In the last week, we’ve discussed at length what distinguishes a good salesperson from a bad salesperson. No matter who speaks up in class, a recent and relevant story arises that can illustrate a personal experience with most any kind of sales person. Most interesting to me of the points we discussed this week is that we must remember that people like to buy but hate being sold.
This past summer, I looked into buying a new pair of running shoes so I could stay in running shape before Rugby would resume in the fall. While I could research online and order another pair of the same shoes I wore before from online, I decided I stop in a local running shop called Connected Soles in St. Joseph, Michigan. Here I hoped to find a salesperson who could represent the performance of shoes I wouldn’t have the chance to try by ordering online. The representative was entirely focused on my needs and respected my limiting price range completely. The way he sold me was by talking about cheap reliable shoes that he has warn in the past as a runner and recommends to some of the track athletes he coaches. By establishing a relationship and not trying to sell me on shoes I didn’t need or couldn’t afford, the salesman succeeded in winning my business by connecting me to a pair of Saucony running shoes that satisfied my needs. In addition, he knocked off $10 the final price. While this may not have been even close to the most expensive pair on display that afternoon, my loyalty as a customer was earned because the salesman avoided ‘selling’ me and focused on coaching me through what I needed to buy.
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This is a great story of how relating to the buyer goes farther than talking at the buyer! That’s awesome that you got a discount out of the deal too. The salesperson was exactly what you needed to purchase a good pair of shoes and that is exactly what we are learning to do in class – thanks for sharing!
What a good example of trust can make a sale. I think selling today really takes conversation and relationship building to a new level. As a seller, you have to relate to the buyer in some way. Looks like this sales rep really understood what you wanted.