure if they wanted to make a purchase or not. So we know that the food will sell itself, but what about the service. Where does the server really make their cut from the experience?
Gratuity is the take home for anyone working in a service-based business. In the example of food service, the server will see the quality of their service reflected from the tip they receive. This holds true for the Family Entertainment Industry as well. The amount of repeat business you have shows gratitude from your customers, and getting people back in your doors is dependent on the quality of service provided during each experience. Today there are many activities for families to choose from, and quality service can help your center stand apart from the rest.
When you go to a restaurant your server will take your drink and food orders, and if they deliver the right order in a timely fashion you will be satisfied with the service provided. In this scenario we all expect quality service, and it is easy to know what questions to ask about dinner. When it comes to party or group event planning though the conversation becomes a bit more complicated. How can you structure the right questions from your employees to find out the needs of the guest?
As part of the Sales Shopper Program we train our clients on a successful selling method that is built around providing quality service. We train our clients to ask great questions that connect with the caller, qualify their needs, and close the sell. Finding out the needs of the guest makes it easy to achieve success. This is easily accomplished when the purchase is tangible – like buying food or clothing. Selling an experience, like a birthday party or group event, can take a little more skill. So, let the Sales Shopper team help design the perfect sales script for your center in 2012!
~ Amanda Standlee
