"Here comes a clam, quiet, mature, caring professional, pledging to treat the folks (his clients) as he would his own family. But simultaneously banging around in the folks' heads are various forms of the verbs "to hawk," "to peddle" and "to push" - along with admonitions to beware people who just came from a job in a shoe store. . "
The Excellent Investment Advisor, by Nick Murray
I confess, I was a retail shoe store manager for over 4 years and everything I've ever learned about the art of selling, I learned in that store. Contrary to popular belief and immortalized by Al Bundi (Married With Children), this was not a horrible spirit breaking job but actually the awakening within me of what I had to contribute to the world – what my unique abilities are.
Here are five of the top lessons I learned while selling shoes.
1)No matter how good the “shoe fits” you can’t sell something to someone they don’t really want. For example, it’s very hard to “sell” someone on the idea that a $100 shoe will last 10-times longer than the $30 shoe if all they have is $30, or all they care about is price. Value is subjective. Find out what a person values and start from there.
2)No matter how bad the “shoe fits” you can’t talk someone out of buying it if they have their heart set on “that” shoe. For example, try to tell a young teenage boy that the latest “sports figure” shoe is not made very well and will probably fall apart in a month or two and you’ll get a blank stare back while their handing you a fist full of money for that very shoe. They don’t really care if the “shoe fits” or even if it's made well, they just want to be able to say they own it. Fashion is not synonymous with comfort. An ugly shoe is ugly no matter how well it fits (this is also subjective and closely tied to lesson 1).
3)Ignore strange noises, smells and comments from your customers. If you don’t, you’re liable to offend someone as people often don’t know that they smell or make strange noises or talk without thinking. Smile, even when it hurts. People don’t usually mean to be mean and a genuine smile can melt even the grumpiest customer.
4)This lesson is obvious but important. You just can’t please everyone. This is especially important to remember when your smile does not work.
5)There is always another customer and every person is not a customer but every person can be a prospective customer. Sales like life is about building relationships. Don’t try to sell, advise instead.
I have often said that working in a shoe store, being a waiter, or any other customer service/sales driven environment builds character, self-confidence, and fuels ambition. You have to be creative when your stock is low and you only have one shoe in a customers’ size; or you are waiting for the weekly food delivery, and your menu is missing 3 of the top selling items. This is when “Smile, even when it hurts. . .” really comes in handy.
So if the above is true and working in a sales environment has so many life-long-learning benefits, why are sales people so ridiculed and second guessed?
I can’t tell you how many times someone would come into the shoe store and after I had given them amazing, honest, upfront service they’d say, “Thank you so much for your time. I’m going to go down to the XYZ store to see what they have. I may be back.” Actually, they mostly just said “thanks” and walked off, but I knew they were going to the XYZ store. Did I do something wrong? Did I smell or make a strange noise, or say something weird without thinking? NO!
Or even better, when a customer would tell me I was not being honest, I would ask them why they thought that and the response would be something like, “Because you’re a sales person – you’re paid to lie.” My response was always the same, “WOW, really, I didn’t know that. I better go back and get more training.” Sometimes customers thought that was funny and sometimes they were offended. Oh well, you just can’t please everyone.
I believe the primary obstacle both consumers and sales people face is an overload of options. So much so, that the hardest part of any sale usually lies in narrowing down the choices to the best fit.
So how does one overcome this obstacle? What makes one sales person stand-out above another? What should the consumer look for and where do they find truly excellent sales people that they can trust to help them narrow their choices down to the best fit without driving them crazy with long-winded presentations, graphs, charts and fancy words?
The answer is quite simple. Look for those individuals who are genuinely looking for you. For example, if you live in a modest home, work hard for your money, love your kids and want to see them succeed to their highest potential (sound like anyone you know); and a Ferrari salesperson calls you, guess what, they didn’t do their homework! Not that you wouldn’t want a Ferrari, not that you wouldn’t be tempted; but I mean really, that sales person is fishing in the wrong stream!
On the other hand, whether you walk into a store or you’re called on the phone, what makes you stay awhile and listen to what someone has to say. I bet first off they’re smiling – not some phony, cheeky, toothy smile; but a genuine “I like what I do” smile that you can feel even over the phone. Second, they don’t try to sell you anything, they just invite you into a conversation and they genuinely want to learn more about you and what your needs are. Finally, if you decide not to work with them they say,” thank you for the opportunity to speak with you” and mean it.
It’s ok to shop around, that’s part of what makes our free-market system so great. For example, when I’m at the grocery store buying milk, I look for the best milk at the best price; but I don’t need a sales person to help me read the label – well, maybe I actually do considering there can be up to 12 choices for milk and that’s not even including soy products! But when all is said and done, what we’re all looking for is someone to say “don’t worry, I can help you with that” and then actually do that – help!
That’s what a truly excellent sales person does. They don’t “hook” you and then hold on with dear life until you’re both out of breath – if you feel that happening during a sale – run for the hills. Excellent sales people are actually Excellent Advisor*. They make suggestions and recommendations based on your needs and their level of expertise. They let other professionals solve challenges and problems they are not trained to solve and they are not afraid to say they don’t know an answer. However, they will always find a way to provide you with an answer or connect you with another Excellent Advisor who they trust to answer your questions.
They say confession is good for the soul , and now that I am done, I would have to agree. Now you all know my little secret. I don’t just consider myself a sales person. I consider myself an Excellent Advisor. I was when I sold shoes, waitressed, held various other customer services jobs, started my own consulting company and now as I enjoy an amazingly fulfilling career as a life insurance specialist.
Am I a sales person? You bet! But don’t let that frighten you.
Now when a client says they want to think something over or get another opinion. I just say, “thanks, you have my card,” and then I move on. I know some people will come back and some won’t and that’s just fine with me. My goal is NOT to make a sale every time I talk to someone. My goal is to share what I know with people who are looking to build a long term business relationship with someone they can trust. That’s something both my clients and I can feel good about.
I hope you are developing these types of business relationships out in the world. I mean, life is too short to work with people you don’t like, let alone trust.
If you need assistance with life insurance and/or retirement planning you know where to find me.
*The Excellent Investment Advisor, by Nick Murray
