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FEATURE any service-oriented industry, but the relationships your employees build with clients will never replace sales skills. "We talk about advanced selling scripts in our training. You should remember that a script is a nice thing to have nearby, but it should let unique personalities shine through, too," says Wottring. However, it's just as important to know when to back off. It doesn't matter if your sales approach is aggressive or friendly – there is definitely a point at which the sale is over. Know when you're toeing that line and give the customer some space before you approach them again. What's in it for Me? Merging some of those personal touches with a flexible list or outline of sales points is one great option for finding the middle ground. When your team gets a little flustered, they can look down and quickly regain control of a sale, but they are still free to be in the moment and have real conversations with customers. "One way to break the barrier without being too salesy is to come around the counter when you're talking to them. Customers instinctively think that the person behind the counter wants to sell them something," says Covert. "So come around the counter, be genuine and honest, and people won't even notice that you're also selling them on something." To change the tone of the conversation, have your employees stand when talking to customers, or have them stand next to customers when they fill out paperwork and take a tour. These are great times to pull a product off the shelf and weave it into the conversation. 39 ❘ SMART TAN MAGAZINE ❘ SmartTan.com Creating a great environment isn't all up to the sales team: Employers have a major responsibility for creating a rewarding work environment that motivates their staff to excel. "Give employees an incentive, a goal, something to strive for, something they want. They'll work harder to hit those sales goals," says Covert. "If a certain product isn't moving, make that your featured product and give them a reason to sell it." The most common form of incentive is commission. Part-time hourly employees aren't going to have much motivation to sell competitively if there's nothing in it for them. That's just human nature. But carefully crafting the right commission schedule can help you emphasize the products and services you want to sell most. Offer different commission for products in defined price ranges, or move employees up a sliding scale of commission as they meet certain benchmarks throughout the month.