Selling with Soul

While shopping this weekend for a new phone, I was reminded of why ‘sales’ over the years has developed a bad reputation. I am not a huge techie so I thought I’d better do some online research before I ventured into town, not wanting to look like an ‘eejit’ as my Irish mum would say. I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for; the make, the model and roughly what sort of price I wanted to pay. Interestingly, recent research from the Sales Executive Council found that most consumers are 60% of the way around their decision-making cycle before they even talk to a salesperson. I definitely fell into this camp. Feeling pretty good and excited about the prospect of buying a new phone, I headed off to the town centre with my young nine -year-old daughter, Molly, in tow.

As we walked into the first shop, we were pounced on in true Cato style (for those of you who remember the Pink Panther). My foot had hardly stepped over the threshold before an assistant was there beside me, not even giving me time to look at the phones they had. Before I knew it I was being guided to some top of the range handsets and ‘special offers’ they had on that would be ending shortly, and as such, ‘would be a shame to miss out on’. 

At no stage did the person stop to ask me what I wanted, I can only guess they assumed by the smart gear I had on (I was off to the pub later) that they thought I had money and was probably a business man who wanted a certain kind of phone. I tried to share some of the insight I had come across online, but this was met with indifference and ‘you don’t want that phone…it’s rubbish’. Which, funnily enough, had been my number one choice…grrrrrrr. The conversation declined from here on in, with me feeling dejected and not listened to. I made my polite excuses and left.

By this stage my excitement in buying a new phone was waning. Molly, who had been patient up until now, was beginning to show signs of boredom. To worsen matters, as we approached the second store my heart sank as I could see a group of assistants who looked like a pack of lions ready to pounce on their prey…here we go again I thought. They did not disappoint, I had only been in the store a nano second before someone bounded across to offer help and started into a barrage of offers they had on that day. I was ushered again to the top of the range handsets and what followed can only be described as a product puke…a list of the features this phone had and what it could do.

You could tell the person was passionate about the phone, which was great, the only problem was that I hated the brand and type of phone they were trying to push onto me. It felt like this guy had to push this handset at all costs, perhaps he was promised extra commission to sell this model, but because he didn’t listen, I just did not trust him and I lost interest. I think by this stage my body language was giving this away, but give him his dues, he carried on pushing the virtues of having this particular phone. I once again politely made my excuses and made a quick exit.

Molly and I were both feeling tired and fed up now. What started out as an exciting shopping trip was quickly descending into the day from hell, and I did not need or want the hassle. Why is this so hard? Could I face another shop?

I didn’t have much choice as my old phone had seen better days. I decided to persevere and headed into one last shop. Halleluiah! As we entered, we were met from a distance with a friendly smile and quiet acknowledgement and I was left to browse, without the piercing feeling of someone about to pounce on me. After a few minutes I caught the assistant’s eye and she promptly headed over to me, greeting me with enthusiasm and what seemed to be curiosity.

She had noticed Molly, who at this stage was one step away from a full on tantrum. Taking her by the hand she asked Molly what her favourite app was and introduced her to a new ipad to play on…one happy little girl!

The assistant turned to me and asked ‘what is it you are looking for today?’ The question was followed by a period of intense listening and questions. It was not an interrogation, it was more a conversation between two people. I could sense she wanted to help me and wanted me to get the right information. Her intent, confidence and expertise meant I felt I could trust her advice. 

As Dan Pink, author of ‘To Sell is Human’ would say, she was ‘attuned’ to my needs and me as a human being. My questions were met with insightful answers that made me think and rethink and my research was acknowledged and explored further. During the conversation, we established the phone I first ear marked as my first choice, was not actually the right one for me. The camera was not good enough for my needs and the size of the handset was too small for me to play games. She recommended a phone I had dismissed, but now it was becoming clear that this was in fact the phone for me. At no stage did I feel I was being sold to. This person just wanted to help me…they wanted to make sure I left with the right phone that suited me…that my life would be better if I had the right phone. This buying lark is not as bad as I thought, it was quite easy. Guess what? I bought the phone and have not stopped waxing lyrical to my friends and family about the service I received. All I wanted was someone who:

• Had the right intent, a person who wanted to help me 
• Was curious about what I needed
• Would ask genuine questions and really listen to what I needed
• Would be a problem finder and solver, someone who would make me aware of things that I had not researched or even considered
• I could trust  
• Was genuinely interested in me!

I wanted someone to sell with soul.