My Dad spent 20 years in the Army Reserves, and so I grew up with a direct connection to the military culture. One of the most important things for a soldier to take care of is his or her uniform. Keeping a clean and perfectly decorated uniform is important to the military, and failing uniform inspection is no minor offense. It may come as no surprise therefore that my dad always kept his uniform dry-cleaned and properly tailored throughout his Army career. But how does this relate to sales?
My dad always took his uniform to the same dry-cleaner’s shop in town and the same seamstress’s shop, and the difference between these experiences was a vivid demonstration of how good salesmanship can seriously benefit or seriously hurt business. When he and I would walk into the seamstress’s shop, she was frequently inattentive to our arrival, sometimes taking several minutes to realize we were there. My dad would explain the patches that needed to be put on and where, and she would tell us when she would have it ready. Yet most times when we would return, she hadn’t even started his uniform alterations. Several times the uniform wasn’t even ready the second time we went to pick it up. Several other times he had to make corrections from where she had sewn things on in the wrong place. After many years of supporting our local seamstress, my dad decided he didn’t want to have his uniforms altered by her anymore and there was no question why.
Alternatively, I distinctly remember going into the dry-cleaner’s about once a year when my dad needed his uniform cleaned. The experience at the dry-cleaner’s was noticeably different. As soon as we came in the shop, the man would come in from the back room and greet us. Most impressively, he remembered my dad’s name every time despite the infrequency of our business. He would take the uniforms, place them on the rack, and say “That’s for Simpson, correct?” And I distinctly remember one year as we left the shop, my dad said to me “Pay attention, that is a good businessman.” The dry-cleaner always had the uniform cleaned and neatly hung when we came back.
The lessons I learned were simple. Always be friendly, attentive, and punctual with customers. With some businesses it may be difficult to remember the names of your customers, but pay attention to repeat customers and learn their names. Even if you aren’t actively seeking new customers, your satisfied customers will often do the selling for you. If anyone in my hometown ever needed a dry-cleaner, I would not hesitate to recommend ours.
BoweryJE22