Confessions of a Salesman

So I have a confession to make. I work a second job for a major electronics retailer lets call it Good Buy. Well, yesterday I was working and a gentleman customer came in and asked me if we had any electric razors. I had no choice I had to do my job. I said "yes" (thinking: if you want to call them razors....) and brought him back to the blade spinning devices. Now, I'm not one of those salespeople who lies so when he asked me what I thought I told him that I use a straight razor. He looked at me and said "oh". Then he pick up an electric razor that said it could be used wet or dry (non-distilled water + electricity + sharp blades + face = bad things) and said "This is the one I want." So I went up and rang him out.

I felt terrible about the whole thing. But, what was I to do? it's not like we have a section in Good Buy for Dovo's. I hate when customers are convinced that they want something I know they will not be happy with. Like when they ask for the cheapest compaq laptop on the shelf. I know that they will be back in a couple of months complaining about it, but there's nothing I can do to change there minds.

Please forgive me for my trespasses! :angel:

You have already convinced me to use a straight razor.
So... What TV should I buy?

lols, a big one (colors arn't all that important unless you are a ciniphile in which case you wouldn't be asking which tv you should buy. ;) Small differences in picture quality that you see between 2 tv's next to each other at the store will disappear when you get home. Same some money there and get a nice sound system. That's the part that people forget and it's a very important part. I tell people that they should spend 50% of there home theater budget on the TV and the other 50% on the sound system. As for brands of TV's: I have a sony and love it, LG is fantastic and samsungs are great too but usually overpriced.

Make sure you get an LED uses the less amount of power = less heat = longer life of the electronic parts = win.

plasma's may look cheaper but they don't last half as long, and use a lot more power.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grover09

So I have a confession to make. I work a second job for a major electronics retailer lets call it Good Buy. Well, yesterday I was working and a gentleman customer came in and asked me if we had any electric razors. I had no choice I had to do my job. I said "yes" (thinking: if you want to call them razors....) and brought him back to the blade spinning devices. Now, I'm not one of those salespeople who lies so when he asked me what I thought I told him that I use a straight razor. He looked at me and said "oh". Then he pick up an electric razor that said it could be used wet or dry (non-distilled water + electricity + sharp blades + face = bad things) and said "This is the one I want." So I went up and rang him out.

I felt terrible about the whole thing. But, what was I to do? it's not like we have a section in Good Buy for Dovo's. I hate when customers are convinced that they want something I know they will not be happy with. Like when they ask for the cheapest compaq laptop on the shelf. I know that they will be back in a couple of months complaining about it, but there's nothing I can do to change there minds.

Please forgive me for my trespasses! :angel:

---

He probably left the store thinking what kind of nuts and troglodytes do they have working there.

Actually, he loved me. I helped him out with a couple of other things. He even took a survey before leaving the store giving me a score of 100% so my manager was happy. I just felt bad. For the money he spent on the electronic spinning blades and service plan he bought, he could have bought a real razor.

You did what a good salesmen is expected to do. You showed him the goods and were very honest when asked your opinion. Job well done I guess. And customer left very satisfied. What else do you want in life?

If its any consolation, it may have fit his bill perfectly. Not everyone wants the zen time of wet shaving. For many many years I just splashed hot water on my face and ATG w/ multiblade razor followed up with a rinsing splash of cold water. I spent less time shaving than I spend on lather now :/ Only thing that keeps me on the straight road is slowly getting better at shaving with the straight ie conquering a new skill, the smell of the lather and the morning zen face massage.

It's true. Different strokes for different folks. (possible pun intended ;))

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

He probably left the store thinking what kind of nuts and troglodytes do they have working there.

---

Why buy this laptop when you can use this handy abacus!

I think we tend to believe that because we hate electric razors that everybody else does too, or at the very least they should. But there's obviously a very large market for them, and I daresay that not all electric users despise them - otherwise they wouldn't use them.

I was gifted a Braun for Christmas many years ago, I think I used it 2 or 3 times before shelving it permanently. It just wasn't for me....

What the hell is this electric razor thing you speak of? I looked everywhere on my Dovo and couldn't for the life of me find a place for batteries!:rofl2:

Hang up the cell phone and shave while driving! Try pulling that off in morning rush hour with that dovo. Really that does make me wonder, for all the random things people do while driving, why havent i noticed anyone shaving?

