Stage Is Yours, The (1961)

this is backstage of one of the greatest shows on Earth retail selling out front an expectant audience awaits the curtain and these consumer products of every description which have been assembled from all parts of the world to be sold to your customers but without you the salesperson the show couldn't go on with without you your store would be just the storehouse and thus you are the last and most important Link in our productive system and since you are so important the way you do your job is even more important unless you do it well these dresses these shirts these sheets and pillowcases will never leave the stock room and doing it well can mean for you more sales to customers who will come back again and again selling is not only an art but a science as well it has its scientific fundamentals its axioms which govern it but like art the job of selling must be done with feeling there are four basic steps to making a sale the first one is the approach your approach to the customer should be prompt and pleasant your greeting may be either personal or refer to some item of merchandise the second step is the determination of the customer's needs listen attentively ask courteous leading questions the third step is the presentation of the merchandise know your product show a selection of items but not too many at any one time tell the customer about your merchandise the fourth step close the sale narrow the selection by removing the items the customer definitely doesn't want so suggest related merchandise or larger quantities or specially priced items close the sale with reassurance and ask the customer to come again treat every customer as if he were a guest in your home because he is an invited guest in your store these are the steps that you must take in every successful sale but wait a minute let's see how they work in actual practice how they can spell the difference between a sale and no [Music] sale here's a young man in a hurry let's see how these four basic steps can be used to sell him good afternoon sir hello uh let me see some of your shirts dress shirts whitein sir yes white what size uh 152 33 and button- down collar here are two shirts I think you might like I'd like to suggest particularly this wash and wear shirt it's 100% cotton and one of our nicest shirts I don't know I've never bought one of these before I've seen the advertisements but do they really do what the ads claim I've tested this one myself it really needs only a little ironing if any I've got on one of these today see it still looks as neat as it did this morning this is another advantage to Cotton wash and wear in addition to only a little ironing needed this shirt stays fresher longer of course if you think you'd prefer a regular shirt this one is certainly a good buy and we have have other color styles in both the regular and wash and wear no I like this color Yes this style is a good one for you I really think you'll be quite satisfied with this wash and wear model and because it's all cotton you'll find it comfortable to wear all right I'll take one may I point out sir that this week these shirts are specially priced you can save money if you buy a box of three most of my customers prefer to buy several shirts at a time anyway all right I'll take a box of them have you seen these ties which we advertised in this morning's paper they're in exceptional value no I think that'll be all very well sir I know you're going to be pleased with these shirts is this a charge or cash I'll pay for them this salesman has successfully and efficiently completed his sale he has created for himself and his store another satisfied customer and did you notice how he followed the four basic steps in making the sale let's go back for a moment and see good afternoon sir his approach was prompt and pleasant he recognized his customer immediately with a courteous greeting let me see some of your dress shirts white one sir uh yes white what size oh uh 152 33 button- down collar he listened attentively as the customer explained what he was looking for he asked sensible courteous questions very well here are two shirts I think you might like I'd like to suggest particularly this wash and wear shirt it's 100% cotton and one of our nicest shirts I don't know I've never bought one of these before I've seen the advertisements but do they really do what they claim they do I've tested this one myself it really needs only a little ironing if any I've got on one of these today see it looks as neat as it did this morning morning this is another thing about cotton wash and wear in addition to needing only a little ironing this shirt stays fresher longer of course if you'd prefer a regular shirt this one is certainly a good buy and we have other color styles in both the regular and wash and wear shirts no I like that collar he shed a selection but not too many items at a time he told his customer about the merchandise and he helped narrow the selection by removing the unwanted items May I point out sir that this week these shirts are specially priced you can save money if you buy a box of three most of my customers prefer to buy several shirts at a time anyway all right let me have a box of them have you seen these ties which we advertised in this morning's paper they're in exceptional value no I think that'll be all very well sir I know you're going to be pleased with these shirts he suggested to the customer larger quantities and he closes sale with reassurance above all he seems sincerely interested in pleasing his this one is perfect I'll take it oh it's very becoming to you I know you'll enjoy wearing it oh and if you have a moment why don't you stop by a jewelry department they have a wonderful selection down there what did I tell you whatever points you choose to stress however you choose to say them the basic principles remain the same in any Department I'll show you what I mean let's go into the children's wear Department perhaps these you do no I want something more practical now what size was it that you wanted well I not sure what size he weighs a six or eight give me an eight if I find something I like and if it doesn't fit him well I can bring it back well I'm sure we have something you'll like looks like this customer is going to be a little hard to please no no these won't do it all don't you have anything else perhaps one of these is more what you have in mind they're very good quality and they're made of cotton as I'm sure you know nothing wears as well as cotton well these are more what I had in mind oh but they're much more than I want to pay yes they are a little more expensive but as you can see the styling of these pants is excellent extra attention has been given to detail notice the new style waistband and Pockets well I don't want to pay that much for little boy's pants well let's look at some more now these pants are of very fine quality and they're made of a cotton fabric treated for wash and wear means less ironing they're not bad but how do they behave in an automatic washer and dryer these wash and wear things need such special attention this particular cotton can be laundered just as your other cotton are laundered see this one needs no special setting the fabric will resist wrinkling too too they're durable practical and attractive yes that's true but these actually are for my nephew I'd better let my sister come in and see them first perhaps we'll be in later certainly if you'll ask for me Miss Barnes I'll be happy to show these to your sister and if you like I can show you some of our new coordinated shirts to go along with them on thank you thank you very much Miss Barnes yes we'll ask for you a little patience and knowing your merchandise usually pays off I think she'll make a sale next time when this customer returns because she seemed interested in pleasing her and it's my guess she'll sell her one of those shirts too excuse me could you tell me where the Fabric's department is please certainly that department is on the third floor front of the store thank you let's go to the Fabric's Department ourselves and ease drop on another sale this is one of our newest fabric patterns and I think an extremely attractive one are you looking for fabric for a dress yes I am and I think I'd like a print that's a good start her approach was prompt and pleasant and she made reference to the merchandise in her greeting is this a dress for yourself yes it is have you picked your dress pattern yet yes I already have I have it here in my purse oh this will be lovely and this fabric would be very nice for it she is asking courteous leading questions to better determine her customer needs now I have another lovely cotton that' be very nice I think this one is a little heavier in weight both are all cotton and vat dye they'll hold their color beautifully and they're pre-shrunk guaranteed not to shrink more than 2% they're both very nice I like this one very much she shows a selection but not too many items to confuse the customer and she knows what she's selling now let me show you another fine cotton this one cost a little more but it's really beautiful I always recommend cotton when it's suitable because since you sew I know that you'll agree cotton is so easy to work with you never have trouble with puckering or fraying seams why is this one more expensive they all look just about the same to me now if you look closely at the two you will notice that this one has many more threads per square inch as you can feel it gives it a much softer hand and it will wear very well both of these are good value and this less expensive one is really a beautiful material at this price but if you want something a little special well this cotton is lovely yes it really is all right I'll take this one fine I think three and A2 yards will be enough for your pattern do you have your thread buttons and zippers well I do need a zipper and some thread certainly I know you're going to be pleased with this fabric she traded up her customer by pointing out the extra quality she could have for a little bit more money she suggested related merchandise such as threads buttons and zippers and she closed her sale by reassuring her customer this is how it's done if you follow these few Simple Rules these four basic steps you'll make a sale almost every time and if you're selling cotton items Cotton's Beauty its durability its Comfort its ease of care will help you ring up that sale too the stage is yours when you return to the selling floor why not give it a try [Music]