Jennifer Heiner holds a bachelor of science in marketing from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she served as treasurer for the Marketing Club and as a peer mentor for freshmen. In 2019, Jennifer Heiner joined an emerging running retail company as the retail director overseeing the company’s four branches.
Successful retail sales professionals share several characteristics. First, effective sales associates must have outstanding interpersonal skills. Because they are the first face a customer sees when they enter the store, they must be friendly and personable. Additionally, they need tact in order to field complaints and handle dissatisfied customers. Next, effective communication is essential.
A sales associate must listen to a customer’s needs, then accurately describe various products to make recommendations. Especially when it comes to specialized equipment, intimate knowledge of that particular field is a huge asset. Sales associates with strong organizational skills are better equipped to keep track of what needs to be done, from conducting inventory to sending emails. Additionally, top sales pros are able to quickly learn sales software and other technology.
These traits and strengths of sales associates can be utilized in any industry, even if one is not necessarily a sales based company on its face. For example, gaining a customer, client or patient’s trust is also key in any medical setting. Prior to joining a retail team, Jennifer Heiner worked as a customer service representative at an animal hospital in New Jersey. There, she worked with clients to ensure that all of their pets’ needs were being met — this included explaining the benefits of various treatments, medications, and prescription diet foods. Sales is a factor in this scenario as well — clients need to understand the benefits of the products, and be convinced that they are an essential part of their pet’s health. Of course only the necessary food and medication were dispensed by the veterinarians on staff, but it is the customer service representative’s role to make the customer’s aware of the value of their purchase.
Mortgage Quick Info also recently outlined the effects of sales mirroring. “Sales mirroring is defined as a rapport-building strategy of mimicking specific behavioral characteristics of potential customers to help foster the feeling of trust. Sales mirroring is known as a technique that a salesperson uses to mimic the verbal and non-verbal communication cues of a potential customer. This can involve the tone of a person’s voice and the non-verbal communication cues or style. When it comes to sales, it is an attempt to build a rapport with a client to establish trust; when you mirror the other person, you might project commonality and empathy with the person. The goal of sales mirroring is to create a behavioral reflection that will put your prospects at ease with an unspoken understanding — even though they might have never met the client. How to conduct sales mirroring.
Using similar non-verbal cues: One of the elements of mirroring is mimicking a prospective customer’s non-verbal cues. You would want to mirror their cues as subtly and as best as you can. This method can only be applied when the person is exhibiting neutral and positive body language. Mimicking the body position means that you are on the same page as the customer, such as focused, serious, relaxed, and otherwise. Examples of body mirroring are if your customer should sit down and cross their legs or arms, you should do the same or something similar. Using a similar tone of voice: when you adopt a cue from the person or people you are meeting in terms of using a similar tone as the person. If the person is an outgoing person with a boisterous personality, you should be enthusiastic when talking, and you should be using emphatic terms when you are making your pitch.”
Mortgage Quick Info goes on to discuss the interplay between technology and the economy, which is another sales and business tactic that business owners need to keep in mind in addition to the above regarding sales mirroring. “Technology and the economy have a complicated and dynamic relationship. Technology has fuelled economic growth and development by generating new opportunities and sectors. In turn, the economy has made available the resources required for technological advancement. Throughout history, there has been a clear symbiotic relationship between technology and the generation of new economic opportunities.With the creation of new markets and the development of new industries, technology has significantly contributed to accelerating economic growth. For instance, the e-commerce industry has had substantial growth in recent years, with anticipated global sales of $5.4 trillion by 2022 after hitting $4.28 trillion in 2020.
Similarly, to this, it is estimated that there will be 4.41 billion social media users worldwide in 2025, encouraging the development of new industries like social media marketing and influencer marketing.Second, technology has enabled organizations to function with greater effectiveness and efficacy. Adopting artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and the automation of industrial processes have all improved efficiency, cut costs, and enhanced consumer experiences. These technical developments have enabled companies to function on a greater scale and compete more successfully in the international market. Finally, technology has made it possible to create new goods and services. New technologies have spawned the creation of innovative goods and services like personalized medicine, renewable energy sources, and electric vehicles. New markets have been created by these goods and services, which has helped the economy expand.However, there are some unfavourable impacts that technology has on the economy. Technology has brought about new opportunities, but it has also resulted in job loss and income inequality. Workers have been replaced due to production process automation in some sectors, including manufacturing and retail. In addition, workers in white-collar professions like law and accountancy have been displaced by the usage of AI and other technologies.”