Opinion: Smiles go a long way in sales business

Fundamentally, that’s what a sales career is all about – going from place to place to talk with people, something I’ve done for the better part of 40 years.

Here’s what I’ve learned: It doesn’t matter what it is I sell, the more people open up and talk with me, the more they buy. It’s really quite simple; if I ask the right questions and let them talk long enough, they’ll tell me precisely what I need to do to gain their business.

Another thing I’ve learned is that I can gauge the success of a business within a few moments after entering its doors – even before a word is spoken. Other veteran sellers know what I mean.

After you pop in and out of thousands of different businesses, you develop a sense that tells you which businesses are doing the hard work it takes to make it and which ones aren’t.

Like a weather forecaster, I can make a quick assessment of the surroundings and predict the future of a business.

Reading a business

First, let me illustrate how I “read” a business by sharing a couple of recent negative shopping experiences.

I recently wandered into a huge automobile dealership with the honest intention of buying a new car. Normally, car buyers are gang-tackled football style on the car lot before ever getting inside the dealership. On this one occasion, no one seemed to notice me. Granted I’ve lost a few pounds, but this is the first time I actually felt like the invisible man. After about 15 minutes of being ignored, I crawled back into my old car and drove home. Who needs another car payment, anyway?

Here’s another dissatisfactory shopping experience that occurred at a downtown sub sandwich shop. I ordered lunch at the counter like everyone else, but due to recent dental surgery, I asked to have my sandwich cut into smaller pieces.

The manager curtly informed me that it was against policy to cut any sandwich into anything less than three pieces. Further, he said that the store does not offer those black plastic knives that could be used by the dentally-challenged to cut up things.

I stormed out the door, which I will never darken again.

Who’s smiling?

Now, here’s the part you won’t believe. I knew as soon as I arrived at the car dealership and as soon as I walked into that sub shop that things would not turn out well for me or, consequently, for them.

Here’s why: No one was smiling. No one smiled.

The surest sign that a business isn’t worth doing business with is when the employees don’t know how to say “welcome” with their faces.

The first thing I look for is a smiling face. Frankly, it’s getting harder and harder to find them. Businesses aren’t training their staffs to greet people with a smile and, honestly, some of the business owners I know have forgotten how to smile. It’s important to your customers, and it should be important to you.

The next thing I look for is a person who wants to make me feel important. I am, after all, a consumer who just walked through the door. Even if I’m there to try to sell you something, I am still a prospective customer and, like any and every other customer, I want you to want me. Tell me you’re glad I’m there. Offer to help. Call me by my name. Ask me what I need. When I leave, even if I don’t buy, invite me to come back. Try to accommodate my unique needs and I’ll always come back.

Modestly rich

One more thing. Rich people don’t necessarily look rich anymore.

If you or your staff judge the size of a person’s bank account by the brands of shoes, watch or jeans they wear, quit it.

I went into a jeweler with a friend who, though he could buy Canada, dressed like Box Car Willie. He wanted to buy a little something to impress his new sweetheart. The haughty clerk looked him up and down like he’d just been run through a sheep dip vat.

She never smiled, either. Later that day, my friend got a better reception at another jeweler and subsequently blew about $15,000.

He and his new gal are off to a good start, I suspect.

Bob May is former managing partner of five local radio properties and is now engaged in consulting work. He can be reached at spiffsdad@aol.com.