---
title: "What Did You Do When Sales Declined?"
description: "When store sales fall far short of targets or lag behind competitors, what actions have we taken? Or what excuses do we give for poor performance? Common answers include weather, low foot traffic, low conversion rates, lack of promotions, and staff issues. But these are results, not causes; the real cause is our lack of strategies to address them. This article outlines actionable methods to improve sales, such as observing customer needs, adjusting product displays, training staff, analyzing past data, and utilizing VIP resources."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-05-03"
language: "en"
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markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/what-did-you-do-when-sales-declined-b6e8fcf3.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GyvkbLga0Kv8-HbOFRZqjA"
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---

# What Did You Do When Sales Declined?

> When store sales fall far short of targets or lag behind competitors, what actions have we taken? Or what excuses do we give for poor performance? Common answers include weather, low foot traffic, low conversion rates, lack of promotions, and staff issues. But these are results, not causes; the real cause is our lack of strategies to address them. This article outlines actionable methods to improve sales, such as observing customer needs, adjusting product displays, training staff, analyzing past data, and utilizing VIP resources.

When store sales fall far short of ideal targets or lag significantly behind competing brands, what actions have we taken? Or what excuses do we give for poor performance?
**Common excuses for poor sales:**
1. Weather too cold;
2. Weather too hot;
3. Bad weather (rain or snow);
4. Low foot traffic, low entry rate;
5. Low viewing rate;
6. Low conversion rate;
7. No promotions;
8. Promotions not attractive enough;
9. Staff in poor condition;
10. Staff lacking sales skills;
**Don't these excuses sound familiar?**
Of course, these factors do affect business, but they are merely results, not methods. Therefore, they are not the root causes. The real cause is that we lack corresponding strategies to address them.
**Are these factors truly beyond our control?**
Certainly not.
**How many of these truly effective methods to improve sales have you implemented?**
**1: No matter how harsh the weather** \-- as long as there are people on the street, there is demand. Do our store and products cater to customers' needs? Have you carefully observed at the store entrance and window displays? Do you have an adjustment plan?
**2: Low entry rate, big gap with competitors** \-- give yourself twenty minutes, step out of the store, enter competitors' stores, and see what customers are buying. Also, check if female shoppers are wearing makeup. Finally, return to your store entrance and see if your main products meet customer needs. If not, adjust immediately. If they do, customers will definitely enter.
**3: Low conversion rate, weak purchasing power** \-- ask yourself: how much time each day do you spend training staff skills? Or are you standing in a row with staff waiting for business, or even chatting?
**4: Significant decline compared to the same period last year** \-- have we carefully analyzed last year's reports? Do we know what the bestsellers were? Do we have these products this year? If so, are they placed in prime store locations, and is inventory sufficient? If not, have we found alternative styles?
**5: After adjustments, the gap between sales and ideal targets remains** \-- seek resources and additional business opportunities. Have you done VIP development, VIP maintenance, event notifications, new product information alerts, SMS and phone invitations? Aren't these extra breakthroughs? Attracting customers with special sale items as a final add-on—isn't that extra business?
**6: Will business improve after implementing the above five points?** \-- The answer is yes, but we must strive for better. So details also matter, such as target breakdown, staff shifts, busy-time deployment, idle-time arrangements, inventory management, and hourly target tracking. Everyone knows these, but only when applied do they truly count.
**7: What if business still doesn't improve after trying all the above methods?** \-- How could that be? If all are implemented, business will not fail. Besides following the steps, it's about how much heart and mind you invest. The more effort and thought you put in, the more business will reward you in return!
**8: Planning is important, but execution is even more critical. A beautiful plan without execution equals zero.**
This platform will soon organize several experience-sharing salons titled "How Distributors Should Operate the Platform." We will invite domestic distributors who have practical experience in operating to share their insights and discuss how they operate in their local markets. Interested distributors can long-press the QR code below to add the author's WeChat and participate:
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## Copyright and AI use

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Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671