Make Your Retail Sales Training Memorable

Everyone has been through a dull and dreary retail training meeting.  You sit there counting down the minutes until it ends and the information – even if it is important to your success is likely to go in one ear and out of the other. 

 Keeping this in mind, here are 5 activities that can make your retail sales training and other meetings more impactful. 

1.  Make retail sales training fun.  Your trainees won’t be enthusiastic or involved if your retail sales training sessions are dry and dull.  Even with proven techniques like our Seven Steps of Retail Sales, few team members will respond to or remember complicated concepts.  Instead, they want to learn practical techniques that will help them to sell more today.  Keep them involved by using scenarios, role-playing, games, and other activities while alternating the pace of the training session so that they stay interested.

2.  Focus on real world problems.  Have your trainees bring examples of times that they have dealt with hidden objections, rude customers, out-of-stocks or other issues that impede their ability to make the sale.  Then use a brainstorming activity to get everyone involved in solving the problems!

3.  Use humor to make your point.  Instead of drowning your retail associates in statistics or theories, use an amusing anecdote or exaggerated example to prove your point.  Humor can help you to bring a room back from the brink of boredom.  Just remember to avoid telling jokes or stories that could in anyway be perceived as offensive.  Personal, self-deprecating humor is the safest way to go.

4.  Use high quality materials and facilities.  No one wants to be stuck in a dirty, hot, or crowded space, so make sure you spend some time sprucing up your facility.  Additionally you will want to ensure that your retail sales training sticks by providing quality workbooks and pens so that your team members can take notes, jot down questions, and participate in group activities.

5.  Prepare in advance and follow-up.  As a retail sales trainer you are supposed to be the expert in your field.  That means not only being a subject matter expert, but also an expert at communication and follow-up.  A good rule of thumb is that you will need 3 hours of preparation for every hour of training time.  This could include visiting stores to understand current issues or products, reviewing the materials, creating extra material, practicing your presentation, and developing you plan for tracking results.

If you would like assistance with implementing a professional and proven retail sales training program for your company please contact us for a free one-hour consultation.