Sales Principles for Entrepreneurs

Anyone had Hawaiian BBQ before? Yummy! Today I went to a local Hawaiian BBQ joint for lunch. I enjoy the food. The atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. But this caused an unexpected sales lesson today. What I’m about to share will apply to any entrepreneur.

This is a fast food style restaurant. Meaning, you order your food, sit down while they make it, and then they’ll call you to the counter when it’s ready. I was sitting close to the order counter, so I could hear the interactions between the cashier & customers. One in particular stood out. It went like this:

• Customer was looking at the menu.
• Cashier asked, Can I help you?
• Customer said, yeah, in a minute.
• Cashier asked, you been here before, right?
• Customer said yes.
• Cashier said nothing, just smiled
• Customer then ordered.
• Cashier said, what no drink?
• Customer then ordered, but did not order a drink.
• Money changed hands, customer sat down waiting for her order to be cooked.

Now, it’s obvious to me that the cashier really had no sales training, and probably didn’t care. I’m not saying that this was her fault. I’ve been in this place a number of times before and the same cashier is always there. She’s kind and friendly, but certainly doesn’t go out of her way to ensure you have a good experience. Personally, I come back for the food. But, based on the amount of people in the restaurant, not a lot of people do.

There are a few things that the cashier could have done to make this a better experience for her customer. These are ideas you could do as well to help your customers have a better experience when dealing with your business.

• Suggested something to order when customer was looking at menu
• After the customer ordered, suggest that they order a secondary item; fries, rice, desert, etc.
• Ask the customer if they would like a drink when they place their order

Upselling is the easiest way to generate more revenue, yet it’s the least applied sales principle. It really works! If you don’t believe me, go to McDonalds and try to order a Big Mac. 99% of the time, you’ll be asked if you want fries with that. Are you kindly upselling your customers?

Here’s another thing, when you’re leaving and half way out the door the lady behind the counter yells: “Mahalo, Thank You!” That’s nice and all, but I don’t think it’s necessary to yell something to your customer’s backs when they are leaving. That doesn’t feel very warm or friendly.
A simple Mahalo (Thank you in Hawaiian) after ordering would be pleasant enough.

Also, give the customer something to take with them to keep in their card reminding them to come back again. A menu, frequent buyer card, magnet, business card; anything with the restaurant name, phone number location and web site on it, ANYTHING!

These tips will work in any business setting. So try them. Right now, make a list of 3 new things you will do when a customer is buying from you. Then implement them right away.