You've just closed the sale. The money is in the register or the deposit has been taken and the paperwork is done. Your customer has walked out of the door with the receipt for her new bedroom set. You've got another satisfied customer, right? Maybe. If your customer gets buyer's remorse, you might just end up buying back that bedroom set tomorrow.

There are a couple of major reasons that returns or cancellations occur. First, customers may feel they have been convinced to buy the merchandise without having the value clearly established during the demonstration. Highly charismatic or aggressive salespeople can often close a sale on the strength of their personality alone. Unfortunately, when the customers are no longer being directly influenced by such a salesperson, they may decide to cancel the order or return the merchandise.

This theory is why I've always stressed the importance of asking probing questions. Probing questions help you gain the customer's trust and find out what they really want. Also, using the Feature - Advantage - Benefit - Grabber system establishes the value and worth of the merchandise in the demonstration.

The second major reason for returns or cancellations can be a little more complex. When someone has just bought furniture or most products, it's very important to know that someone else likes what they bought. Knowing this helps the buyer feel happier and more confident about their decision. Without positive reactions to their purchase, a person can begin to doubt whether it was wise to buy the merchandise at all. As a salesperson, you have the unique opportunity to confirm that your customer's purchase was the right decision. You do this via the last step in the selling process: confirmations & invitations.

Timing is the key to the effectiveness of the confirmations part of this step. Until the money is in the register or the signature is on paper, most customers will still view your positive comments, no matter how sincere, as attempts to influence their decision. Only after the sale has been made can you be looked upon as simply another person who is offering an honest opinion.

When you take responsibility for being the first to confirm your customers' purchases, you are cementing the sale in their minds and protecting yourself with a little extra insurance against buyer's remorse and a possible return or cancellation.

To help your customer confirmations be more meaningful, there are some useful guidelines to follow in the phrasing. First, you should have your customer's name by now, so be sure and use it. Second, be sure to use the pronoun "I" to indicate that what you're saying is your own personal opinion; not that of the store. In addition, use "you" or "your" to let the customer take all of the credit for choosing the merchandise.

Third, the more specific you can make the confirmation, the better. For example, a customer has just purchased a bedroom set. She is concerned about having a dresser small enough to fit the size of her bedroom, yet large enough to put all of her belongings in. She also wanted it to be very elegant looking. Using this information along with the guidelines above, your confirmation might sound something like this: "Ms. Smith, I think you made a wise choice with this bedroom set. It will create the elegant look you wanted. The size is just perfect for the room you've described and the deep drawers should give you ample room for your belongings."

It's a fact that it's easier to sell to a repeat customer or a referral than to a new one. It's also a fact that, to build a business, repeat and referral customers are the bread and butter of most retail stores. The steady sales provided by these "old friends" enable you to continue to cash in on your local area while increasing your customer base through word-of-mouth referrals.

I suppose the standard "thanks and have a nice day" could be considered polite, but most of the thank yous used by retail salespeople have become so cliché that they no longer have any real meaning or effect. That brings us to the invitation step.

Begin the invitation with "Will you do me a favor?" Most people will automatically answer with a yes. Customers will commit themselves in advance to do what you ask. Then ask the customer to come back to the store for a specific reason. Here's how one might sound. "Will you do me a favor?" (Remember, to always wait for the response.) After you have your bedroom put together, stop back in and let me know how many compliments you've received on the set. I'd really love to hear." You might even ask the customer to take a snapshot of the furniture in her bedroom and bring it in to show you.

It's best never to say, "If you have any problems at all, please be sure to let me know." The customers are in an "alpha" state after making such an important purchase. They will do whatever it is you tell them to do. So if you tell them to have problems, they'll have problems. Why not tell them to just enjoy?

Let's see how the whole conversation (confirmation & invitation) might sound together. Perhaps a customer has just signed to purchase new beds for her four small children. Her major concern (which you found out using the probing step) was to purchase beds that would last until the children outgrew them.

"Mary, I really think you made the right choice with these beds. The frame and construction will hold up even under the tests of your small tribe. Would you do me a favor? (Be sure to wait for the customer's response.) The next time you're in the area, would you stop back in, and let me know how much the children are enjoying them? I'd really like to hear."

A good confirmation & invitation is hard to beat for leaving your customers feeling good about their purchase, telling their friends about you and your store and even shopping with you again.

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