Get A Card!!

One thing that’s drilled into each sales associate is to open credit cards for this store’s national chain. I am brand-loyal with two such cards – one for my store and another card for another store at which I frequent.

The cards aren’t bad, really. There’s no annual fee and you can save 15 percent off your total purchase when you first open an account. That’s a significant savings when you spend a lot of dough on clothes.

Add to that the coupons and e-mail promotions you receive from this store year-round, and you have great incentive to take two extra minutes to apply for a card.

My personal best has been opening six cards in one day -- this just happened last weekend. There is a little tally sheet behind the register where you get to mark how many cards you’ve opened each day.

I always take great pride in marking down the number of cards I’ve opened. It’s like getting a gold star from your teacher on a homework assignment well done… my manager is always happy when I open a card and expects me to do it every shift I work.

I have found that the secret to having clients agree to open a card is to begin discussing the concept in the fitting room.

I know that when a client takes a large amount of clothes into the fitting room to try on, and comes out to admire herself in the three-way mirror and likes what she sees, this becomes the perfect opportunity to talk about the card and how to save 15 percent off her purchase.

Sometimes this tactic works, and other times it does not. In this economy, when people consider that they can save even $20, it becomes less work to convince clients to open a card.

I’ve also had clients open a card on a $10 purchase, which saves them $1.50 after the 15 percent is applied.

I’ve learned that if you don’t ask, the client won’t ever have the opportunity to say “yes.”