… and if you just take PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE and look at the roles played by all in the equation from the Manufacturer to the Distributor to the Retailer to the Sales Associate in knowing what they are selling and after sales care etc. and then factor in the needs desires etc. of the person buying, then when you hear an answer like “Yeah I guess so …” to the question “Can I wash wool?”… well then there is a new threshold of what some may call stupidity.

You know that saying “Before I knew how to ride a bicycle, I didn’t know how to ride a bicycle.” Well, we are not born knowing that you need to have woollen garments drycleaned, and somewhere along the way one hopes that you get taught this by another means other than washing your favourite woolly jacket (or like the kid in cooking class at school who rinsed off the lettuce with boiling water?!)

So answering “Yeah … I guess so …” to the “Can I wash this?” question is whose fault?

Cheers
Lestie
Jo’Burg

Sales is all about product knowledge, technique, passion, discernment, likability, constant critiquing of one’s own salesmanship, etc. and so on. One of the most important skills necessary is the ability to strike up a conversation, to engage a customer in such a way that they don’t feel threatened by a hard selling, say anything to get a sale, non-truth spieling motor mouth. It is all about service, rapport, and professionalism. You are helping them make a wise decision. And, that’s only part of it. A little humor, a great buying experience to bring them back, their friends and good word of mouth.