Sales consultant Alan J. Zell, a former jewelry and fine tableware retailer, is the author of new book The Elements of Selling. We asked him to share five deep thoughts for retailers from the new tome.
- Buying is a component of selling. All business mistakes can be traced back to the poor buying of products. Great marketing, presentations, or selling can’t turn a poor idea, information, skill, service, or product into a good one.
- The profession of presentation is offering the right products to the right audience by the right person. Everyone has been faced with a good idea poorly presented.
- Businesses, like people, are known by the company they keep. If retailers say they have lousy customers or clients, it’s usually caused by their attitudes toward their customers. If customers do not respect you or your business, they won’t do business with you for very long.
- No business survives on just first-time sales. Old customers already have faith in you and your business. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or the customer.
- Every time you think you can do an existing procedure [in your store] better, write it down. Start to develop it. If it’s not working for one person, most likely it’s not working effectively and efficiently for others.
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