To the OP, maybe request some biz cards from some wet shaving supply places. If you see someone on the fence, with a face obviously hard to shave or smell manly cologn and cigar smoke. Whip out the proper response, pass it off with a secretive handshake and a nice loud "I am sorry I cannot help you as we do not carry that brand." for the co-workers.

you can't force people to have the same opinions as you (if only I could ;) ) and some people just refuse to see the light. I can show it to them but I can't make them partake of it. :banghead:

I wish I could fine a local shop where I could get my shaving supplies. :beer1:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grover09

you can't force people to have the same opinions as you (if only I could ;) ) and some people just refuse to see the light. I can show it to them but I can't make them partake of it. :banghead:

I wish I could fine a local shop where I could get my shaving supplies. :beer1:

---

You can lead a whore to culture, but you cannot make her think. :aargh:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LameBMX

Hang up the cell phone and shave while driving!... for all the random things people do while driving, why havent i noticed anyone shaving?

---

Lame-I actually have seen someone wielding an electric razor while driving. But that's not near as bad as the idiot texters who endanger all of us every day-I hate 'em!

As for giving the customer what they want, I think of the words of my brother, the best salesman I know personally: "Never tell your customer no."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grover09

Actually, he loved me. I helped him out with a couple of other things. He even took a survey before leaving the store giving me a score of 100% so my manager was happy. I just felt bad. For the money he spent on the electronic spinning blades and service plan he bought, he could have bought a real razor.

---

He did buy a real razor. It just so happens that its not what we here think is the best idea.

I've been a salesman my entire career and I've learned one very important thing. You can give an opinion, educate, show features and benefits and talk till you're blue in the face. In the end, there are some clients that will do as they please. The most you can hope for is that they come back to you in the future and maybe reconsider.

Many, many years ago when I started in sales my mentor stressed the importance of being a professional and he gave me a definition of a real professional. it stuck with me for 35 years.

"A real professional is someone that does the best job they possibly can, even when they don't feel like it"

A big hat tip to you, you fit the definition perfectly.

Joe

You did your job.. acted professionally, gave the customer the information and item he wanted, and shared a bit of personal experience. Strong work.

But the reality of this endeavor.. and a lot of life.. is that the things we might find interesting / beneficial / giblet-tickling are not the same as someone elses "thing". He might really be into designing the worlds fastest remote control toilet paper dispenser... heck, might even be a member of a remote control toilet paper dispenser forum... but I'm pretty sure most people would find that topic mundane, (although... now that I mentioned it... it WOULD be an economical, time saving device. But I digress...). And in all honesty, and as cool as this stuff is, 95% of the worlds population think about razors for a grand total of about 10 minutes a year.

Maybe.

And... as an aside

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by syslight

You can lead a whore to culture, but you cannot make her think. :aargh:

---

Sy, you have no idea how appropriate that phrase is at this moment, personally.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 94Terp

now that I mentioned it... it WOULD be an economical, time saving device.

---

You sir, must not have used enough automatic hand towel dispenser in your life. I would not like to risk the cleanliness of my bottom or undershorts to the like of an automated TP dispenser. Can you link me to this forum I must troll before they get installed at my work to round out the autoflush that only works on the non-smelling loads, the automatic soap dispenesers that randomly dispense between either BB or cup portions and the paper hungry automatic towel dispenser that make wierd robot noises while you are drying you hands on your shirt.

In fact, I deal with the automatic paper towel dispensers, the auto flush and auto faucet devices on an hourly basis.. working in an modern / inner city hospital. We have bigger fish to fry than our frustration with automated devices, (although the laser trigger on the faucet's pretty annoying when you're just trying to brush your teeth). From a facility stand point, they've been beneficial at decreasing our nosocomial infection rates.

Now I'm wondering if there's a patent on handless toilet paper dipensers... (starts seeing dollar signs, early retirement, and bikini-infested pool parties on the French Riviera)


Be back in a bit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joebehar

He did buy a real razor. It just so happens that its not what we here think is the best idea.

I've been a salesman my entire career and I've learned one very important thing. You can give an opinion, educate, show features and benefits and talk till you're blue in the face. In the end, there are some clients that will do as they please. ...
A big hat tip to you, you fit the definition perfectly.

Joe

---

AS one who is about to try the wild and wooly world of salesmanship, I dug up this up in search.

My reply to the OP (yes it's old business) is this: It's your job to sell what your employer has to sell. It is NOT your job to steer customers away from your employers' products. Honesty is the best policy and just because you don't personally use the product does not mean that it might not be the best answer for the customer-given the products you have to deliver.

Selling is about meeting the needs/wants (real, imagined, or otherwise) of your customer, given the limitations of your employment, I'd say you done good.


Sometimes you mention real-man shaving and folks light up, the rest of the folks don't even hear. Take 'em like you find 'em, and sell 'em what you GOT!

FWIW, me and my Brauns got along fine for 30 years (and still do up the back of the neck). It wasn't the worst shave in the world.

As far as I can tell we don't bring many people to straights anyhow. Its more like we encourage an interest in the rare fellow that's already curious about the art. You did great. When a guy wants a blue suit, turn on a blue light.