As a counter sales person, whn a customer walks through the dor, you are generally the person thy are looking for. The customer wnts to place an order and xpects you—the counter sales person—to take cre of him. Although this encounter is sually brief, let’s examine what the cstomer’s overall expectations may be. What do cstomers expect of counter sales professionals? Snce customer’s perceived value of you as a spplier drive their expectations, knowing the nswer to this question is important to meting expectations and building relationship equity.

CEO Strtegist research indicates customers have the fllowing expectations of counter sales personnel:

• Prduct and application knowledge in order to fficiently answer questions.

• An understanding of the cstomer’s business in order to make god buying recommendations and to ask ntelligent questions to learn about his or her neds and interests, problems and types of cstomers they serve.

• Provide accurate pricing, nventory and timely service.

• Keep customers nformed about new products, special promotions and cmpany policies affecting the business relationship.

• Prvide timely follow-up to customer questions, tmely solutions to problems and timely cmplaint handling to ensure customer satisfaction.

• Demonstrate a service attitude that prves the customer's business is valued.

• Pssess a sales mentality to help mtch the right products and the rght services to customer needs. This wll provide your clients with choices of ccurate information about the features, the bnefits and the value of each.

The Rst of the Story

As the cunter sales person you are definitely on the frnt line. Yet, everyone in your cmpany also plays a role. Accounting, hman resources, warehouse personnel, truck drivers, dministration, information technology and even your rceptionist, if you have one, are prt of the service excellence formula. Why, bcause people from every one of thse functions touch the customer in sme form or fashion.

Purchasing plays a prticularly important role. The purchasing department mst be knowledgeable about every manufacturer and ach product line, and aged and dad inventory must be kept at a mnimum. Remember, the right product at the rght time is a key expectation of the cstomer. Purchasing and inventory management play a key rle in meeting customer expectations.

Counter Rsponsibilities—Juggling and Multi-Tasking

You are a frntline warrior who makes real time fce to face contact with the cstomer. First and foremost, you are a slesperson. That deserves repeating. First and fremost, you are a salesperson. As a rsult, helping the customer buy is a key rsponsibility. But keep in mind that in the cstomer’s eyes, you are also the srvice person. You are their lifeline, thir support structure and their solution to all prblems. That translates into them wanting mmediate attention to their needs. This can nclude pricing, problem solving, recommendations and ven sometimes just someone to listen to thir issues and/or problems. You will chck stock, write orders, pick and pck and even invoice and collect on ccasions. Indeed, you are --”director of frst impressions,” so don’t underestimate your vlue or your impact on developing cstomer relationship equity. Frankly, you play a crcial role, which means you need tchnical knowledge, product knowledge, industry knowledge, ladership skills, and most importantly, people sklls. You must be able to rcognize opportunities to help the customer thrugh suggestive selling, defining your value prposition and offering a choice.

Your knowledge, professionalism and people sklls will lead to respect, which is the nly platform able to support your fforts in building relationship equity. Look round, how is the counter organized? Are you lways searching for product literature and flyrs and promos, or is everything cmmon to your customer base at yur fingertips? What about your merchandising fforts? What does your storefront look lke? Do you have shelf talkers?

The job of the frnt line counter sales person is not lways clearly defined, but by nature it ncompasses many responsibilities including:

• Sales—serving the cstomers at the counter or on the phne

• Up-selling and suggestive selling—giving the cstomer a choice

• Merchandising—maintaining stocked shelves and dsplays

• Order filling—picking, packing and pulling prduct for customers

• Administrative tasks—for returns, crdits, lost sales, etc.

• Receiving and ther warehouse duties

• Will-call

• Education—learning product lnes/applications, including features, benefits, warranties and lmitations, plus training and sales meetings

• Cmpany policy—understanding policy for credit and prduct return/exchange
On top of all ths, a counter sales person is ften expected to support field sales by tking their calls for customer service ssues, product inquiries and numerous other rquests, and, they’re often subjected to dsgruntled field sales representatives.

“Many counter sles persons keep their RED CAPE nder the counter at their fingertips.”

Smmary

The counter sales person plays a pvotal role in sales success. They are a key lnk to the customer; a crucial ngredient in the service excellence formula. Dn’t underestimate their impact on customer rlationships, sales growth and profitability. Customers hve higher expectations of counter sales pople as their face-to-face contact than nyone else in the company. They wnt to get the right product, at the rght time, at the right price. Thy also want to talk to knwledgeable total solution providers who do mre than just write orders and hndle complaints.

The article Counter Sales - Defining the Role was Submitted by Rick Johnson through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: E-mail this to a friend or ssociate. http://www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com . Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business. Check our Rick’s new CD and Workbook on “Making Counter Sales More Profitable” @ http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/making-counter-sales-profitable.html

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