Often I have been going to Ace Hardware. It is less than a mile from the house, the staff is very friendly and the store is perfect for me when I need a few quick items like light bulbs, batteries or some mulch. A few weeks ago was no different. I had my 2-3 items and the cashier, Sherri, asked me if I wanted to get an Ace Hardware Credit card. I responded with a “no thank you” and after 2-3 minutes we finished our transaction and I was on my way. Sorry Sherri, you could have done a little better. I am sure there was some type of promotion at the company that if you get 5 people to sign up then you get a spiff or something… or perhaps the manager in the daily team meeting said “I want everyone to be asked if they would like an Ace Credit Card.” Maybe that was the story or at least close to it.
Either way, you could have done more. When you brought up the credit card, why not stress the benefits? Why not mention that thousands of customers are saving money every day and reaping awards. Would you like to also reap the awards? Perhaps she should have said in the daily meeting to the manager – what is the most effective way to have customers sign up for the credit card? Are there best practices or techniques that you can teach us that can help?
Who knows?
Maybe some of that would work.
But just asking customers if they want an Ace Hardware Credit Card (to me) is a total waste of time without a little bit of strategy behind the ask.
- Am I wrong?
- How good of a salesperson was the cashier when you signed up for a retail store credit card?
- Do you remember any special sales techniques they used?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Janet says:
I never sign up for credit cards. I have 2 and that’s all I need. However, I made an exception for Nordstrom’s. The store had just opened in Nashville and I was in making some purchases. At checkout the saleslady asked if I would like a Nordstrom card. My first reaction was no until i heard about Nordstrom points. You get them for every dollar spent and there are those triple and double points days! Points turn into dollars off future purchases. No coupons to carry around, just the credit card. Shopping is also very easy online and always free shipping and returns online or in-store. All of this sounded very appealing to me, so I ended up getting the card. She wasn’t pushy at all, she just explained all the benefits to me. Also she was extremely efficient. I hate sales people who do not value my time. I am going to shop there, so I might as well reap the rewards.
Dan Rangel says:
I think I was at Banana Republic and when I was at the checkout the woman actually told me how much I would save in dollars, not percentage. Had she told me I would save 20% I probably wouldn’t have bothered. But she told me by opening a card that day I was saving something like $25. That made me think about it a little more and I signed up for a “Banana Card” on the spot.
Then I went home and canceled the card. Ha ha.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Dan,
Its funny I often wonder how many people do the exact same thing?
Thanks for sharing.
Merrill
roger austin says:
I agree with you she needed to tell you why you should sign up and the benefits you receive. I typically don’t sign up but I did at Bass Pro when I was purchasing a gun that was several thousand dollars and i was going to save 10% on all purchases that day. With ammo that was a lot of savings and to their benefit I have kept the card and used it gaining rewards points. So we both won.
Bo Mullan says:
Merrill, next time she asks and you say no, turn to her on the way out and say “Thank you Sherri for thinking of me first. I said no and your respected my answer. I do not have time to listen to any more about a credit card, not do I want to hear your commercial, so thank you for not going there because that is not what I came here to experience. You asked, i said no, and I am out the door. Perfect! Otherwise I would have been pressured by you and maybe go somewhere else net time.”
Al says:
The customer can always ask for the details when offered a credit card. After hearing ““no thank you,” continuing on about the card might have the effect of putting some people off who just told her “no.” She could have been avoiding being perceived as pushy and/or annoying. If she gave the savings details up front when first asking the customer (i.e., Would you like to open up a ACE credit account, it would save you 10% on this purchase?) then that may have been a better approach for Sherri to take. Continuing on about it after being told “No” might not sit well with some customers.