I'm going to take these out of order.
I learned very early, the best way to approach a prospective customer was to never ask "Can I help you?", because the almost instinctive reply seems to be, "No thank you, I'm just looking", and it is a closed question. (Meaning it can only be answered yes or no.) Instead I would usually greet someone with "Good_____, what can I point you towards?". By using this approach it served two purposes. One, it was something most people aren't used to hearing, therefore it tended to get their attention. Two, it was an open ended question, requiring an actual answer. Almost all of the time I found it to be a great ice breaker that put the customer at ease, whether they were a legitimate customer shopping for something, or if they were just walking through to kill time.
Now in both quotes you've pointed out "trying to get me to buy" and "not until I'm ready". If you're dealing with a truly good salesperson that cares about what they are doing, they won't push either point. A goodsales person will spend more time finding out about your wants and needs and fulfilling them, rather than trying to push you into something that might not be right for you. But most importantly, a good salesperson isn't worried about, or focused on, making the sale. They know, if they have done their job correctly, the customer is going to want to make the purchase.
Thanks. I learned much from him in my years at the store, and still find myself picking up things from him to this day.
You point to a perfect example of lessons learned. This time it was my turn. About two years later I had been promoted to be the manager of our new store in another city. (Cry nepotism all ya want, my weekly sales usually totalled more than the other 3 guys put together
). I had one of the guys from the other store come down for a couple of hours a week during our busier hours to help me cover the floor. If no one was in the store, I always gave him the up so it would make worth his time.
Now to set this, keep in mind I'm in the mid-west (USA). Pretty vanilla around these parts (especially back then). Well this guy walks into the store, so I nod to my guy to greet him. He takes one look, his eyes get real big, and he starts shaking is head no. I go over and ask him if he is sure. He laughs and say totally. You see, Perry was not just openly gay, he described himself as "Flaming", and he had come through the door in full stereotype.
Obviously my salesman was uncomfortable. I came to find out from Perry, he wasn't the only one. Its seems I was the first person in all of the stores in the area that treated him like just another person. I found out he used the stereotypes to see how he would be received. By the time he left, he had purchased a bedroom set, dining room set, and full living room outfit. My salesman fealt like a complete ass. Lesson learned.
On kind of a sidenote. I made a loyal friend that day. It was kind of poetic, because the same salesman was with me a few months later when Perry came back in. This time he had his sister in tow. She was from a small town about 3 hours away, but he insisted she make the trip. I found out her house had burned to the ground earlier in the year and she had finally gotten her insurance settlement. She now had the new house, but not a single piece of furniture. She literally needed a house full. With Perry's help, I provided her just that.
I learned very early, the best way to approach a prospective customer was to never ask "Can I help you?", because the almost instinctive reply seems to be, "No thank you, I'm just looking", and it is a closed question. (Meaning it can only be answered yes or no.) Instead I would usually greet someone with "Good_____, what can I point you towards?". By using this approach it served two purposes. One, it was something most people aren't used to hearing, therefore it tended to get their attention. Two, it was an open ended question, requiring an actual answer. Almost all of the time I found it to be a great ice breaker that put the customer at ease, whether they were a legitimate customer shopping for something, or if they were just walking through to kill time.
Now in both quotes you've pointed out "trying to get me to buy" and "not until I'm ready". If you're dealing with a truly good salesperson that cares about what they are doing, they won't push either point. A goodsales person will spend more time finding out about your wants and needs and fulfilling them, rather than trying to push you into something that might not be right for you. But most importantly, a good salesperson isn't worried about, or focused on, making the sale. They know, if they have done their job correctly, the customer is going to want to make the purchase.
Thanks. I learned much from him in my years at the store, and still find myself picking up things from him to this day.
You point to a perfect example of lessons learned. This time it was my turn. About two years later I had been promoted to be the manager of our new store in another city. (Cry nepotism all ya want, my weekly sales usually totalled more than the other 3 guys put together
). I had one of the guys from the other store come down for a couple of hours a week during our busier hours to help me cover the floor. If no one was in the store, I always gave him the up so it would make worth his time.Now to set this, keep in mind I'm in the mid-west (USA). Pretty vanilla around these parts (especially back then). Well this guy walks into the store, so I nod to my guy to greet him. He takes one look, his eyes get real big, and he starts shaking is head no. I go over and ask him if he is sure. He laughs and say totally. You see, Perry was not just openly gay, he described himself as "Flaming", and he had come through the door in full stereotype.
Obviously my salesman was uncomfortable. I came to find out from Perry, he wasn't the only one. Its seems I was the first person in all of the stores in the area that treated him like just another person. I found out he used the stereotypes to see how he would be received. By the time he left, he had purchased a bedroom set, dining room set, and full living room outfit. My salesman fealt like a complete ass. Lesson learned.
On kind of a sidenote. I made a loyal friend that day. It was kind of poetic, because the same salesman was with me a few months later when Perry came back in. This time he had his sister in tow. She was from a small town about 3 hours away, but he insisted she make the trip. I found out her house had burned to the ground earlier in the year and she had finally gotten her insurance settlement. She now had the new house, but not a single piece of furniture. She literally needed a house full. With Perry's help, I provided her just that.
