Managers in the PC sector of the retail industry have tough jobs. Long hours and even longer lists of responsibilities prove taxing for even the best. A search in the LinkedIn* jobs section for PC retail general and district manager openings revealed responsibilities ranging from achieving sales goals to actively participating in the community.

What’s really interesting is the recurrence of certain action verbs listed in the job responsibilities. These verbs are consistently used across different levels of management from three major retailers...

Posted: 5/5/17

Your category merchandising strategy may include several components such as product placement, advertising tactics, customer incentives, plus customer and sales associate education.

Depending on your specific goals—growing foot traffic, increasing sales, category growth, or beating the competition— you must prioritize which components to emphasize. Ensure that the products within your target belong there or if products could be pulled in from another category.

Posted: 5/2/17

A sales team that is deeply knowledgeable about your store's products is a valuable asset. There are many benefits of thorough product training.

So, how do you ensure that your sales team is up to speed on all of the features and capabilities of, say, your stock of PC devices and peripherals? There are some proven methods to help your sales associates increase their knowledge levels.

Posted: 4/20/17

Upselling is an essential element of in-store tech revenue. Finding ways to engage customers and to provide value-added services can help you stand out from your local competitors. 

Your sales team is a key part of this equation. Understanding the right ways to upsell will make the most positive impression on your customers. The experts at Business.com* recently published an article detailing some key pointers for making the most of upselling efforts and increasing your sales and profitability to a surprising degree. Here are some of the highlights to keep in mind when implementing upselling strategies in your store.

Posted: 4/3/17

All of your store's customers either are or were first-time shoppers at some point in time. Congratulate yourself on your return customers but ask yourself if you and your sales staff are doing enough to convert first-time visitors to repeat customers. Are sales associates trying to identify new customers? Do they work at making a warm, lasting impression that inspire customers to return? Do they know what questions to ask to uncover customer needs?

There’s an old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  In the competitive tech retail market, it’s crucial to make an impressive first impression. Not doing so can impact sales

Posted: 3/24/17

Making the best impression on your customers is critical to your ongoing success in retail technology sales. Your sales associates represent the front line in your interactions with customers. The impression made by these staff members can have a lasting effect on visitors to your stores.

Hiring the right sales associates isn’t an easy task at times, but there are some key characteristics and attributes found among the most successful retail associates.

Here are four characteristics exhibited by some of the most successful retail technology sales associates.

Posted: 3/10/17

The rising costs of finding, attracting, and converting new customers, makes customer retention a priority for businesses of all sizes. In fact, research shows that 65% of a company's business comes from existing customers. 

Implementing a strategy for customer retention helps businesses avoid acquisition costs and allows leaders to focus on what they know the best and how to serve their customers better.

Managers and sales associates will have better knowledge regarding what the customer is looking for, what their needs are, and what type of service and experience they expect when shopping.

Posted: 3/2/17

The customer experience has received a great deal of retail industry attention over the past few years particularly as it relates to brick-and-mortar stores competing with online vendors. Creating an environment that is appealing to customers can attract repeat business and added foot traffic for your stores. 

One sometimes overlooked component of the right customer experience is the role of the sales associate.

Making sure that your sales associates are equipped with the training and information they need to succeed in the retail environment can be a solid first step toward providing a superior experience for all your customers. 

Posted: 2/24/17

The right peripherals, connectors, and accessories can make or break a tech setup for your customers. Helping your sales staff to recommend the best choices and add-ons for computer devices, gaming systems, virtual reality (VR) devices, and other high-tech items creates the best buying experiences for customers in your store. 

By providing your sales staff with the tools and technologies they need to make a positive impression on your customers, you can enhance your store’s reputation as a leading source for information on new technologies and a superior choice for computer device and technology purchases.

Here are some of the most effective ways to encourage and enable upselling and cross-selling among your sales associates.

Posted: 2/15/17

Brick-and-mortar retail businesses are re-inventing themselves to compete with online retailers through new digital technologies. These are enabling new techniques for customer engagement such as tracking/analytics and multi-channel customer support.

As physical shops adapt to an increasingly mobile, plugged-in, knowledgeable customer base, they use these technologies to focus on providing a responsive shopping experience exceeding customer expectations.

Posted: 2/6/17