The Columbus journal., 1909-01-06
TALKS TO sALEsPEoPLE
BY Miss Diana Hirsehier, Il. 3.
Expert Trainer In 9alesmanship)

Eat HOME" TO YOUR CUSTOMER.
A lady approaches a glove counter.
One saleswoman II fixing up stock, In
q big box, the other talks to her
meanwhile. The lady hears Miss One
say: "You wait on her." whereat Miss
Other turns on her heel and walks
away. Miss One then takes plenty Of
time putting away her box before she
begins to show her customer attention.
while the lady struggles between .
desire to run OF and . desire to save
time by staying. She must have
gloves. So she stays.
Here was a case where the or
binary decencies Of life were violated.
The customer. a person for whom the
store is run. was practically told that
she was not wanted.
What is the difference between that
case and the following? A caller was
met at the door with the message
from the maid that her mistress was
not at home. Are you sure?" said the
caller. '"Oh, yes, mum; Missus said II
q fat lady called With . wart on her
nose she was sure not at home"
There is only one difference between
these two cases. and that Is that in
the latter the party had the privilege
Of deciding whether she was At home
or not, whereas in the former the
sales-person was paid to be at home.
Plainly, these two sales-people were
mot at home" to this customer-but.
being unable to furnish proxy, they
told her SO themselves.
Is it too much for a customer to ex-
pect that when she pays for service it
shall be rendered her willingly and
with courtesy?
Why not be "at home" every mo-
ment that you are In your depart
ment? l mean. why not have on your
company manners? Why not have
your department glowing with hos
pitalty? Don't you know that the
frostiest of customers will melt In the
sunshine of a smile? This idea that
there is sunshine In q smile is not all
poetry, It is hard fact. Try 1t. No, no.
not like that, such a stingy ghost of q
smile! But smile, smile from the in
side out. Aren't you glad, genuinely
glad to have a customer to handle?
Do you want your pay to be in the ma
ture of a pension, or do you want to
work for it?
Now. courtesy sells goods: discount.
esy is certainly the best sale-squelcher
that could be invented, and yet how
many seem to take a patent out on it.
And why? Because sales-person does
not always realize to the brim, after
he comes into his department that he
belongs fully to the stranger who
enters his gates. l., must concen.
trate upon his customers whims and
needs. That is what the sales-person
is paid for. Yes. he is paid to concen-
trate-and il there are whims to un-
derstand, he must accommodate him.
self to them.
II there is irritability to be met, he
must wind out and in SO as not to set
it buzzing.
But the public is mostly good-na-
tured if you will give it little
chance. l haven't seen that most PEG
pie are going about with chips on their
shoulders unless they happen to see
one On yours. then they begin to chop
wood and the chips do fly.
1t is so easy to forget the good-na.
tured 80 and to remember the irritable
one.
Courtesy is the spirit of helpfulness
as shown in manners. The kind that
counts from within. 1 remember a
smartly dressed fellow who once
stepped on my toe in the street car
and said, with snowy accent, Il beg
your pahdon," and then proceeded to
step on the other toe. Here was the
for the real. but none the
less does the real count
Manners do not always make the
man, but the man does make his man.
ners. and good manners are the out.
ward signs of courtesy. The public
must judge by the signs. Had the
man stepped ON my two and only feet
In succession without the outward
signs of courtesy I should have been
even more indignant.
Deeper than courtesy is patience.
Patience is courtesy continued under
trying conditions. Here the real test
of the seller comes In. The courtesy
that holds out when the other fellow
is Kidding 1t with shot is the kind
that is based upon . genuine desire to
be OF service to him In spite Of his
particularisms. The salesman Is there
for a purpose. This purpose Is VIC.
lated II he allows himself to be swayed
from serviceability he doesn't
adapt himself to the person for whom
he is placed there.
Mold your customer: do not let
him mold you. The way to do It IL to
keep sweet. Radiate goodwill and
you will thaw anybody. u. you mad It
hard to do this continuously just think
it over and see that FIRST, last and Al
ways the customer is your support.
He can Afford to balk q sale. but you
True, Mia beeaaze he needs
you that youN xl4 but he pays for
this need I'm hard eash-live cents on
the dollar.
Goodwill biesses twice-him that
gives and him that takes. It q q Jolly
good spirit in which 10 do ones work.
1t makes one sing inside. It lifts both
body and soul This adds to ones
power
A slice Of bread sweetened with
goodwill slips down more easily than
. sweetmeat grudgingly bestowed.
: Copyright. $685. by Joseph r. Bowlanl