No Soliciting sign creates a bad first impression

I parked my car and dashed toward the store. I had gift shopping to do and was excited to spend some money. As I reached the front door, I noticed a small sign, strategically placed at eye level: No Soliciting.

It struck me that I had seen just such a sign at every store I had visited that day. I marched up to the service counter and asked, "Why do you have that sign on the door?"

"What sign?" he asked, bewildered.

I pointed to the No Soliciting sign.

"Oh, that." It had been there so long he no longer saw it. "That means we don't want any salesmen coming around trying to sell us stuff."

"Really," I said, getting warmed up. "What's wrong with a salesman trying to sell you stuff?"

He leaned closer and whispered, conspiratorially, "You know, it's embarrassing to have to kick them out."

"Because they want to sell you something, you'll actually kick them out?" I said, aghast.

"Yep. We are running a business here. We don't have time to listen to some snake-oil sales pitch," he said with a wink, knowing I knew just what he was talking about.

"Oh, sure," I said. "But, help me out with something. Why is OK for you to sell me something? I was going to buy some gifts today, but now that I know your stance on sales, you might not be the right man to buy from."

At this point, I noticed the fear starting to appear in his eyes. He began to reach under the counter for that magic button that summons the manager, then the police.

I let it go. I didn't want to make him cry.

Hypocrisy about sales makes me nuts. Selling is the world's oldest profession, and perhaps the most important profession. Until a sale happens, nothing happens.

Take a closer look at that No Soliciting sign.

First, nobody calls selling soliciting anymore, unless referring to a subcategory of the world's oldest profession known as prostitution. Why bring that up on your front door?

Second, consider the placement of the sign. All day long, your customers are walking through that door. A sign at eye level is your very first contact with them. You are telling them, no sales! Is that what you want to communicate?

We usually don't even notice that sign anymore, so the No Soliciting sign is sending a message to the subconscious mind. The last thing you want on your customer's subconscious mind is no sales as they walk into your retail store.

A sign at eye level on the front door is an opportunity to greet your customers with a more positive message. Can you think of anything better to say than, No Soliciting? How about, Have fun, or We love you, or a joke, or a quote, or Be sure to ask for your free gift for stopping by.

Take down your No Soliciting sign. Burn it.

Suppose, heaven forbid, that a salesman should actually walk into your establishment, having evaded the impenetrable force field of the No Soliciting sign. What would you do? You could pull him aside and frisk him. If you discover product samples in his pockets, you could dump them on the counter and exclaim, "See! I knew you were nothing but a salesman. Flee from here, you lowest of all life forms."

Maybe your store has a national buying department, and you don't have the ability or the authority to buy from salespeople who visit your shop. I get that. But, for the number of times that a salesman stops in, could you explain that? Could you take 30 seconds to let this fellow know who to contact and wish him a nice day?

Better yet, could you sell him something?

(Ellen Rohr is the author of two business books and is the owner of Maxrohr, a business coaching firm. She can be reached via the Business Journal at 831-3238 or by e-mail at sbj@sbj.net.)