Specialty Departments: Music/DVD

Music/DVD Insights and Tips
Joe DeLong, music/DVD manager
Princeton, New Jersey

For six years, movie and music aficionado Joe DeLong has been generating sales through extraordinary customer service.  We recently spoke with the Music/DVD department manager of the Princeton, NJ, store and he shared some tips for success.

What’s your best hand-selling tip?

Joe: If a customer asks you if something is good, don’t just give them the old standby and say, “It sells well.”  Be honest.  Customers appreciate our opinions or they wouldn’t ask.  If I like something, I will tell them all the reasons why I think it’s a good choice, and if I don’t like something, I will tell them why and ask if I can recommend something else.

Additionally, if you see a customer holding a CD or DVD that you like, compliment them on their choice.  Tell them why you like it, and recommend something similar.

What’s the movie you've recommended and sold the most?

Joe: Most of what I buy for myself and recommend to customers are TV shows like Dexter, Nip/Tuck, and Weeds.  In turn, many customers have recommended TV shows to me.  TV is our biggest DVD category in terms of sales.  Many people would rather wait for the complete season on DVD than wait each week for a new episode.  Getting someone hooked up to a long running TV show is a great sales opportunity as they will probably come back to buy the following seasons.

What are your suggestions to grow department sales?

Joe: Blu-ray has been gaining momentum.  We need to remind our customers that if they own a PS3, they already own a Blu-ray player!