What truly constitutes as the qualities of a good sales-person? Is making the sale truly all that counts, or is it about fulfilling customers’ needs? Even if customers’ needs are fulfilled, what if those needs were created by the sales-person, is that ethical. Well, in my opinion it is not. Good sales-people fulfill their customers’ wants and needs, but never should attempt to create them.
I was watching TV the other day and saw a really good example of what not to do. On BBC there is a TV show called Skins. I would not recommend this show as a good one to watch, however one episode demonstrates my point very well. In this particular episode one of the teenage characters, Chris, gets kicked out of High School and has to find a job. He ends up at a realtor office. Here, he interviews for a job and in a very comedic manner Chris shows the manager that he is clever and quick on his feet. You could say his selling style certainly creates demand, but it lacks a great deal of ethics and customer satisfaction. I Think this clip will demonstrate the point more than my words, so I hope you enjoy! ( warning there is one slight use of harsh language… not too offensive)
Altogether, I think you can see that being clever isn’t nearly enough to be a good sales-person. Even though this clip shows a comedic angle, many of us have experienced a sales process where it’s about the product and not the customer. This type of selling may work, but it won’t be often and it won’t cause return sales. Returning customers are an important aspect to look at when assessing the value your company brings to the marketplace.
BoweryJE22
I believe this is important for all of us to understand, that we are not selling to people who do not want the product and have no need for the product. When it comes to getting to know if the person needs or wants your product is where getting your product sold begins, not when the potential already has something that satisfies their need that your product can also satisfy.
I thought this was an interesting post. I liked the example you used from the TV show, “Skins”. In the end, I think it’s extremely important to remember that a sale goes beyond merely just filling a consumer’s need.