The good, the bad and the ugly – sales lessons of a sofa search binge

 

[sofa*]

Many years ago, à l’époque as the French say, I worked in sales for a variety of products and services. I cannot say that I was greatly successful but the experience prepared me for my current occupations, translation and teaching. Thus, I am familiar with and appreciate the art of selling. Last week, my wife and I went to Check Post, a commercial area on the edge of Haifa in northern Israel, to find a new sofa that would be compatible with our sensitive lower backs. We entered and surveyed at least ten stores. While the results are inconclusive at this point and it was an exhausting experience, the day was interesting in terms of observing the various techniques and levels of skills of the salespeople working in these stores. The range reflected the title of the Sergio Leone classic, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Actually, any entrepreneur selling services or good can benefit from the lessons derived from such an experience.

On the bright side, two of the salespeople were artists in terms of approach and touch. They greeted us quietly at the door but waited a few minutes before asking us if we needed any help. They then asked us questions about our actual needs and directed us to the relevant sofas. After ascertaining the negative issues, they proposed solutions, whether an alternative sofa or an adjustment that could be made to improve the comfort of that item. They gave us time to reflect on the matter and gave us their card when we left. They recognized that buying furniture is too expensive and important a matter to be decided impulsively. In short, they understood the buying process and facilitated it. If we don’t find anything else, we may go back to them and purchase from one of them.

Alas, far too many salespeople simply had no idea how to sell. They not only ignored our presence at the door but afterwards also. Their only help was to tell us to sit down on the sofas. Often, they did not even ask us what our requirements were. They made no effort to identify the issues or try to solve them. Our departure was as unimportant to them as our arrival. In short, it was almost online shopping but without the convenience.

A few salespeople employed anti-selling techniques in terms of aggressiveness, insensitivity to others and hypersensitivity to themselves. They attacked us at the door, not allowing us to get an impression of the place. They then asked us a pro forma question about what type of sofa we wanted, neither listening to our answer nor even considering that a patient may have different priorities. Having failed to identity our needs, they insisted that we try every sofa, taking offense when we said that we know that which would be uncomfortable. (Believe me after a few stores, you have a strong idea of what does not work.). They almost tried to prevent us from leaving and acted insulted when we failed to buy anything.  It was ugly.

These lessons are relevant regardless of what a person sells or in which framework. Measured attention and careful identification of customer needs are vital to success as they allow the seller to tailor the solution to the customer. Impersonal, poor or mechanical service make the customer work too hard, which is not conductive for closing. Aggressive, one-sided and rude service causes customers to walk or log out even if they want to purchase a product. In the world of sales, Clint Eastwood finds the treasure, not Lee Van Cleef.

[Clint Eastwood]

* Pictures captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit - Pixabay