July 1st, 2009
Selling From My
Perspective
By Jeff Cowan
Who are you
working for?
Recently I went
out shopping at a big box retail pet store. I was in search of a new pooper
scooper since my three dogs had worn the old one out. Did you know you
could wear out a steal pooper scooper? My dogs did. Living in California it
is imperative you have one of these gadgets, God forbid if you don’t. If
you wish to become the scorn of all your neighbors, let your dog poop and
don’t scoop. I literally have two neighbors that will not talk to each
other over this very thing. Back home in Indiana it was considered
fertilizing the lawn, out here it is a crime punishable by death – or at
least being labeled a freak that does not care about the environment.
Anyway, in my
search I discovered that there are a variety of options in this area. The
one that caught my attention was the “Claw”. I liked this one the best
since it had a bag dispensing mechanism that allowed you to scoop, bag and
dispose all in one quick motion with no mess. Genius! This could solve
several problems for me I thought. 1. It would make it easier for my wife
who hates doing this, tells me repeatedly how much she hates doing this, but
must when I am not around. 2. It might provoke my live at home 23 year old
stepson to get involved and help since a.) It is his job anyway, and b.) He
likes new toys. But mostly, 3. Because I do it 99% of the time and I just
plain like easy. The Claw is easy.
The down side; It
only holds 40 bags (1 roll). I will use 10 bags a day (1 roll every 4
days). They sell them in bags of 6 rolls meaning I would have to visit the
big box pet store once every 24 days. They also cost $10 for a 6 roll bag.
That means I am going to spend at least another $150 a year on bags alone
plus whatever else I may buy each time I go visit. I’m still in because I
like easy, plus the wife thing.
Having made up my
mind, I head for the checkout stand when one of the pet store associates
stops me and says,
Ass: “There’s a cheaper way to do that you
know?”
Me:
“There is?”
Ass: “Instead of buying the bags, use
shopping bags.”
Me: “I
would need too many bags for that to work. I have three dogs that eat a
lot. But I appreciate the tip”
Ass: “Then get the really cheap sandwich
bags. They come in boxes of 100 for .99 a box over at the .99 store. They
suck as sandwich bags but work great with the Claw.”
Are you kidding
me? The associate seems like he is caring and trying to help. After all, he
is trying to help me save a ton of cash. Isn’t that what he is supposed to
do? NO!
What he is
supposed to do is to find out what my needs are, give me solutions with
products his store has and deliver them to me in such a fashion that I want
to return with friends for more solutions in the future.
Here is what went wrong:
1.
He
did not tell me my choice was a smart or even a good one.
2.
He
tried to TALK ME OUT OF buying additional product at HIS store.
3.
He
is suggesting I go to ANOTHER retailer for a solution.
4.
By
sending me to another retailer, he is TAKING AWAY MY NEED TO RETURN.
5.
He
LOSES AT LEAST $150 in sales from me over the next 12 months.
Here is what
should have transpired. Here is what a trained Professional
Salesperson/Associate would have known to do and done it.
Sales Pro: “Great
choice! Everyone that buys the Claw loves it and I am sure you will too.
Did you know that we also offer those replacement bags in big bulk packages
saving you up to 10%?”
Here is what is right about this:
1.
He
tells me I make great choices. I LIKE TO BE TOLD THAT.
2.
He
tried to get a BIGGER SALE NOW by offering bulk.
3.
By
offering bulk he appears to want to help me save money – with HIS STORES
solutions.
4.
HE
KEEPS ME COMING TO HIS STORE for solutions, not another retailer.
5.
He
comes across knowledgeable, caring and SOLUTION ORIENTED.
I raise this
issue because I can’t remember how many times I have witnessed similar
things at Dealerships. The following are some common things I hear all the
time in Sales and Service Departments all across the nation.
Sales:
·
This is our Service Department. You can come here for service or go to
Jiffy Lube or Sears.
That’s what I do with my car its faster and cheaper.
·
I
would get the (name your accessory) someplace else. It will do the same
thing and is cheaper.
·
Don’t buy the extended warranty today. Wait until you see if you are going
to keep the car after the
factory warranty runs out.
Service:
·
“If
it were me, I would go to the Parts Department, buy the part and put it on
myself. It’s not that hard to
do and it will save you a lot of money.”
·
“Sure we have floor mats here, but I would get mine at Target if it were
me. They have a bigger selection
and sell them for about half what we do.”
·
“My
Technician says you need these items here, but if it were me, I would only
do…”
·
“I
personally don’t like those tires, but it’s your car.”
· “The
best (name your product) to get is (name the brand), but we don’t carry that
here.”
To see what is
wrong and right with these statements, see the “pet store” examples above,
it’s the same scenario, only the product is different.
In these
examples, these Dealership employees think they are helping the customer. I
have even had Sales and Service personal tell me; “I work for my customers.
I give them the best info I can so they know I have their best interest at
heart.”
You do not work
for your customers. You work for the person that owns the Dealership. They
are the one who secured the land, built the building, stocked it with
millions of dollars worth of inventory and give you the opportunity to
support you and your family. Your first and only loyalty should be to this
person.
You can still
come across as helpful, caring and as looking out for your customers by
recommending the product your business owner has supplied you with. If for
some reason there is a problem with a particular department or product you
have and you are not comfortable recommending it, discuss it in a meeting
and get it corrected. You are never going to have 100% of your products be
perfect, but you can work toward that goal and you do so by discussing such
things in open meetings to the powers that be. You never send a customer
somewhere else to get a product you have.
But I don’t think
the problem really lies in the products and various departments at
Dealerships or any other business. I think the problem lies in the lack of
training. It has been my experience that most people are trained by the
“Follow Them” method. “They have been here a long time, they will show you
the ropes, follow them.”
The problem with
that method is that without clear instruction on what each product and
department is and what their clear advantages, features and benefits are,
then your staff will form their own opinions, presentations and
recommendations based on their lack of knowledge and experiences. I have
found most employees will do the right thing if taught how. It’s simply
really, either you train them to get the results you want or they will train
themselves and get results they think are right. The results they get will
rarely be the ones you want.
I don’t know why
a national big box pet store would spend the millions to purchase the land,
build the building, stock it with inventory, advertise and then stop short
by a few dollars more to train the staff within to properly represent it? I
guess big box pet store Executives and Mangers’ aren’t very smart.
Right, wrong or
indifferent, that’s way I see selling from my perspective.
P.S. The Claw
works.
If you would like
more information on properly presenting your product contact us at
800-248-2931. Or
click here
to contact us. We will be glad to answer all of your questions.
Copyright 2009 by
Wm. Jeff Cowan
