Local Business Survival 101: How strong are the links on your sales chain?
Have you ever been to a business, say a tv/appliance store of a big box brand and walked out after waiting for 10 minutes for service? Then after having waited ten minutes you found that the salesperson you had to hunt down to assist couldn't answer your questions without being vague and confusing. To top it off super salesman carried an attitude of aloofness and possibly even disdain. How dare you interrupt this sales person's day with your uninformed lack of product knowledge and pricing know how.
Didn't you know that you are wasting his time with all of your questions and he's missing out on the conversation he was having with his co-workers?
So what do you do? You are turned off by the lack of respect and the decency of super salesman for you nas thec as the customer, and for him and his lack of fulfillment of simple job duties, respect for his position and respect for his company. After all, he didn't have to do any hunting and gatheringto get you there. You walked into his store, a willing and able customer. You even had a good idea of what you wanted. He needed some simple order taking abilities and a pleasant demeanor. You look around but you can not see another sales person within 20 feet.
As you struggle through the process with Supersales man you are increasingly aware of how painful this process of making a purchase can be when you are stuck being helped by someone who just doesn't care.
Once you finished the process, back in the day you might have just asked to speak to the store manager. Or maybe you went home and complained to anyone within ear shot so they could share in your miserable experience. Perhaps you were even so frustrated you phoned a friend and vented about sucky service.
But we live in 2011....the Digital Age.
So if that happened last year, or last month or today you might have whipped out your phone while Supersales person was rounding up a coworker to consult for help on a basic question. You had already maybe checked into big box brand on Foursquare or Facebook places and now while you have time to kill you are tweeting, "At TV Store *trying* to buy a flat panel. Been here forever." Thirty minutes later you may be on Facebook posting to your feed- "Still at TV Store, still can't get answer to one question. Will be late to barbeque. Save a burger for me". Now the conversation starts and as you are maneuvering through the supposed to be simple process of buying a new t.v. you are carrying on a conversation with your friends...."oh yea was there last week, service sucked, walked out and went to abc store. More expensive but at least you get help"...and on and on it goes. Some good comments, some bad comments, some jokes about Super salesman.
Finally you purchase your t.v. and as they are carting it out the door you are firing off a rendition of your experience on Yelp for all to see.
As local businesses find themselves cutting resources and reorganizing in an effort to stay in the black and make a profit they may just be weakening their machine. Any forward facing employee for a business is a reflection on an organization and its profitability. Any salesperson who is mediocre or sub par is a sacrifice to the health of that business.
Has your local business went through any restructuring, recruitment, or reallocating of resources? Are your front line employees people who reflect the essence of your organization, its values, mission and business (financial) goals?
Local Business Survival 101: How strong are the links on your sales chain? Please share your experiences and tips in the comments. Check out the resources below:
Sales Interview Questions: Just Sell
Sales Management and Sales Leadership Interview Questions- Sales Coaching Habits
Key Qualities of a Great Salesperson- Success Magazine.com
Seth Godin's Blog: Good is Not almost as Good as Great
If you enjoyed this post on sales professionals, then check out:
- Don't believe the hype. Manipulation creates missed sales opportunities
Sales Tips~ Are you chasing your tail? Stop running in circles, pick up the phone, and call- Monetizing your market means meet and greet. Not sit and wait.
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Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 19 years of experience serving real estate industry professionals. If you need assistance with online marketing, offline marketing, social networking, or blogging contact Rebecca D. Levinson at #815-219-0691 or email rebecca@bloggingintherain.com.
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