Archives for November 2006
Where to draw the line in selling?
My second Saturday job as a teenager was as a sales girl in a shoe shop.
Big difference from the previous set up in the attitude of the other full-time sales assistants here: At this place everyone was paid a basic wage plus commission on individual sales. So now I had to learn the art of tactfully yet firmly standing my ground when another assistant tried to cut in on a would-be customer (read: potential sale = commission = more money in someone’s pocket).
I also heard some of the most appalling lies about how good such and such a pair of shoes looked on ‘madam’; made her legs appear longer, her feet smaller/ narrower, etc., and how these shoes/ boots/ sandals will “feel like a pair of slippers before you know it”, and “we have just the handbag to go with them for you!”
They absolutely loved the opportunity to sell the RWBs (basically discontinued lines that had flopped) because they got huge commission on those in comparison to the regular ranges of shoes.
Those sales assistants weren’t nasty people by nature, they just seemed to change mentality the moment a prospective customer walked in the door. They’d ’size them up’ and estimate what they thought they could get away with.
I wouldn’t mind betting that at least half of those people never came back…
Which brings me to my tip on where to draw the line in selling:
It doesn’t matter what your reasons are -
- This sale will make you sales person of the month
- This sale will pay the office rental for the next two months
- This sale will pay the salaries for the next three months
… Whatever.
Never try to either force a sale onto an uncertain customer or oversell to anyone - it might temporarily get you out of a jam but isn’t fair, you won’t build a good relationship with that customer and it won’t work to your company’s advantage in the long run.
Happy selling!
Don’t forget to add your comments or share a story with us…
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
Thought for the week - 8
This is an old story but one I’m sure we all recognise…
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There were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.
Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
The flip side of this coin is that, once we all start taking just a little bit more responsibility, things do get done. As a trite but true saying goes:
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To assume makes an ass of u and me
… Have a great week!
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
Sales professional or not - we all make mistakes!
How many times do you read words of wisdom from self-proclaimed (and sometimes acknowledged) gurus, experts and the like and think:
“Well, it’s all right for you, you’ve already made it in your field. You’ve forgotten what it’s like for those just starting out†and find it hard if not downright impossible to envision a day when the activity described will ever come easily or naturally to you?
I came across a post recently that honestly and delightfully described the author’s preparation for and results of early attempts at cold calling, having taken time out to rebrand her company.
Bear in mind that this lady is a self-admitted sales professional and you’ll feel pretty good about your own attempts at the end of the article.
Jill Konrath’s warm and human appraisal of where we can all go wrong, her ability to laugh at herself and and her tips to keep us on the straight and narrow are the timely dose of smelling salts for anyone one who’s faint hearted about cold calling!
Happy prospecting and please add your comments
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
