Boost Potential: Ask Customers Why They Didn’t Buy

Want to know how you can get more sales? Ask the people who aren’t buying from you. Learn how to increase your customer base and build your business.

As I look at my calendar, I see that many retailers are preparing to attend another buyer’s market. However, many retailers forget to ask themselves one question as they plan their next buying trip: Have you asked your customers what they want?

Business is never great; it can always be better. Very rarely do I hear a company say that business has never been better or that it’s fantastic. In our ever-changing economy, making ends meet is a struggle more than ever before.

I am a firm believer in 80/20 rule of customer service, which is not the same as customer pampering. However, I see so many businesses overlook some of the most obvious rules and lose customers. These are the same retailers that complain that their traffic is down or that customers are just not buying.

I have yet to hear a retailer ask the customer who did not buy, unless they’re one of my clients, “Excuse me, to better service our customers, I noticed that you did not find what you came in for. I am planning our next buying trip and would like to know what you didn’t find. Maybe it’s something we should be carrying.” It’s not a hard question.

It’s always important to thank the customers who buy, but talking to the person that did not buy can be even more important.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that your sales ratio is 1 in 5 — for every five people you see, you make one sale. What about those other four? Why didn’t they buy?

Maybe it was the selection, your tips to improve sales productivity, or your pricing. By not asking, you will never know. By not asking, you hand that potential customer over to your competition on a silver platter.

The purpose isn’t to turn that sale around, although that could happen. It’s to learn what you can do next time. Don’t go overboard. Let’s look at an apparel store.

You had 10 customers come in, and you made two sales. You thank those customers and ask the others why they did not buy (tell them you’re going to market and you want their input). You get eight different reasons. What do you do? Nothing. You do not have enough of one reason to make an informed decision.

Now let’s look at it this way. Out of the eight, you have six who say they can’t find their size or the prices are too high. Now you have something to go on. If you have the same problems coming from six of the eight who did not buy, this will tell you that you need to make some changes.

Meeting your customers’ needs can’t be accomplished just by looking at what you’re selling. It’s what you’re not selling, what you’re marking down, and what you’re not giving your customers that counts.

People love to give advice. All you have to do is ask. It’s what you do with that information that counts.

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