Sara Hunt joined Trevor Mottram, Tunbridge Wells in 2007 as general manager and was one of the six finalists for Retail Employee of the Year in the Excellence in Housewares Awards 2018. In a series of Q&A’s with these champions of housewares retailing, Housewares News put five questions to Sara:
What do you like most about your job?
“Putting people in touch with what they need and seeing them walking out happy.”
How would you describe good customer service?
“Let customers come in the door and look around before approaching them. If they are looking for something, then take them to the product rather than pointing. Help them to find out what will suit them – they probably won’t know which is the best saucepan for them out of a selection of 20. We often banter with our customers. We have a lot of regulars and a lot of visitors that come back regularly – they expect us to remember what they’ve bought and often we do!”
How do you deal with challenging customers?
“Find a solution. Be on their level. If there is a problem, contact suppliers and if you know suppliers’ policies, provide an exchange there and then if you need to, and then deal with it afterwards with your reps.”
What do you like most about housewares?
“Bizarrely, my husband does most of the cooking at home, but I love to be the first to see new products and get a feel for what’s good, bad or indifferent.”
What is your best piece of work related advice?
“Treat your customers the same way you’d want to be treated. Be friendly and ready for questions while not being in someone’s face.”
Top: Trevor Mottram’s Sara Hunt.
