Give Your Full Attention

Purchasing a wedding dress can be a very important decision for some brides and because of this, they want their bridal shopping experience to be perfect. A very simple way to make a customer feel special is to give them your undivided attention during their appointment.

Be present and allow your customer to feel comfortable and stress-free. By giving your full attention to your customer you are more likely to build a relationship that will result in a sale.

Lucy from City Brides in Norwich adds, “It’s all about finding the right balance. Of course, you must give your full attention to brides but it is also important to allow a moment with family and friends to discuss the merits of a dress. I often walk away for a short while, find a veil or put a dress back.”

“Allow Mum and guest to smooth the train and discuss the veil needed. You can follow the conversation without appearing to and return as soon as you feel you are needed - before being asked.”

Read More: How to Use Questions to Guarantee a Sale

Time Management

Don’t book appointments too close together – make sure to allow plenty of time for each customer so that they feel important. If the appointment feels rushed or the customer feels like they are one in a long list, they’ll be much more cautious to buy.

“We allow 2 hours for our bridal appointments. We try to get our bride in dresses as soon as we can without looking though the dresses for too long. We always go back to a bride’s favourites at around the 1.5hour mark, that gives us half an hour to do the paperwork and offer some fizz and a celebration confetti cannon or photo for social media without the next bride being here.”

“This way the customer feels more valued and not as they have just been rushed out after a sale,” adds Emma Swain from Nora Eve Bridal.

Be Informed

It’s important to be informed about the products, but make sure to ask the customer lots of questions. Get information about the customer so you can cater the experience specifically to them. Once you know the needs and wants of your customer, you’ll be able to sell the product best suited to them.

Emma Swain says, “We ask our customers some questions at the time of booking so that we are aware of things like the wedding date, who will be coming along to the appointment with them and how much they would like to spend on a dress.”

“This not only provides us with important information, but it also stops the awkwardness of asking the bride about her budget when she steps through the door. We welcome our brides with a little clip sign that says welcome to our boutique alongside their names and our brides seem to love this personal touch.”

“By doing all of this our brides are very open from the start and immediately we are in the know of what they want and what they do not. We also ask our brides to trust us to choose some dresses for them as they might just be surprised at what styles suit them.”

Read More: How to Deliver Excellent Customer Service in Your Bridal Boutique

Eye Contact

Eye contact is key when it comes to selling. It tells your customers that your focus is on them and that they are your number one priority at that time. By making eye contact with your customer you can gauge their interest, observe their body language and connect with them.

This will not only put the customer at ease but it will also show them that you are a confident, reliable salesperson, making it more likely that they will purchase your product. Emma Swain, director at Nora Eva Bridal says, “At Nora Eve Bridal we feel it’s important to speak directly to the bride and to reassure her by making eye contact. This will make her feel instantly at ease. Once you have a customer’s trust, there is much more chance of a sale.”

However, it’s essential to get the balance just right, so make sure you show that you are engaged and interested but do not stare.

Listen to The Bride

It’s extremely important to engage with your customers if you are looking to close that sale. By asking suitable questions and listening to the response you will be able to understand their needs completely. Be chatty and conversational but remember to let them lead the conversation so they can figure out what they want.

Sammy from Romantic Dreams in Birmingham says, "The first thing we ask a bride on arrival is if she has had an appointment in another boutique before. This is purely for us to understand how far down the line a bride is. If this is her first time we will ask if she understands the process and if she’s been to a few others we will ask why she hasn’t found her dream dress yet.”

"The answers you get from these questions will allow you to tailor the appointment to that individual. Your customer might know exactly what she wants or she might not have a clue and then you can adjust your appointment accordingly.”

For more information like this take a look at Adam Bernstein’s investigation into boosting sales.