Trouble on the High Street – The Experience of the Hard vs. Attentive Sell

I was recently asked to comment on a growing phenomenon here in the UK – the use of Hard Sell tactics in retail shops on London’s Biggest Conversation – LBC radio 97.3. The traditional British style is for the shop keeper to give you space until you more or less clearly indicate you need assistance. The “US” style begins with the greeting and continues on to the common “May I help you”. For many British people, it is intrusive for the salesperson to invade the customer’s space without a clear invitation. This brings us to a quandary. When does attention become invasive? We should not confuse the Hard Sell with the Attentive Sell. In fact there are various levels of sell tactics. Each selling tactic is characterised by (1) the nature of involvement with customers by employees and (2) the resultant level of engagement with customers. The left side (reds) of the figure is characterised by decreased repeat business and in the case of Hard Sell, high buyer’s remorse along with higher product returns. The right side (greens) are characterised by higher sales and repeat business (i.e., increased lifetime value).

The Hard Sell involves more direct, forceful and overt sales messages. The end result is the customer feels pressured. It feels like one needs to make a purchase decision before one is ready. Typical subtle examples of the Hard Sell in action on the shop floor:

• Getting the “What are you looking for today” upon entry into the store.
• Getting “Would you like to try that on” the moment you put you lift a garment off the rack regardless of your body language.
• Getting a “May I help you” from every sales person that walks by regardless of your body language/ facial expression that says “I need some help” . What’s the harm in this? While some customers (perhaps more Americans) may welcome the constant barrage of feigned interest, it just feels feigned if there is no other context for it other than the fact that the customer is standing there (especially in the UK).

The Attentive Sell involves making the customer feel at ease to make a decision. It is interesting that many of the subtle behaviours of the Hard Sell are also used in the Attentive Sell. The difference is the appropriate timing of these behaviours. The timing is determined by the customer, not the sales person. The only way this can happen is if the sales person is interested in the customer and has the ability to “read” the customer. To be honest, this skill is not beyond the average person because it is the same skill we use in our everyday lives when we interact with others. The point is that the Attentive Sell does not require anyone with superhuman emotional intelligence. Garden variety emotional intelligence will do just fine.
The Experiential Sell involves all of the senses and encapsulates the customer in a comfort zone which frees their curiosity and completely engulfs them in an experiential womb. Examples of shops that have achieved this are Lush – the cosmetics company, Apple Stores, and Hamley’s – the toy store. Each has created an experiential womb where customers are freed to explore and learn. Indeed, the salespeople are more like educators than salespeople. Few businesses have achieved this, but many of those that have not are quickly learning as part of our client base will attest.
There are four elements required to avoid the Hard Sell pitfall:

• Garden variety emotional intelligence (as mentioned above)
• Understanding customer expectations – rational and emotional. Rational expectations refer to the obvious stuff. Customers are interested in a reasonable price, convenience, etc. Emotional expectations refer to those things that might make up the concept of retail therapy shopping motivations – confidence, prestige, power, desire, excitement, etc.
• Defining the experience the retailer wants to deliver. Of course if employees are to deliver a particular experience, it really does help to inform them in no uncertain terms what experience that is. This articulation should cover both the rational and the emotional experience mentioned above.
• The business must have an appreciation for the experience its customers actually have AND be concerned with that. It goes without saying that the business must demonstrate to employees that the customer is central to its strategy and operations. Two effective ways for achieving this  
  - is for senior executives to literally interact with customers on the shop floor (without their Cx0 badges)
  - to monitor the actual experience customers have in the way they experience it. Playing this back to employees (including management) works wonders

So are grocers right to have totally eliminated the queues for cheese that were common for shoppers some years ago? Should a store participate in retail therapy for shoppers who clearly do not intend to buy on the day? Is there a cultural shift going on towards more direct experiences that explains the increase in Hard Sell tactics? Listen to clip (about 5 min long) and let me know your thoughts.

By QAALFA DIBEEHI | Published: JUNE 14, 2010