You’re probably familiar with the obvious benefits of having a mystery shopper program. Objectives like driving customer service and winning more customers are reasons why monitoring and measuring sales and operations is critical to your business. Driving business requires getting customers and keeping them happy; But if that is your only focus, you might be leaving money on the table.
We have been working with BrandSource and its family of appliance and furniture store brands for mystery shopping services since last year. Recently, we attended the BrandSource Summit in Nashville, TN. Between grabbing some hot chicken and stopping by a honky-tonk (or maybe two…) we joined the Power Dealers for their annual meeting. It was great to be invited to speak and to hear what is top of mind for these brands and the challenges they need to overcome to grow in this competitive market.
Hiring, training, and managing staff was a hot topic for this group. As Spencers TV General Manager, Roy Hannah, states, “The biggest limitation to our growth has and always will be the number of great people we can add to our team.” Couple this with the emphasis the group has of wanting to provide exceptional customer service, and it is no wonder the investment in hiring, training, and managing these talented staffers is at the forefront.
But if you don’t include a mystery shopping program as part of this investment, it is costing more than you think.
We were able to share some data from the mystery shopper program conducted with a sample group of dealers that highlights this. The “ah ha” moment? When the group realized the lowest scoring questions were all directly impacting gross sales.
Our findings spotlight the fact that with all the training and management programs in place, putting theory to practice isn’t always easy. Shoppers found sales staff were not even attempting to close deals, nor were they suggesting upsells as scripted. This all adds up to a material amount in lost opportunity and could be costing you thousands.
Knowing this and identifying these sales opportunities allows dealers to implement training or management programs to ensure the team knows when and how to close that deal. With some simple fixes, dealers will see a direct impact on their bottom line.
Mystery shopping programs collect the data that is critical for businesses to measure and monitor their sales and operations. This ensures brand promises are met and customers have the best experience possible.
It was great spending time with the BrandSource team in Nashville, and we look forward to continued success with their dealers!