According to Daniel Pink, “a world of entrepreneurs is a world of salespeople.”
There are so many different sales venues which could often make one think of how many entrepreneurs there are out there. Sales is so crucial to being an entrepreneur and is arguably one of the most necessary skills someone in pursuit of business could have.
From a buyer’s perspective, sales isn’t something that really interested me all that much until I found myself working at every girl’s favorite store–Bath and Body Works–over the holiday break. It wasn’t until I began that job that sales was something that really did intrigue me. Not only was it interesting, but I also came to find that it was something that I enjoyed and happened to be good at. Sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective to unveil a passion that you’ve never tapped into.
I had never thought of myself as a “salesperson” until I had been put in a position with something that was familiar to me. Selling at Bath and Body Works came naturally to me, being that my bedroom alone looks like a miniature version. I found myself being able to sell quite easily due to the fact that I was very familiar with each of the scents and was able to personally assist customers by their scent preferences.
Not only did Bath and Body Works teach me that I loved selling, but it also taught me about how to interact with customers. Customers are dynamic people and you don’t always realize that when you are one all the time. Different types of customers take different interactions. Especially for this type of job, genders also call for a different interaction. I’m always fascinated by the expressions that men give when the venture into this unfamiliar (not to mention, really good smelling) territory with a list that their wife/girlfriend sent them in with. In all honesty, they have no clue where to start. After hopelessly venturing through miles and miles of body mists, hand soaps, three-wick candles, finally the wall comes down. They search out the expert in the blue gingham apron to ask for help. The moral of the story is, it doesn’t matter the customer, male or female, but delivering incredible customer service is a key not only to satisfying them, but the feeling that you get leaving them satisfied.
Sales from the selling perspective is a unique experience in itself, and I look forward to the future opportunities in this field.
BoweryJE22
The perspective you take on the issue of sales is very interesting, Tiff. I do have a question, though, did you ever find any of the preconceived defensiveness that we talked about in class? Were any of the men who came into the store defensive about you approach, or were they just happy to have help navigating a foreign environment?