The art of sales isn’t a “one size fits all” type of outfit. There is going to be a different approach needed for every sale, in every location, for every different buyer. I have worked both in food retail and clothing retail and the sales style is completely different in each job I’ve had. For my first few blog posts, I wanted to relate what we are learning in class, to what I have learned from experience.
Starting at the Outlet Mall was an interesting first job experience. Most of the people there were either, like me, sixteen and this was their first job, or they were in their twenties, and they weren’t very happy with their job. We were told from the first shift, “Make sure you ask if they need anything. A different size, a different color, anything to make the sale”. This type of selling drove me crazy. Very few people walk into a store wanting the employees to constantly be talking to them and “doing anything to make the sale”. Because of this, I started thinking of ways that I could still make a sale, but not be what some would consider pushy. The first change I made to my sales approach was to be more personal with the customers. Asking them questions about what they like, and why they’re out shopping today, instead of “Hi, here’s our sales, are you looking for something specific?” This changed the way that customers would interact with me. Generally, it was a better reaction that even my boss would get, because a relationship was formed, even at a basic level, instead of just “buy my product.” Then again, there were times when people would rush into the store looking for one specific item and would have no interest in talking with the sixteen-year-old behind the counter or who was wading around the store.
My biggest takeaway from my first job was that you have to pay attention to the customer to know what they are looking for. If they don’t have a purpose for walking in, then you have the chance to get to know them and what they are searching for. If they know exactly what they want, then you want to be as knowledgeable about your product, or in this case store, as you can be, so that you can effectively help them and get them on their way.
By falcettatr1
Ethan David 
Caroline Marie Dawson 2 thoughts on “A Sale for Every Buyer – Job #1”
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I definitely agree with your points on the importance of paying attention to the customers. Even in retail especially, you often don’t have much time with your customers so it is very important that you are able to be aware of your customer’s need and listen to what they have to say.
Actually being able to have a conversation with a sales person in a retail setting is something extremely rare. It is something that I as a customer highly value. It’s great that you were able to change what the managers told you to do in a way that you believed would be more beneficial to customers.