There is no doubt that the holiday shopping season is about as hectic as it gets in retail. Your stores are filled with shoppers anxiously waiting to give you their money so they can scratch one more name off their shopping list. It's no wonder that amidst all the hustle and bustle, even the most seasoned sales veterans may slip and neglect to make the most of every sales opportunity.

As you're busy closing one sale, in anticipation of moving on to the next, adding on may be the last thing on your mind. But this is precisely the time when you should not only be thinking about adding on, but also about how much you can add on to each sale.

They Aren't Just Looking-They're Looking to Buy

For most retailers, the holiday season is singularly the best time of year to maximize every sale. As a salesperson, you have an advantage that you seldom have at any other time of the year; you know that the shoppers walking into your store are not just looking, they are looking to buy. What you don't know is how much they will buy. In one study conducted by a famous university, 20 students were sent out to a shopping mall, each with $100. They were instructed to go into a store and buy something inexpensive. If the salesperson tried to sell them an additional item, they were to purchase it. Thereafter, they were to continue buying everything suggested by the salesperson until the suggestions stopped or the money ran out. All the students came back with money in their pockets.

Take the Time to Add On to Every Sale

Adding on doesn't take very much time. If your customer has selected a sweater for his sister, it takes virtually no additional time for you to suggest a perfectly coordinated scarf or a really wild pair of earrings to enhance the look of the sweater. If you're doing your job well, you should be suggesting potential add-ons long before you write the sale up at the register. Even in cases where the customer has selected a gift without the assistance of a salesperson, you should have counter-type add-on items within arms reach to suggest with every sale. For example, no one should be allowed to sell a pair of shoes without asking the customer to buy a bottle of shoe polish; or how about a matching pair of socks to go along with the shoes?

Adding on to Holiday Gift Buyers

There are a couple of interesting points to consider when selling to people who are buying holiday gifts as opposed to shopping for themselves. When people are shopping for gifts, they usually have one item in mind for each person on their list. Once they find that item, they're ready to move on to the next item on their list. What's interesting is that even though your customers may only be looking for one item, there's nothing that says they wouldn't buy two or more items, especially at this gift-giving time of year. Because they are preoccupied with finding the main item, looking for an additional item may be the last thing on your customers' minds. It's possible that if someone was to suggest a perfectly coordinated item to enhance the look of the main item, the customer might be quite open to the suggestion and even grateful to the person making it!

Who Else Can I Take Off Your List For You?

Because many people don't enjoy holiday shopping or don't have the time to spend shopping, you have a chance to be their shopping savior. Once you've helped them find the perfect gift they were looking for, offer up the following: "Who else can I take off your list for you?" Why not suggest that you might be able to take some of the burden off their shoulders by helping them go down their list and get more if not all of their shopping done with you at one time. By becoming their "personal shopper" of the moment, you both win. And who's to say when you're thanking the customer for their purchases, that you can't suggest having their friends or family come in so you can help them whittle down their lists, too? If you do a good job, you'll create personal trade customers that shop with you all year long.

Do You Want Some of Their Money, or All of Their Money?

Along with having one item in mind, shoppers usually have an idea of how much they are willing to spend for that item. Suppose your customer has set a budget of $50 to find a sweater for his sister. Even though he has this amount in his mind, he may very well spend a few dollars more if he found just the right sweater. On the other hand, suppose he finds a perfect sweater for $40. He still has $10 left over from his budgeted amount to spend. You could let him spend it somewhere else, or you could add on to his main purchase. As we say in our seminars, "Do you want some of their money, or all of their money?" The answer: All of it. Why? Because they'll make more!

As busy as it may get, don't miss the opportunity to make the most of every sale by adding on. It doesn't take much time to suggest an additional item. The holiday season comes but once a year. It's up to you to make the most of it! Happy Selling!