I was getting my hair cut at a hip, local salon last week. The atmosphere was lively and fun, and the service was impeccable. As my shorter new style was really starting to take shape, a tall young guy walked in with a cardboard box and approached the receptionist’s desk.
“Hey, how you guy’s doin’? I’m from a company working around the corner and we had all this stuff left over. Since my boss can’t return it and has no use for it, he said I should go to the local shops and see if I could sell it for, like, 80% off. You guys wanna look through this and see if there’s anything you wanna buy?”
Somewhat confused, the women politely said no and the guy replied “A’ight. Have a good one.” What interested me most was the conversation that occurred after he left.
The stylists and reception started talking about how the guy’s sales approach was what turned them off, otherwise they might have been interested in the mystery box. They commented to each other that he was too casual in his approach, and didn’t attempt anything creative with his “sales pitch”. One suggested he should have offered the 80% discount “simply because there were so many gorgeous women in the salon!”
The lesson? Customers want professionalism, but everyone likes to smile or laugh. Customers always want straight-talk, but they also want to feel like they’re special, like the company (or person) they purchase from is catering to their unique needs.
Is your website one of your most successful sales team members?
