Retail Selling Techniques for your Clothing Business

Posted by Julie-Ann Dizon on Nov 26th 2021

Every retailer wants revenue, and many companies go to considerable measures to increase their sales. Perhaps your promos aren't as effective as they once were, or you wish to brush up on retail marketing strategies. This article will go through five selling tactics that can help your company generate more prospects and money.

Check out these selling techniques below to see which ones you can use in your store.

1. Tell your story

Tell this story and provide context so that your consumers can see why your service or product is worth purchasing.

Your brand's story - Write down your story and ensure you and your colleagues know how to present it flawlessly. Practice telling the story and think of ways to incorporate it into the conversation naturally. For example, suppose a new customer walks in asking broad inquiries about the company. In that case, you may take advantage of the opportunity to introduce them to your brand by telling them a compelling story.

Products - GIve your customers a behind-the-scenes look at the product they're interested in to learn more about their purchasing items and make it memorable and distinguish your offerings. For instance, in clothing products, this entails describing the story of a product, including why the designer created it, some of the specific challenges they faced, and the differences it has made in the lives of their customers.

Customer Stories - People are significantly more likely to purchase a product if they know it has worked for others. Collect customer success stories and be prepared to share them when the opportunity comes up. When discussing a product with a customer, you can do this in person. You could say, "Last month, I had a customer who purchased a dress, and she loved it so much that she bought three more yesterday!".

2. Use cross-selling

Cross-selling refers to persuading a consumer to buy products or services in addition to what they've previously purchased or agreed to buy. Here are the other tips in doing cross-selling.

Cross-selling must be done at the right time. If a customer is purchasing a dress and you know they'll be wearing it for a casual occasion, you can cross-sell related accessories or shoes.Don't do it straight away. It's not a good idea to launch into a cross-selling pitch if a buyer just picked up a product two seconds ago. Consider also their budget and the amount of time they have available to shop.

Cross-selling isn't something you should undertake solely to reach your sales goals. Do it to provide the buyer a true sense of value for their money. If you genuinely believe that an add-on product will help the shopper, then go ahead and recommend it. If they don't have a need, though, it's advisable to let them finish their original purchase.

Check the prices of the things you're recommending. "The suggested item should not surpass a particular percentage [about 25%] of the original item's cost," says Bob Phibbs, a retail expert. It means that if a consumer is purchasing $100 pants, you should not suggest another $100 item to them. Instead, go for a $25 thing, such as a matching blouse.

3. Engage in upselling

Upselling is the technique of persuading customers to buy a more expensive version of the product they came in to buy. For example, when a buyer enters a store intending to purchase a $50 coat but is persuaded by the salesperson to purchase a $250 coat instead, that would be upselling.

You don't want to overwhelm your customers with options when making your upselling offer, just as you don't want to let them walk out of your store with a single-item transaction.

And that's where the “Rule of Three” comes into play. This is the practice of showing three items which are:

The one they requested, which is your "baseline" item
A slightly more expensive version of the item.
Finally, there's a "dream" version of the item that is probably out of your clients' price range.

4. Show your clienteling skills

Clienteling is a sales approach in which salespeople cultivate long-term connections with customers. It entails keeping track of each shopper's purchases and staying in touch with them to get to know them better and promote repeat traffic and purchases.

Assume a customer enters a store she has previously visited. Clienteling is not practiced at this store. She's greeted by staff who don't recognize her or check her purchasing history before selecting a dress to purchase. She leaves after checking out.

Doesn't that sound like a delightful shopping experience? Pleasant, but not memorable enough for that customer to tell their friends or come back to that store.

Let's pretend this store used a clienteling strategy. When the same customer walks in, the staff recognizes her and greets her. They look up her customer profile and see her purchase history; they also see that her birthday is the next weekend, according to their client data. They can not only wish her a happy birthday, but they can also assist her in finding a new outfit in the style she loves (based on her previous purchase history).

As a result, the customer feels valued and pleased with the assistance she received. She receives a birthday discount as she checks out, and her new purchase is added to her customer profile.

Take note of how a few extra steps - gathering and referring to customer data — completely transformed the customer's experience. Clienteling has the potential to alter the retail landscape. Customer data and a platform to handle it are all you need.

5. Be aware of the verbal and body language

There are particular body language and verbal clues that all retail salespeople should be aware of knowing what to look for can make or break a sales opportunity.

Here are the body language best practices that sells:

Maintain eye contact with your customer to let them know that you are listening to what they are saying.
Practice good posture to show confidence. They will more likely trust your solution if you need to explain something to the customer.
Look for opportunities to smile with the customer to show that you're happy to help.
Stand steady and only move your hands when interacting with a customer or listening to their response .Do not go overboard with your hand movements, as these can be distracting.
Have a calm demeanor. Find a happy medium with a friendly and acceptable casual, professional tone of voice.
Crossing your arms is a bad idea. It may appear as though you're attempting to persuade the customer rather than assisting them in finding a solution.

Conclusion

These selling techniques are a particular approach to boost sales without breaking the bank on expensive equipment or marketing campaigns.

It all begins with the way you merchandise your store; grouping similar products together increases product awareness. The rest is up to your salespeople to be friendly, curious, and highly knowledgeable about the things they sell.

These selling techniques are approaches to boost sales without breaking the bank on expensive equipment or marketing campaigns.