Typically, designated brand promoters or in-store promoters spearhead in-store product promotions. This practice is especially common in the FMCG industry and several other retail segments. Sales promoters or brand promoters are stationed next to their specific product aisles. They explain the product description, benefits, and usage guidelines to interested customers. They also inform them about the latest discounts and promotional offers to convince them to buy.
Most importantly, they seek and record customer feedback for the CRM database. Hence, the retail store sales performance goes hand in hand with brand promoters’ practical training and management. Check out these strategies to yield the maximum productivity from in-store promoters:
Rely on a Versatile Promoter Management Software:
A well-built promoter management software is essential for attendance management, compliance reports, merchandising activities, or inventory management. Keeping a manual tab is often tricky, especially in large-format retail stores spread across multiple floors with hundreds of employees. An intuitive, multi-feature promoter management system ensures higher accountability for brand promoters. It also helps in sales planning, planogram compliance, soliciting customer feedback, and organizing telemarketing campaigns. Mobile app integration is an additional feature that can ease out the daily activities involved in supervising in-store promoters.
Conduct Holistic Training Modules on Retail Sales Management:
Daily briefing and regular training sessions need to be conducted to boost the performance of sales promoters. As part of retail sales management inputs, promoters should be well-versed with the products, placement, price, and promotion. In addition to theoretical knowledge, practical demos and role-plays on various aspects of customer service are necessary. Communication skills, body language, and selling skills are other vital areas during training sessions.
Frame a Robust Incentive Structure:
A large part of successful promoter management depends on the team’s motivation. Performance-linked incentives ensure optimal productivity levels. The probability of happy and satisfied promoters successfully selling is much higher than overworked and underpaid ones. Therefore, the incentive program should be financially feasible for a business and significant for the promoters to attempt higher sales. Higher sales targets will keep them on their toes, as long as they are suitably rewarded for attaining the same.
Implement a Structured Customer Feedback Mechanism:
Whether it is investing in retail sales management software or brand promoter motivational strategies, customer feedback is the real litmus test. Sales figures can fluctuate, but consistently positive customer feedback will foster loyalty and repeat visits. In-store promoters must adopt a highly streamlined and data-driven approach to document and report customer feedback into the CRM database. Ideally, professional data analysts should derive actionable insights from this database. The purpose of these insights should be to create relevant SOPs for promoters to follow as per the customer requirements.
Conclusion
Innovative merchandising and robust in-store brand promotions are crucial for the success of any retail store. By ensuring that in-store promoters are well-trained, motivated, and supervised efficiently, retailers can achieve top-notch sales performance. The right technology, management expertise, training modules, and incentive structure are highly effective in this regard.
