So Windows 8 launched recently, and with my Samsung laptop doing a bit of “hiccupping” (I am sure there is a better technical term for this), I decided to check it out. I went to Best Buy. It is close to the office. No intention of buying unless otherwise engaged. I would actually buy…I would. I have a hiccupping Samsung. By the way, let me clarify, Samsung would the first one I would buy again. Although my only issue is due to my extensive typing, I have lost the letters on certain keys. Samsung might want to look into that. And yes they are probably the same consonants and vowels you would choose on Wheel of Fortune. I digress.
OK, I choose to give Apple a look first. I have peers and my brother in law all have one. I have an iPhone. I’ll look there first. This is where I wanted to punch someone in the face. I am picking up tablets and trying to navigate to see how easy it is or how intuitive it appears. I am picking away at laptop keys. I am checking out the goods. Four employees are working furiously at putting up posters and other marketing collateral. They were fast and furious. Sweating to “get ‘er done”. And to be as fair as possible three had blue shirts and there was a yellow shirt dude who looked me in the eye when moving a dolly and said “umm, excuse me.” I, of course due to my ethics, excused myself and immediately got out of the way, and looked back at him as if to say “did this really just happen?” I almost thought of an expletive. I didn’t go there.
“Umm, hey yellow shirt dude, and the rest of you in about a one foot distance, I am touching product that may freaking be an interest to me and while I can appreciate your boss wanted this collateral up an hour ago, I actually do have an interest. I flipping showed up! Thanks for the hi, how ya doing. By the way, nice dolly.” Alright, I have vented.
Oh, it gets better. So I laugh and walked immediately over to the Windows 8 laptops. Again, first stop…Samsung. I am also simultaneously thinking about the Geek Squad guy who two weeks earlier said “Oh, Windows 8 will be a big learning curve. It won’t be an easy transition.” That was a great selling point. Therefore as I walk up to the product, I am sweating and really worried about “tiles”. And as I figure it out in about 2 minutes, I hear from a sales associate. And they utter my most favorite question in retail…”do you have any questions?” Really, that is your entry into this possible customer for life relationship? I would normally send back this in return (as many of you from my workshops know I am capable), “Yeah, what is the capital of Mongolia?” Of course, if he had immediately said Ulan Bator (or Ulaanbaatar), I would in fact buy from him for life. Well, he never got the chance. You see, the collateral guys were in eye shot, so I gave away the pretty expected response with that kind of lame question, “No.”
Is anyone reading this post an owner? What???? Is anyone reading this post a manager with a pulse and a soul? What???? Count the missed opportunities to sell what would be, let’s be fair and not out bounds…a $1,000.00 sale. I showed up darn it. They didn’t.
Here is the message for this post. It is a “To Don’t” list. Not a “To Do” list, because that is clearly getting in the way. And by the way credit for this concept goes squarely to Dan Pink, author and consultant. I love his stuff. And he even gives credit for this to Tom Peters and Jim Collins. This counter intuitive idea is brilliant. Based on my 20 minute experience and a couple of things from my workshops…
Never ignore your customer however busy you may be. They are not an interruption to your job…they are the reason for it.
Bad day? Who cares? You should never share your crappy day and make a bad day for someone else.
Never avoid the fact you are always able to Sell What You Have Today!
Do not practice on your customers. Role-playing does not suck.
You have one chance to make a first impression. Don’t deliver bad sales lines; just be you and be authentic about what you see.
I have more. These are the ones I thought mattered most regarding my experience. The last thing was perhaps the best for Best Buy. You see they have a security person at the front of the store. They are supposed to ensure you are both greeted and make sure if you are bringing something in to be returned or serviced, they can tag it. As I was leaving, this person had nothing going on and not a soul around them. She looked me in the eye and then looked back up at the video monitor just over her head. How about another “To Don’t”?
Don’t miss an opportunity to thank someone for coming in and ask them to please come back again. I did show up. I really can choose not to. Sorry for being an interruption.
Cheers