Assumptions ? The Hidden Sales Killer
Assumptions can kill a sale. In my sales training workshops, I frequently discuss the importance of not making assumptions about a person before, during, or after the sales process. Participants frequently nod and tell me that they NEVER make assumptions. One person (Doug Maquire, www.MaquireMarketing.com) sent me this story of a situation that occurred in a department store he worked in many years ago. "I was the 'young kid' who had signed on to take the 9 month Management Training course for a department store chain.
Sales people were generally assigned specific areas to cover within the store but being a 'management trainee' I had to learn all departments." One day, a rough looking middle aged fellow entered the store. He was dressed in well-worn workpants, work boots, and a soiled red and black plaid shirt just like you'd expect a lumberjack to wear. No one approached him (I guess he didn't look like a good sales prospect) and he didn't move from the front entrance; he just stood there surveying the store from left to right. I walked up to him and asked if I could help. He said, "I need a pair of wool socks.
No nylon, no cotton, just wool socks." We went to the Menswear Department and both watched as the sales person assigned to that department walked away from us so he wouldn't have to waste his time going through the full selection of hosiery just to find a single pair of wool socks." I then started asking questions about style, colour, size, price range, etc., to help narrow down exactly what the customer needed. "It don't matter." he replied, "Just wool socks. I work back in the bush and we only come to town every three weeks. Nylon makes my feet sweat. Cotton's okay but it don't last long.
I need socks I can wear at work everyday and that's wool." So, I checked the content label of every style and colour of sock that we had in stock and eventually found a pair of 100% wool socks. "Good", he said, and we walked up the checkout counter to ring in the $3.95 pair of wool socks. The man left and I got a bit of ribbing from the sales person in the Menswear Department about my 'big sale of the day' and how ?not to spend my commission all in one place!'"Three weeks later the customer returned. He then walked over to me and said, "I need more wool socks like that last pair". This time he decided that he'd take 6 pair.
We took the socks up to the checkout counter and rang in the six pair of $3.95 socks. The customer paid cash, said thanks, and walked away with his purchase. This time I didn't get quite as much ribbing from the sales person in the Menswear Department.Exactly three weeks later the customer came back. He walked through the front door and made a beeline for me. "I need more of them wool socks", he said.
"The boys at camp want to know where I got them and want some too. How many have you got?" I checked the display area, the stockroom, and our new stock shipment and told him I had 58 pair. He paid cash and bought them all. I never found out exactly how many people he worked with, but every three weeks he'd show up at the store and ask what I had in the way of tee-shirts, long johns, plaid wool shirts, work boots, gloves, caps, toques, coveralls, work jackets, etc., and each time he arrived, he'd walk right up to me for service and we'd both go to the proper department and select what he needed for himself and for the guys he worked with. He always paid cash and always thanked me for my help."If Doug had made the mistake of following his coworker's footsteps and made the same assumptions about the customer, he would have lost thousands of dollars in sales.
It is easy to make assumptions about our customers and prospects. A person's appearance, age, gender, nationality, or role within the company, often influences us. I have made this mistake when speaking to companies in the past. Upon learning that they only had a few salespeople, I made the assumptions they would not be willing to pay my standard fee. I later learned that this assumption was completely inaccurate and that they were fully prepared to invest in their teams' development.
As a consumer, I have often noticed that most sales people will approach well-dressed customers before they talk to people who are attired in jeans or casual clothing. Avoid this fatal mistake and go into every sales interaction with an open and clear mind. This will definitely have a positive impact on your sales.Copyright 2004 Kelley Robertson, all rights reserved..
Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of ?Stop, Ask & Listen ? Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers.? Visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com and receive a FREE copy of ?100 Ways to Increase Your Sales? by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine.kelley@robertsontraininggroup.com?The Basic Clothing Every Camper Needs?
The motto of an experienced camper is "Be Prepared".
This motto rings true, especially if you are going to camp in an area where the temperatures can become cold.
Bringing the appropriate camping gear can be a balancing act; you don't want to bring too much camping gear as it will weigh you down.
On the other hand, you don't want to not have enough camping gear and be stuck freezing in the dead of night.
Following is camping gear that you should wear to ensure that you will be prepared and have an enjoyable camping experience.
The appropriate clothing is critical to your comfort during your camping trip.
Dress in layers.
Wearing layers of clothing enables you to have the luxury of removing layers when the weather is warm and piling on the layers when the weather is cold.
Without layers, you may find yourself sweating profusely in the heat or shivering in the cold.
Wind is usually a factor when...
Socks > ?The Basic Clothing Every Camper Needs?
