Most wireless dealers agree that something more than the usual buying triggers is needed to build a customer base in today's ultra-competitive environment. Handset form and functionality, network coverage, free minutes, and data plans are no longer presenting customers with a clear cut leader when it comes to committing to a service for two more years. Capturing today's savvy customer demands a new approach to retail sales.
 
Armed with a higher level of knowledge but lacking in time, today’s wireless customer requires a new approach to selling, it requires consistent delivery of knowledge, customer service, and professionalism. The average customer makes 2.8 trips to retail stores before making a purchase. Researching price, plans, and handsets is part of the reason the search does not end at the first store. In addition they are also seeking that retail store and retail sales associate that makes the buying experience enjoyable and one the re-affirms they are making the right choice.
 
 Whether visiting your location or calling in for information, the first impression you make with your appearance, store appearance, and your willingness to make the customer experience in your store the best they will encounter, will be a lasting experience. Are customer greeted quickly and with genuine friendliness when they enter your store? Is your store clean, well lit, and well stocked? Are your store managers and sales associates professionally dressed? Are the phones answered professionally for those customers who choose to “enter” your store via the telephone? If you answered yes to all of the questions above you are one step closer to closing the sale.
 
Now it’s time for the interaction that will make or break the sale; the customer and your sales associate. Customers these days are very tech savvy and have done their research before entering your store, but there are still plenty of customers who are in the dark about the latest handsets, plans, and add-on features. If your sales associate asks the correct assessment questions, the answer will tell exactly what the customer is looking for, but it is up to the sales associate to make the final recommendation for the customer. If that recommendation goes against what the customer originally wanted, the sales associate needs to be able to explain the reasoning behind their recommendation. There are always going to be challenges that seem unconquerable when dealing with customers, but make sure your sales associates are focusing on what they can do rather than what they can’t do.
 
Following up the sale is now standard practice in most successful wireless stores. Today it’s not enough to send a satisfied customer out the door; you have to unleash a store advocate. The customer experience in your store must be on a level so great that the customer not only wants to come back, but will bring their friends and family with them.
 
Great deals will bring customers in the doors of your store, but great customer service will bring them back.