One of the most challenging behaviors that I have to adopt in a selling environment is to turn the other cheek, and walk away from a fight. To work on a sales floor, you have to have some degree of aggression or assertion in order to survive. So sometimes I wish I could just do what comes natural – FIGHT!
It’s a fact - in today’s selling environment, most companies try very hard to please the customer, and teach their sales staff that 99% of the time, “the customer is right”. Really, we do believe that, but for a sales person this is sometimes very hard to act out. Here’s a story about what happened to me yesterday.
A lady (my “up”) was shopping for bargains. She said, “Well, if I buy this sectional, will you throw in this, this AND this?” I laughed and said, “Well, if I threw in anything, they’d throw me out tomorrow.” (We’re a company that can’t negotiate.) This was supposed to be a funny way to say, no. Her answer was, “Well THAT doesn’t concern ME! So, I’m not interested. ” (She was saying that loosing my job because of her was of no concern to her.)
Here’s how I felt. I wasn’t upset with her, because that IS the truth. Customers have no reason to be concerned with a salesperson’s life. But, I also felt that that this one statement defined her character. Not to be concerned whether or not you cost someone his/her job is a little sad, I think. It shows lack of manners.
Well, that’s the way it is in the world of sales. Ever so often, I get to meet a few very Classy people, who actually become friends of mine. And usually every day, I meet some very nice, down – to – earth people. But then, when I’m least expecting it, there’s a few folks that would sour my week if I let them – they’re the ones who give the “buying public” such a bad reputation.
Anyway, I thought that perhaps you’d like to know what it’s like in my Furniture World.