Saving Sales. The Turnover -Part I

Nancy Anderson
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The turnover was an accepted process and a point of emphasis in the sales methodology and the training of major retailers in the environment I grew up in. As a matter of fact, a major shoe chain I worked with for many years actually tracked it, manually, in those days. As mass merchandise chains have shifted more and more to self service or low service, I suspect, the process has gone by the wayside. My recent experience in both a car purchase and even a home purchase were proof of that assumption when I left both sales premises without making a purchase and was never referred to another person even though I had not made a purchase. Remember the hard truth in sales is that if a prospective buyer did not make a purchase, something went wrong as the goal of sales organizations is that each interaction, ideally, ends in a sale!

The T.O. Or turnover is not rocket science and is not a nuance in sales vernacular. It has been in existence for too many years to mention, but expectations and related training no longer stress this rudimentary step in effective selling. Essentially, the T.O. is merely turning the resistant customer over from one sales associate to another. The best ways to execute a turnover will be covered in Part two of this piece as they require a detailed explanation.


The reasons for an interested prospect not making a purchase are manifold. Oft times, lack of knowledge of inventory, lack of product knowledge and experience can be the underlying cause. However, less tangible things such as generational issues, appearances and even bigotry can be the cause as well. By simply bringing “new blood” and different energy into the process the sales is saved!

The mode of introducing the “new blood” along with the timing are very important. The new person can be introduced as management or an experienced associate that specializes in the product being offered. The prospect usually shows indifference early in the sales process, and it is key for the initial associate to recognize the indifference and introduce a new associate to the prospect. If allowed to aimlessly drag on the prospect will either walk away or their desire to make a purchase will wane.

The best illustration I can provide regarding the overall affect a properly carried through turnover process can have on a business follows and is quite realistic and should pique the interest of management or owners[ of sales organizations! If the normal sales to prospect ratio of a particular business is three sales for every ten prospect (everyone walking in the door is a prospect) the sales to prospect ratio is 33%. After training sales personnel, making turnover an expectation of everyone in the organization and possibly even rewarding the personnel “saving the sale,” the ratio improves to 4 sales out of ten prospects, or 40%, the overall revenue increase is 33% which is almost unheard of in sales organizations as it relates to sales gains in same condition stores! (one divided by three is 33% or one third!)

The expense to incorporate the turnover is negligible! The return is amazing! I hope to provide more insight into customer turnover in Part II of this article next week!

Randy Snyder has a total of 40 years practical experience including training on the turnover process. He can be reached at (P) 828 625 4932 or rsnyder921@att.net,
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