This is the abstract, not the paper...
Dear retailer... You help the customer in this order (barring emergencies).
Customer with product at the register, payment at the ready... before
Customer in the store looking for something... before
Customer on the phone asking questions... before
Stocking the shelves... before
Accepting deliveries... before
Doing your daily paperwork... before
Cleaning the store (unless its the aforementioned emergency).
Even in an emergency, the customers in the store are the priority; get them to safety first.
For the customers who are lower in the hierarchy, "I'll be with you in a minute..." goes a long way. You have to acknowledge that you've seen them and will help them. Try to remember that they can almost always go someplace else. Even someone set on buying a new Ford F-150 can go to a different dealer, so don't get to thinking that since only Ford sells them you're safe as a Ford salesman!
On reason you do things in this order is the level of commitment from the customer. Blowing off the customer at the register to dust the end-caps means that if they give up on the purchase they are giving up on more than someone price comparing on the phone. This makes them more likely to remember the experience and to let that color their next purchase.
Dear retailer... You help the customer in this order (barring emergencies).
Customer with product at the register, payment at the ready... before
Customer in the store looking for something... before
Customer on the phone asking questions... before
Stocking the shelves... before
Accepting deliveries... before
Doing your daily paperwork... before
Cleaning the store (unless its the aforementioned emergency).
Even in an emergency, the customers in the store are the priority; get them to safety first.
For the customers who are lower in the hierarchy, "I'll be with you in a minute..." goes a long way. You have to acknowledge that you've seen them and will help them. Try to remember that they can almost always go someplace else. Even someone set on buying a new Ford F-150 can go to a different dealer, so don't get to thinking that since only Ford sells them you're safe as a Ford salesman!
On reason you do things in this order is the level of commitment from the customer. Blowing off the customer at the register to dust the end-caps means that if they give up on the purchase they are giving up on more than someone price comparing on the phone. This makes them more likely to remember the experience and to let that color their next purchase.