Communication skills in retail are paramount. If you only have limited funds for training, send good prospects to communication skills training, not sales training. Effective communication skills are the foundation. Selling is a specialized communication talent.
In any industry, if you put someone through phone training skills and they cannot replicate 75% of the training, either they are not competent to work there or they are choosing to disobey and they should correct their behavior or be terminated.
Either way, it is not a training issue. A refresher course or “recertification” of sorts — online is fine, this is not CPR training or how to patch a tire — could keep the person on their toes, but training is done once. You repeat the behavior in class and hopefully there is some role playing or game to make it fun. The instructor/facilitator’s job is to gather, educate, test and confirm learning transfer. That is the only acceptable outcome of a “training” seminar.
The more complicated the process, the more it must be broken down into either steps or process chunks — called learning blocks — and then you test each step or block.
Here’s the most basic scenario: a customer calls, you greet them, you state your business’ name, state your name and proceed with a question. That is the educational structure of step one on every phone skill ever produced or discussed. No one — even teenagers working a fast food drive-thru — should struggle with this,
The next part in most phone skills programs is a particular line of questioning, which is sometimes good advice, sometimes not. They are all usually five steps, though. I teach a version, too.
So why does anyone pick up the phone to call a business? They could chat, text or Google. Some people call tire dealerships to complain. They have a problem and they want to vent. Along the way, however, if they vent or cut to the chase, they will consider your solution. That is the process that plays out even if the sales advisor fights it every step of the way running their mouth the whole time. One way to make it smooth is to do it in order.
Let’s go more in-depth on proper phone skills. A customer calls, you greet them, you ask questions to determine the purpose of the call, you follow up with more questions and you present a solution. If the customer objects to the solution, change the solution or gather more information about the objection and present the solution again.
Remember to ask questions and listen to the whole story. Be curious, competent and caring. Then ask more questions — more than you think you even should.
By the way, you cannot script this part. A script will only take away from listening and comprehension.
Mistakes in communication are extremely hard to fix because they often break trust. You have the actual problems that bad communication caused and then the trust that broke along with it.
Assume that trust is a line. On one end is manipulation. The other end is influence. Humans have agreed forever that 50/50 of each is fair. The difference between manipulation and influence is where you are in reference to the middle of the line — where both people are expected to be.
Manipulation is about taking more than your fair share. Influence is about both parties succeeding. You both get what you want and you both benefit more than the sum of the conversation.
Remember, customers react differently. Selfish customers want to control the situation and will use silence as a weapon. Some customers will sound pleasant enough, but will talk their way out of an uncomfortable situation simply because they dislike disagreement. Others offer healthy responses, including logic, dialogue and honesty.
Answer the phone and do your thing. Then ask a question and listen like you care enough to ask another question. If you spend just enough time to listen, you won’t need to present three tire choices and financing to a dad with a daughter who is going away to school in two weeks and he really hasn’t kept up the maintenance on this old thing she’s driving.
You shouldn’t ask him about his tire choice right now. Ask him what he needs to make this day go just a little slower, so while you make sure the vehicle is OK, he can go spend the afternoon with his daughter, if he wants. Tell him your technicians will do a full visual inspection of the vehicle, including the tires. Then you will text or call him with a plan. You will suggest the best tires, but you'll call with prices and options first. (Customers like options.)
All of this can be accomplished within a two-minute conversation when you’re curious, competent and caring. A robot can read a script. Your job is to connect with your customers on a human level.
