The Live Selling Glitch Automation Can’t Fix: The Jitters
There’s no doubt that live selling can boost your business, but for some retailers, going live can be a massive leap that requires a boost of confidence. While CommentSold simplifies the technical process, it doesn’t remove the first-time jitters of interacting with shoppers and showcasing products live. We get it! Live selling can be intimidating. No automation in the world can make you confident on camera. Still, you can become cool, calm, and collected on air with a bit of guidance and structure. To help you do this, we are bringing in a live selling professional to give you practical tips that will inspire and encourage you before you click “record.”
Introducing Live Selling Expert, Stacey Stauffer
First, let’s introduce Stacey Stauffer, the brains behind the live selling best practices you’ll find here. Stacey has over 20 years of broadcasting experience and has reached millions of people and connected with audiences across the nation.
She started her career on camera as a news anchor, reporting live on local and national networks for 15 years. This experience set her up for success for her next venture, a job with QVC. QVC first introduced live selling to retail in 1986. Since then, the television powerhouse has become the #1 home shopping network. Hosts like Stacey showcase products from international brands while offering deals to millions of viewers at home. Stacey did all this, completely live and unscripted. As a result, she has developed an authentic brand and personality that captivates viewers and encourages purchases.
Stacey has recently transitioned out of her original role at QVC to pursue another passion: her food and lifestyle brand, Savor it with Stacey. Her dedicated shoppers and fans followed her into the kitchen. She now uses her live selling and hosting skills to share cooking videos and recipes in real-time. In addition to being a successful career woman and nationally recognized television personality, she is a dedicated, loving wife and mom.
You, too, can have live selling success with these tips from CommentSold’s friend and mentor, Stacey Stauffer.
Stacey Stauffer’s Tips for Hosting Successful Live Sales
Stacey partners with CommentSold as a business consultant to do live sale auditing for large shops. Through her experiences on air and her love for live shopping, she can provide valuable insights to help our shops level up their live sales. Here are a few helpful tips we learned during our conversation with Stacey:
Build on the Basics
Before you go live, remember these five essential tips:
-
-
- “Don’t think about the larger audience. Pretend it is you and one other person in the room.”
- “Be yourself! People are watching you because they like you.”
- “Be casual and relatable. Tell me about this sweater like you would tell your mom or best friend.”
- “Don’t think about the sale. Think about the person you are talking to.”
- “Relax. The more you do it, the more it becomes second nature.”
-
“CommentSold allows boutique owners to be themselves and talk about the love of their brand and products by providing the friend-to-friend experience that customers are craving,” Stacey says. So don’t stress about curating a perfectly polished live sale. Instead, do your best, be yourself, and your shoppers will be excited to shop with their friend!
Take Precautions to Avoid Common Pit-Falls
While your live sales should be fun and relaxed, there are a few pitfalls to be aware of that may accidentally be a turn-off for shoppers:
-
-
- “You’ve got to be mindful that there are always new people watching, and you need to welcome them in and make them feel included.” You may turn off new shoppers by doing things like referring to people off-screen without introducing them, talking about previous live sales, and sharing inside jokes. All of which can make your live sales feel too exclusive.
- The host should always wear items that will appear in the live sale. Suppose the shoppers become interested in the host’s clothing and it isn’t available. In that case, Stacey says, “This is a huge missed opportunity.”
- Be sure to draw in the personal connection. How can the shoppers style the item you are showcasing? Is it best for the beach, for a yoga class, for a wedding? Add context that allows the shoppers to connect with the item and picture themselves in it!
- Always show the back of the garments. While it may seem uncomfortable, your shoppers need to see how the item fits! Is it longer in the back? Does it have a strappy detail or a fancy fabric? Always do a turn to show the entire silhouette of the item.
-
Switch Up Your Setup
Creating variety when it comes to your live selling setup can be a fun way to entertain shoppers. On that note, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to your backdrop:
-
-
- Don’t be afraid to shake things up with decorations or props
- Try going live on location with vendors at market to showcase the newest trends
- If you shoot from your warehouse, bedroom or on-location, have a reason for your change of scenery so that it makes sense to your shoppers
- Produce your show and have a plan to ensure a nice flow of products, natural conversation, and minimal distractions
-
Perfect Your Pre-Sale Prep
A little planning goes a long way! Stacey recommends:
-
-
- Planning your product lineup and knowing how to transition between items
- Studying the product’s details before the sale (what colors and sizes are available)
- Having everything you need readily available (chargers, hangers, etc.)
- Providing details the shoppers would see if they were shopping in-store (material, button functionality, texture, etc.)
-
Keep the Customers First
Above all else, your business is about your customers. So keeping them happy should be your top priority.
“It is about trust. If you earn your customers’ trust, they will be a customer for life. The best way to do that is to be there with them as you describe the products and provide the customer experience they would have in the store through the live steam. Your website can’t do that with a product description. You are the influence to help put that product into their life.”
“I think it’s great what CommentSold does: providing a platform and bone structure to be able to handle all the things that make owning a business stressful.”
Stacey Stauffer
With CommentSold’s help on the backend and Stacey’s tips for going live, there’s no limit to what you can do! If you liked these tips from Stacey, be sure to follow her journey on savoritwithstacey.com.
