If you want to boost your Sales, put the focus of change on the point of contact with the customer

In the case studies section of our website, we recently published a post on one of our latest retail projects, in FNAC, with 8 stores in Barcelona and Girona. A project for change at the point of contact with the customer.

We started with an in-person Summit, two days with all the section heads. Then, we facilitated 4 online sessions with all those who are part of the stores’ sales team. The objective was to increase customer satisfaction and boost sales of products and services.

The excellent results of this project encourage us to delve more deeply into a topic that we have already discussed on several occasions: the benefits of applying methodologies such as Appreciative Inquiry, the Expansive Circle or Grateful Sales, especially in the retail sector. And we have spoken about this topic with specific examples, such as Eroski.

In that project, Madavi’s challenge was: “How to help Eroski become a leader in customer service.” And the results are there to see: customer perception of Eroski’s service rose from 68% to 83-96%. Additionally, each of the stores became number 1 in customer satisfaction.

Grateful sales make the customer leave much more satisfied, the store teams become much more involved, and sales increase.

Discover HERE how to boost your Sales, in 3 phases.

Appreciative Inquiry in the retail sector focuses on listening to satisfied customers and using their feedback to improve their experience even more.

Furthermore, and this is key, when the Sale is made with gratitude to the customer, so that customers feel they have been given something more than the product itself, much more is sold.

FNAC Project

What is Appreciative Inquiry and how is it applied in the retail sector?

Appreciative Inquiry is a change methodology that focuses on finding what’s positive in an organization and amplifying it. Instead of focusing on problems and deficiencies, we seek to discover strengths and opportunities for improvement. In the retail sector, Appreciative Inquiry can be applied to improve customer experience and increase sales. For example, instead of focusing on dissatisfied customers, the focus goes on to satisfied customers and the goal is to expand their positive experience. Furthermore, by looking for improvement opportunities, changes that strengthen the customer relationship and improve the company’s image can be implemented. Thus, in this process, it is essential to listen to customers and understand their needs.

Madavi’s proposal for the retail sector

Madavi’s proposal, with very positive results in Sales, is: Analyze the best experiences with customers, according to their protagonists, the employees. This happens in short appreciative meetings held periodically.

Each person recounts the best experience they have had with a customer since the previous gathering; a moment that they felt proud of, when the customer expressed gratitude. From these stories, there is discussion of lessons that can be held on to and small changes that can be made based on real experiences in practical learning.

Finally, each person chooses what they want to do, without apologising or asking permission, as an independent action. It is a learning system, a system of trial and error. This methodology is called The expansive circle.

By involving the entire team, new ideas and strategies to improve customer experience and increase sales can be identified.

We have talked about FNAC and Eroski, but there are many examples of companies that have used and do use Appreciative Inquiry in their business strategy for the retail sector.

The future of Appreciative Inquiry in the retail sector is promising. More and more companies are adopting this practice to deliver exceptional customer experience and increase sales. By focusing on the positive, on good customer experiences, and looking for opportunities for improvement, you can identify the strengths of the business, replicate and expand them.

And in an increasingly competitive world, this can make the difference between a company that is successful and one that is not. A good reason to step up and implement it in your company!