Much
of retailing is built around salesmanship, yet that is the ingredient that many
traders have lost sight of.
When
a customer considers your product(s) their minds are balancing competing needs
and wants. In fact, if the current public discussion is correct, there have
never been so many competing needs for consumers. Things like mortgages, energy
bills, and mobile communication are sucking consumers wallets dry before they
even consider what is displayed on your stall. So we need to give them a really
good reason to buy. We need to shift focus or put a new perspective on their
decision making. We need salesmanship.
But
salesmanship doesn’t have a good rap. We are even told that in this current
retail environment you have to let the customer do their thing - don’t get in
their face. That is the big lie of retailing. Yes, some customers will
strenuously resist your advances but there is another thing we are told about
retailing - it is all about entertainment. Customers are out for entertainment,
and that is why we go to so much effort to provide fun, and festivals, usually
with food, to entice them.
But
entertainment takes many forms. I am reminded of a trader neighbour who used to
sell luggage. He would often fight his customers, particularly if things were
quiet. I don’t mean fisticuffs of course. He would say something provocative to
get their attention, sometimes bordering on rudeness. But invariably he would
start a conversation, often a lengthy one, that would result in a customer
walking out with a set of his suitcases. Even if they didn’t buy, they would
walk away feeling entertained, and he had the happy knack of leaving them with
a smile on their face.
Being
rude and getting away with it is not for everyone, but you get the idea. We are
here to entertain, and sell. Sometimes that means taking a chance, but with
many customers, their appearance in front of our stall is the only chance we
are going to get. We might as well make the most of it and entertain the hell
out of them.