Humor, wisdom close the deal
THIS BELONGS IN EVERY BUSINESS LIBRARY!
In February 2021, my post-college daughter moved back in with us. She’s pursued her life since, coming and going at all hours. My bride oftentimes can’t sleep unless she knows everyone is safely in bed.
Dear daughter has now decided it’s time for new quarters, and she’s moving this week. Though it’s bittersweet, we’re taking the opportunity to turn her room into a guest room/office for my wife, and I, for one, am excited about the project.
All of which has led us to go furniture shopping. Our newly reclaimed room will need a bed, desk, night stand and all the rest. We’ve set a budget and have a firm deadline, with our first guests now booked for early October.
Tick tock. With tariffs, delivery dates and personal schedules to be juggled, time is obviously of the essence.
So the two of us just hit a bunch of stores to research prices (usually too high) and quality (ranging from great to mediocre).
At the risk of sounding like a codger, they don’t make ’em like they used to. Hand me my false teeth, will ya?
On a whim, we wandered into ComfortPedic in San Marcos. It was late, and we’d both put in a full day’s work. The pair of us were tired and hungry.
But their open sign beckoned and we were in the neighborhood, so….
There we met Ray Elmashaly, who spent a solid hour educating us about mattresses, coils, box springs, frames and headboards. We found him to be knowledgeable, pleasant and entertaining.
Like any good salesperson, he had his patter, which was both salesy and performative. It was also effective. We never felt he was talking down to us, and we both learned a few things.
I share this tale knowing there’s both anger and angst in today’s retail world. Many customers are needlessly snappy, which can easily generate an automatic negative reaction.
However, reacting badly won’t help you make the sale. And that is your primary objective, no?
Faced with two on-the-verge-of-cranky customers, Ray instead opted for humor, education and positivity…and made the sale. By the time we headed for dinner, we were both persuaded we’d made a good buying decision.
I guess the old saying is true: a smile is contagious.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
Smile from better sales. http://amzn.to/4hoslft.