AO5 – Demonstrate sales skills

I. Scenario * You work at the weekends at Sainsbury’s on the Sound and Vision department.
A middle aged woman comes up to you whilst you are arranging some CD’s and asks for your help. She is looking for a CD to buy for her daughter who is about 19. She tells you that her daughter is into the latest popular music and asks you what CD you recommend. Her budget is £15.

Customer: Hi
Employee: (Smiling)
Employee: Hello, How’re doing?
Customer: Fine, just looking for a CD for my daughter
Employee: Okay.
Employee: Do you need any help?
Customer: Yes, I need help; it will soon be my daughter’s birthday and I am looking for a gift for her .
Employee: Okay, how old she is?
Customer: She turns 19.
Employee: Okay (Walking towards the CD Department)
Employee: Do you know what genre of music she listens to?
Customer: Not really;
Employee: You don’t know if she likes electronic, pop or hip hop music.
Employee: (Still walking around the CD department)
Employee: Sorry, How old she is again?
Customer: She turns 19 and she likes music that is popular at the moments and that is regularly in the radio.
Employee: Okay (Showing to the customer a CD)
Employee: I recommend to your daughter a new Double CD album of Lady Gaga, it is popular right now and it costs £20 .
Employee: (Showing the CD to the customer)
Customer: Sorry, I forgot to tell you; I can only spend £15.
Employee: Oh that’s okay; I think your daughter will like this one.
Customer: What is it?
Employee: It is Lady Gaga again, this one is a single CD and cost only £8.99
Customer: (Looking at the CD) okay, I will take this, are you’re sure she will like this?
Employee: Yes, I am sure she will like it, it’s very popular.
Employee: If she doesn’t like it, you can give the CD back, to get a full refund, just keep your receipt and do not open it.
Customer: Okay.
Employee: Is there anything else that I can help you with?
Customer: No, thank you.
Employee: Okay, have a nice day, bye
Customer: Bye

In this task, a woman needs advice about what CD she can buy for a daughter who is about 19. In the scenario it was a face-to-face situation so I listened to what the customer was saying, I looked her straight in her eyes and used correct body language. I made sure I was dressed smart in front of the customer.
Firstly, I greeted the customer correctly, by smiling and asking how she is and what she needs. I treated the customer correctly by providing her with what she needs and by using appropriate language. Secondly, I asked many questions to the customer and found a solution for the customer’s problem. Finally, I have done good customer service because I treated the customer correctly by asking her if she needed anything else and I also provided her with her daughter’s CD.
I could have done better by explaining more about the type of music on each CD and by giving the customer more choices, as she may have recognised some of the names of albums if she had time to look and ask questions. However, I did make it clear that if the customer needed to return the CD she could get a refund or exchange it. I think that the CD I recommended was good because it is popular at the moment and I think that the customer’s daughter would like it.