The Conversation

One of the things I train any staff in a store, is how not to act like a sales person. Now when I say sales person, I'm thinking of the person in the store who is hovering, upselling, and acting like all they want to do is sell stuff. I believe the best sales people are the ones who know how to carry on a conversation.

When I work with a customer, I make sure I introduce myself. Hopefully they will do the same, but I can live with them not giving me their name. Next I ask why they have come in. Typically they want shoes, but really, I know there is more they want.

Example - a man comes in and tells me he needs new shoes, because he has decided to train for his first 5K.

I ask a series of questions. The surfaces he runs on, any leg or feet issues I need to know about, has he started training etc.. More important than me asking questions, I am listening. I'm an active listener, which means, I not only listen, I will repeat parts of it back so they understand I know what they are saying.  I will also ask non-running related questions, like how their day is going? Are they out doing errands?

I always want a customer to feel at ease and comfortable. They also feel free to ask me questions, and when I do I find ways to tie it to why they are in the store that day. I share my experiences, so they know that there is more than just shoes they need. All I do is introduce other non-shoes items(wicking socks, training programs, apparel, Superfeet, Body Glide, etc). If they don't buy those items that day, I'm ok with it, because they know there is a bit more than shoes to run comfortably.

A few months ago I got a call from a friend of mine who told me that former customers missed me, and what did I do to make them want to work with me. I told them all I have shared in this post, and then I said, I also let people know I care about what they are doing. If you don't really care that someone is training for a 5K, or trying to qualify for Boston, or whatever their goal is, then you are simply selling stuff. These people come back and share their races with me. They let me know if they PR'd, or if they had a struggle on the course that day. They ask about my running.  I celebrate with them. I commiserate with them. I'm their running friend.

It all goes back to the conversation you had with the individual who came to your store. You have to talk, listen and be present with them. That is how you succeed.

Charlie