Imagine your job is to sell products,
many of which are expensive and nonreturnable, to customers who may have never used the products before or who
may even be embarrassed entering your store.
It’s a challenge that Jennifer Downey,
president of Cleveland-based Ambiance
Inc., takes very seriously in her upscale lingerie and romantic gift
boutiques. She and her
management team understand that customers
who come to “The Store
for Lovers” need to feel
comfortable, and it takes
a special salesperson —
trained in the art of conversation — to provide an atmosphere of trust and discretion.
In the move from trainee to romance consultant, employees must complete an
extensive four- to six-week training program, which culminates in a 22-page exam.
Ambiance’s Think Like a Customer program also teaches consultants how to
understand their customers and respect
the reasons they shop at the store.
Employees also must learn and excel in
the company’s 13 mandatory service
standards before they are allowed to ring
up a sale. Among them: having a “show-time attitude” when they are on the sales
floor, keeping busy when they are not
working with a customer, greeting customers to encourage conversation and
create a relationship of trust and finding
out what special occasion brought them
into the store.
To avoid customer service defects,
Ambiance’s secret shopper service
ensures that the company’s 13 service
standards are being followed. Stores
with perfect reports are rewarded, and
maintaining good shop reports is
required for each store’s performance.
Downey also appreciates customer
feedback. And if a customer has been
inconvenienced or treated unjustly, management will exceed the customer’s
expectations to regain their trust.
HOW TO REACH: Ambiance Inc., (440) 234-6996 or www.ambiance.com
