Thread: 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!

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.

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!

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 )

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

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!