I recently witnessed an encounter I may never see again. I was having lunch with a lady who had sold appliances for thirty-one years for Sears. Our waitress walked up to us, looked at my friend, and exclaimed, “I know you!”
My appliance-salesperson friend was taken aback. “You do?”
“Yes,” the waitress replied. “You sold me appliances ten years ago!” She paused. “Give me a little time, and I’ll remember your name. Meanwhile, I‘ll be right back with your beverages.”
She returned a few minutes later. “I remember,” she stated. “Your name is Kathy.”
“You are right,” Kathy responded, laughing.
“You took good care of me,” the waitress explained. “You helped me get what I needed and followed up afterward to be sure it worked.”
“That’s what I liked about selling,” Kathy agreed. “Helping people get what they wanted and making certain it worked for them.”
I remembered this conversation a few days later when I called a company to book a trip. Two days earlier I had called and talked to a very helpful person named Sue. At that time, I had not been ready to set a date, and Sue had encouraged me to call back at my convenience. “We are very accommodating,” she stated. “Call back whenever you are ready and talk with either me or Patty.”
The day I called only Patty was in the office. When I told Patty what I wanted to book, she said, “That’s wrong. We don’t offer that during the day. We only have that at night. There must be a miscommunication.”
“That’s what Sue and I discussed for a daytime booking,” I replied. “We never talked about an evening time frame.”
“Well, we don’t offer that during the day. You have to take what we offer,” Patty returned.
I was quiet. I hadn’t been prepared for a different offer. All I wanted to do was set the date. Now the entire booking had changed.
“Hello?” Patty said. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, I am,” I said.
“Well, do you want to set a date or not?” Patty asked.
“I think I’ll call Sue back tomorrow,” I responded.
“Well, I’m her boss,” Patty snidely informed me, thinking that I assumed I would get what I wanted from Sue.
She didn’t understand that her manner made me not want to deal with her. Rather than trying to help me, she barked that I couldn’t get what I had discussed. Instead of asking me questions to learn what I wanted, she told me I was wrong. In place of treating me as a valued customer and Sue a good employee, Patty berated us both as miscommunications.
Patty was not a person I wanted to talk to again. She was quite a contrast to Kathy who was appreciated ten years later.
Profitable transactions are done by those who take an interest in customers and develop relationships with them. That is profitable selling.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What encounter with a salesperson sticks in your mind? E-mail me your answer.
My appliance-salesperson friend was taken aback. “You do?”
“Yes,” the waitress replied. “You sold me appliances ten years ago!” She paused. “Give me a little time, and I’ll remember your name. Meanwhile, I‘ll be right back with your beverages.”
She returned a few minutes later. “I remember,” she stated. “Your name is Kathy.”
“You are right,” Kathy responded, laughing.
“You took good care of me,” the waitress explained. “You helped me get what I needed and followed up afterward to be sure it worked.”
“That’s what I liked about selling,” Kathy agreed. “Helping people get what they wanted and making certain it worked for them.”
I remembered this conversation a few days later when I called a company to book a trip. Two days earlier I had called and talked to a very helpful person named Sue. At that time, I had not been ready to set a date, and Sue had encouraged me to call back at my convenience. “We are very accommodating,” she stated. “Call back whenever you are ready and talk with either me or Patty.”
The day I called only Patty was in the office. When I told Patty what I wanted to book, she said, “That’s wrong. We don’t offer that during the day. We only have that at night. There must be a miscommunication.”
“That’s what Sue and I discussed for a daytime booking,” I replied. “We never talked about an evening time frame.”
“Well, we don’t offer that during the day. You have to take what we offer,” Patty returned.
I was quiet. I hadn’t been prepared for a different offer. All I wanted to do was set the date. Now the entire booking had changed.
“Hello?” Patty said. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, I am,” I said.
“Well, do you want to set a date or not?” Patty asked.
“I think I’ll call Sue back tomorrow,” I responded.
“Well, I’m her boss,” Patty snidely informed me, thinking that I assumed I would get what I wanted from Sue.
She didn’t understand that her manner made me not want to deal with her. Rather than trying to help me, she barked that I couldn’t get what I had discussed. Instead of asking me questions to learn what I wanted, she told me I was wrong. In place of treating me as a valued customer and Sue a good employee, Patty berated us both as miscommunications.
Patty was not a person I wanted to talk to again. She was quite a contrast to Kathy who was appreciated ten years later.
Profitable transactions are done by those who take an interest in customers and develop relationships with them. That is profitable selling.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What encounter with a salesperson sticks in your mind? E-mail me your answer.
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