In today's competitive retail environment, companies need to attract and retain top talent. This is particularly true of reps working the sales floor. They are usually the first in line to set the tone and outcome of the customer experience.

Retaining the best reps, or any employee, is more than a matter of simply compensating them well. It’s equally as important to create and maintain a culture that focuses on keeping them feeling motivated, valued, and empowered.

Posted: 3/7/16

It’s not just the gamers, video streamers, and audio aficionados who will want to invest in Thunderbolt™ 3. It combines entirely new technology with several features that once required many different ports. Thanks to its compatibility with USB-C, it can replace all of the most common ports. This means fewer cables to keep up with or clutter up a space.

Additionally, condensing standard USB, video, power, and networking ports into a single Thunderbolt™ 3 port can dramatically reduce the size of a PC’s motherboard, allowing for extremely thin and light PC devices. 

Posted: 2/17/16

The number of shoppers who research prices from their smartphones while in the store continues to grow. This often leads to showrooming.

However, the news isn't all bad. Retailers that embrace a parallel trend known as "webrooming," which is basically showrooming in reverse, can fight back against online revenue drain and get their customers excited about the in-store buying experience.

Some reports indicate that as many as 73% of consumers still prefer to purchase products in a physical store. When the in-store experience is done right, it's impossible for competing online retailers to match.

Posted: 2/9/16

One key attribute of successful reps is the ability to empathize and connect with customers. After all, sales reps are potential customers too. They're just as excited about new devices, product modules, and ways of doing things. 

Today, customers expect to be approached as peers or even friends. When you encourage your sales reps to put themselves in prospective customers' shoes, you're really encouraging them to be genuine and acknowledge their common humanity. 

Posted: 1/26/16

Customers looking for the latest devices and accessories expect to be wowed not only by the technology of these new devices, but their actual shopping experience too. 

It's up to the entire sales team to deliver superior customer service. However, if management-level staff aren’t leading the effort, the likelihood of staff being overly concerned about the customer experience is greatly diminished.

Posted: 1/8/16

When customers walk onto your sales floor, they immediately tune into the moods and energy levels of reps. Engaged, excited employees have an infectious energy that captivates customers and makes them more likely to buy.

That engagement and excitement directly impact the bottom line too. A study by Hay Group* found that, over a seven-year period, companies with "highly engaged" workers grew their revenues by an average of 2.5 times more than companies without "highly engaged" workers.

Posted: 12/22/15

Retail customer buying behaviors are changing. No matter how long you've been in the business, you've probably seen some shifts that affect your approach to inventorying, store layout and signage, and employee training.

Although change can be scary at first, retail customers' new buying behaviors actually present an amazing opportunity to grow sales revenue and create more loyal, engaged customers.

Posted: 12/17/15

With the holiday buying season well underway, product knowledge is more important than ever. With the marked increase in the number of customers comes an increase in the number of questions about the products you offer. 

How is your team doing so far in answering these questions and meeting customer needs? If they need a deeper level of knowledge, provide them with access to information that will help them get through this busy time. It’s not too late for them to learn so they can be key contributors to holiday sales! 

Posted: 12/10/15

How can managers ensure members of their sales teams are prepared for any type of customer, particularly those who might need a little extra help? General selling and customer interaction skills, such as mirroring customer behaviors and asking questions that reveal information about preferences and budget, are definitely important. 

However, reps also need to develop skills to gauge customer demographic cues, anticipate their needs, and speak to them on their own terms. This is particularly true of potential customers who are older adults or senior citizens. 

Posted: 12/1/15

Being prepared, knowledgeable, and well-stocked are all important factors in retail success, but particularly so on the biggest shopping day of the year. Are you and your staff ready?

Use these remaining days leading up to Black Friday to ensure your sales reps are equipped to handle whatever the day has in store for them and that everything is in place to have your best Black Friday ever.

Posted: 11/20/15