As physical and digital boundaries between retailers and customers continue to be redefined, the role of the in-store sales associate may appear diminished. This is suggested by Millennials' preference for online product research to in-store research by a 2-to-1 margin. 

The good news is that 94 percent of total retail sales still occur in-store versus online¹.

Sales associates must.....

Posted: 10/6/16

Training needs to deliver general sales strategies and tips that can generate greater confidence in real-world situations that occur on the sales floor. This training is ideal for younger members of your sales staff who may need a little extra help to make the most positive impact on your customers.

Ideally, product knowledge training should be measurable and reinforced with some type of reward system. The more knowledgeable employees are, the more confident they will feel when interacting with customers and fellow associates. Rewarding them for learning is a great motivator, and rewards can be as simple and inexpensive as saying, “Great job!”

Posted: 9/23/16

Intel OEM partners are currently shipping over 100 new devices powered by the 7th gen Intel® Core™ processors. These will be great options for your customers as we enter the holiday season. 

Your associates should sharpen their sales skills and learn about the new 7th gen Intel® Core™ processors and the exciting, beautifully designed devices they power. Newly released Learning activities in the Intel® Retail Edge Program will help with this and more.  

Posted: 9/15/16

Hiring and training new sales associates can be expensive and time consuming. Unfortunately, some managers adopt a "sink or swim" attitude. They hire new associates, acquaint them with the company's policies, and let them determine their own selling strategies. Those who are successful will naturally rise to the top, and those who aren't successful will eventually learn the skills they need or move on to other jobs. 

One-and-done sales and product training, however, is an outdated mindset that leads to high turnover and can prevent talented sales associates from reaching their full potential.

Posted: 9/9/16

Why is the in-store customer experience so important? For starters, competition between brick-and-mortar retailers has never been more competitive. With amazing technology products available in more places than ever, customers can shop around for stores that make them feel welcome with seamless, engaging in-store experiences.

What's more, stores compete with online retailers from around the world. If a retail store isn't set up to offer an informative, engaging experience to everyone who walks through its doors, it's likely to lose customers to either another local competitor or an online E-tailer. 

Posted: 9/2/16

The right tech tools can help district managers deal with time constraints more effectively while ensuring that important information is collected and compiled for further review and analysis. 

Smartphones, laptops, teleconferencing applications, and other advanced computing solutions allows managers to stay in touch with store managers while ensuring that data is put to the best possible use during decision-making processes.

Posted: 8/17/16

The waning days of Summer signal the start of back-to-school shopping for many consumers. Back-to-school season kicks off the key sales period for most retailers, the end of Q3 through the end of Q4. 

Here’s some good news for PC retailers. One recently released survey¹ indicates back-to-school sales are expected to increase 2.6 percent this year. The survey indicates tech products will be hot items. 

Having the right lineup of products for these eager consumers can ensure greater customer satisfaction and increased sales during this peak shopping period. 

Posted: 8/11/16

Gartner* estimates that 6.4 billion connected objects will be in use in 2016, with 5.5 million new devices getting connected on a daily basis this year. This vast array of connected devices is changing how the world works.

The Internet of Things is changing the way retail stores operate as well. Connected devices provide sales reps and managers with more information than ever before about customers' behavior in and outside of the store.

Posted: 7/27/16

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 LinkedIn’s job sectionfor 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: 7/22/16

Improving the effectiveness of your retail sales staff can boost profitability for your store. Success in the retail marketing field, however, does not happen overnight. It takes work, planning, and careful evaluation of current methods to develop the most efficient and productive sales team.

Store, general, and district managers realize that effective sales reps also provide great customer experiences. Here are six ways managers can have a real impact on the success and effectiveness of their sales staff.

Posted: 7/5/16