Travel Light: The How And Why
I learned how to travel light from lightweight backpacking, then
found it was just as useful to keep it light on trips overseas or driving across the country. The last time my wife and I went to Ecuador, I had 10 pounds of luggage, all in one carry-on bag, and Ana had just 8 pounds in her carry-on bag. This wasn't a short trip. We spent six weeks in Ecuador, at times on glacier-covered mountains, and at other times lounging on Pacific coast beaches.Travel SimplicityWhy travel light? Travel simplicity. Everything is simpler when you travel light.
With only carry-on luggage, we were on our way to a restaurant in Quito, while others were still waiting for their checked luggage. When we took busses our luggage was safely with us, not on the roof or in the hold below being cut open, like one
time when I was in Mexico. While others struggled down the street with three heavy bags, we had our hands free and were walking comfortably because we use daypacks or small backpacks....
Socks > Travel Light: The How And Why
Flip Flop Socks by Cloudyreason Inc. get the Collegiate Licensing Company Approval
Flip Flops have become a year round product on the shelves of many college bookstores and supply shops. Flip Flop Socks offer an
even more comfortable experience in the chilly weather and year round.Cloudyreason Inc. has been accepted by the CLC as a licensee enabling the company to apply CLC affiliated colleges and universities logos to their socks."We've had such a great response from devoted flip flop wearers in the surf community. College students have Emailed us telling us how much they love wearing their flip flops to classes and are thrilled to have our socks especially in the winter. So applying the college logo seemed like a logical step." said Baer, Cloudyreason Inc.
President and Flip Flop Sock founder. "We're excited to be the first and only company in the U.S. providing this product to the college community as a CLC licensee.".
Flip Flop Socks by Cloudyreason Inc. get the Collegiate Licensing Company Approval
Socks > Flip Flop Socks by Cloudyreason Inc. get the Collegiate Licensing Company Approval
Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster
Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink ? and the pile of dirty clothes has grown all over again. Laundry is a fact of life, but approaching the task in an organized way can make it more manageable. Preparation is Half the Battle If you have a large family (or lots of clothes!), sorting the laundry can be a daunting task all on its own. Sorting as you go not only ends the need for this part of the project, but also may encourage you to do laundry more often because it's all sorted and ready to go! Use a multi-compartmented hamper or several laundry baskets and as you throw in your dirty clothes just drop them in the appropriate section (even kids as young as pre-schoolers can learn to do this -- make it fun for them, give them a small reward (an extra 15 minutes of TV? staying up 10 minutes later?) each time they get everything in the right spot!) Toss items that need dry cleaning into a special basket or bag as soon as you take it off.
This way, when you are ready to...
Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster
Socks > Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster
ringtones Socks Assumptions ? The Hidden Sales Killer
Viral Marketing?Is Your Website Infected?
Viral?Viruses?Infections?not pleasant subjects for most situations. Unless you're discussing Viral Marketing! Viral marketing techniques can help you create huge increases in both targeted traffic and customers for your website. In this article we'll briefly discuss some of the most effective methods of Viral Marketing. Before we discuss the different Viral Marketing Techniques, let's clarify what Viral Marketing is. Viral Marketing has nothing to do with computer viruses, causing damage to someone's...
computer printers
Socks > Viral Marketing?Is Your Website Infected?
Options for Cleaning Your Carpet
A majority of the dry soil can be removed by vacuum cleaning. However, you need to clean your carpet on a regular basis to get rid of the oily, sticky soil that builds up in the pile. Odors and dirt that is tracked in from outside create this sticky soil.
If you clean your carpet before it becomes terrible, the cleaning job will be easier to accomplish and very much successful. The carpet with the average family should be cleaned every 12 - 18 months. It depends on the number of...
Socks > Options for Cleaning Your Carpet
Socks Assumptions ? The Hidden Sales Killer vacuum cleaners
What's For Dinner? Would you believe low fat red meat.
Eating smart everyday is a challenge. Today, more and more people are choosing the newest red meat, Ostrich. A tender and flavorful meat, Ostrich is similar in taste, texture and appearance to beef --but due to its low fat content, has only half the calories! The lower cholesterol level of this red-meat-lovers' alternative, makes it an obvious choice for your heart and cardiovascular system. This premier red meat is easy to prepare, and makes a healthy (and tasty) substitute on almost any menu....
Socks What's For Dinner? Would you believe low fat red meat. skirt Assumptions ? The Hidden Sales Killer
Socks > What's For Dinner? Would you believe low fat red meat.
Buy Life Insurance Online and Save!
There are many ways to research and buy a life insurance policy, but the fastest and most affordable way is to buy life insurance online. This way, you can supply the most accurate information and compare the greatest number of different quotes and terms to find the perfect life insurance policy for you. By buying life insurance online versus many of the traditional methods, you can compare rates and terms from almost every major (and minor) life insurance company out there. Insurance companies...
insurance quotes Socks Buy Life Insurance Online and Save!
Socks > Buy Life Insurance Online and Save!