When Counting Counts
Recently I had a conversation with a jeweler about the low closing rate of their sales team. We talked about how marketing gets people through the door but the second part of the equation is closing the sale. This jeweler’s door counter (you should have one if you don’t already) revealed to him that he had sufficient traffic to support his budgeted sales numbers but the sales team did not have a high closing rate. That led to our conversation about the traits to look for when evaluating your sales team. After managing sales teams and spending many years of my career working with businesses across different industries, I can say this a universal problem in business.
Investing in your sales team’s training and education is good, but only if the members of your sales teams have the characteristics of great sales people. There are a few characteristics of a great salesperson that stand out in my mind.
A great sales person loves and is passionate about sales. In our industry, they must love jewelry and be excited about finding the latest trends. They are committed to learning, they ask great questions and they listen more than they speak. They take the time to understand customers’ needs and find solutions. They have a strong desire to connect to people. They are impeccable in following up and they do not rush through the sale. Talking about money is natural for them. They never accept good enough as good enough, and they do not need someone else to hold them accountable.
All this being said, the most important sales person on your team is your door counter. Your counter tells you what you need to know about how well your sales team is doing, and how well your marketing is working. When I shared with Ellen that I was thinking of writing about the characteristics of a great salesperson, because it seems that many of our jewelers struggle with salespeople, she immediately said, “Sena, it all begins with a door counter.” Ellen is right, knowing your closing ratio is where to begin.
