As a sales person, how important is to talk soft?

How to improve retail sales?

• I work as a designer for a home decor/ design shop. a lot of my jobs entails retail sales. When customers come in, i usually greet them, but as soon as i do, many put their guard up. How can i talk to customers, after i greet them in a way that will not make them feel like i am just bothering them like an annoying sales person. How can i interact with them when they are "just looking"?

• Answer:

  treat them as you would want to be treated. have you ever gone to a department store and been attacked by a salesperson. it's natural to put ones guard up when someone confronts you in that manner. treat every customer as if they would like to use your services. be positive, smile, get to know the person. a simple greeting, hi i'm so and so. is there anything i can help you with? if they say they are just looking, which i imagine is the natural response. just retreat and tell them you will be over there (point to a location) and if they had any questions you'd be happy to help them, since you are a designer. they most likely will have questions down the line then you could offer your services as a designer or offer to show them your work in, keep a folder with your past work on hand. i think this approach is better than an in your face, i'm not letting you out of my sight till you say yes attitude.