Retail Shoe Salesmanship

by George F. Hamilton; Frank Butterworth; H. T. Conner; A. H. Geuting

If in presenting a plan to his directors the president of the company should attempt to do so in some half-hearted, dull and uninterested manner he could expect to receive in return no greater interest or enthusiasm than he himself showed. On the other hand, if his selling talk is stimulating, if his manner indicates confidence, if he is actually “on fire” in the interest of his proposed plan he can be assured of having it received and considered favorably. The salesman is dealing with a live subject. He is called upon to present facts concerning his goods in such a way that the customer will recognize them as being facts rather than mere opinions. This means that the selling talk must be made to live—it must be freshened-up. The salesman must continually guard against becoming mechanical or stereotyped either in his manner or his sales talk. He must realize that it is just as important for him to “launder” his selling talk as it is to launder his linen.

THE OUTSIDER’S POINT OF VIEW

One shoe salesman who has recently moved up to the position of branch manager, says, in speaking of the need to keep customer service up to par, and of his method of doing it, that his first duty each morning is to look over the appearance of his store, his windows and his stock from the viewpoint of an outsider—to consider his services as a salesman as they would appeal to the customer who had never before made a purchase of him. He realizes that there is the tendency for him to grow “stale” in his efforts and to fall into the habit of considering the next sale as another mechanical operation. He says that the danger is to regard today’s work simply as a continuation from where he left off yesterday and to overlook the fact that as far as today’s customers are concerned there might just as well have been no yesterday.

The outsider’s point of view is that each sale is an entirely new experience. The salesman who is able to get himself into this frame of mind and to treat the customer on this basis can never become mechanical. He will never run the danger of losing business through growing stale in his selling talk and his effort to please. This is the difference between working for a future and working for the pay envelope. Every man of responsibility looks further ahead than the Saturday envelope. He is working for a future that means his development beyond his present job. His success in reaching it will depend upon his ability to grow out of one and into a bigger one. Promotion or success is not an over-night process; it is a natural and gradual growth cultivated by steady effort. Alexander Hamilton, the first treasurer of the United States and the greatest financial mind the country has ever known, was proclaimed a genius both here and abroad, because of what seemed to be a superhuman understanding and foresight. His simple reply was that although men gave him credit for genius, the only genius he had was in being able to work night and day on the subject in hand until he had sweated out a solution.

This may seem to be drifting a long way from shoe salesmanship but it is just as close as the pay envelope. The laws of success are unfailing whether they apply to merchandising or to statesmanship. No one ever got anywhere on a permanent basis except by hard work. To know what the customer wants and should have, to make a whole-hearted effort to serve him and to keep at it, is the formula for success in shoe-selling.

GETTING UNDER WAY IN THE SALE

For the reason that intelligent retail salesmanship is principally a matter of brain work rather than physical effort, it is not possible to set down any fixed list of rules or conditions which, when observed, will result in one hundred per cent results. Local conditions vary and of course human nature among customers varies; so that it is necessary for the salesman to keep these things continually in mind and to plan his work accordingly. On the other hand there are certain definite suggestions that can be used to good advantage to serve as the salesman’s working basis by bringing to mind some of the important points to be considered and by mentioning one way in which they may be met.

Mr. Watson of the Guarantee Shoe Company makes the following practical suggestions on getting the sale under way, based on over twenty years experience in the retail shoe business:

If there is no salesman’s stool in front of where you have seated the customer, go immediately and get one. Place it directly in front of the customer and at once sit down. Then make some such positive suggestion as “Let me examine the right foot first, please.” While saying this hold out the hands toward the foot so that they may meet it and allow you to get the shoe off before the customer realizes that he or she wants to see the shoe before trying it on.

Say as little as possible while removing the shoe, and get it off as quickly and easily as possible—then produce the measuring stick. Either have the customer stand on the stick or place the foot flat upon the foot rest of the fitting stool. An important point to remember is that the foot should never be measured while in the air. The toes should be well stretched out by pressing them with the fingers—and be sure to remember what the foot measures.