Sell, sell, sell – or not?

There are a multitude of business books out there, all professing to teach you the art of selling. But is this something that can be taught by rote simply by reading a book? Can you learn to be a good salesperson from a book? Is it an art? Can anyone learn to be a really good salesperson? Is a good salesperson just about selling maximum amount of product to as many people as possible that walk through the door? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, no, absolutely not. But then, what would I know about sales? The closest I got was a stint as a checkout chick at KFC whilst at uni a few years ago (ok, it was more like a few decades ago). Sales has always been an area that I’ve avoided like the plague as it has always conjured up images of smarmy, slick types heaping on the bullshit. Regardless of what they were trying to sell. I guess I’m pretty typical of most Aussies in that our crap detectors are set reasonably high and we begin retreating at the first hint of a sales pitch. For anything.

So how can someone who has never really worked as a salesperson be expected to a) enjoy and b) be effective in a role that is all about selling to customers?

Unsurprisingly to myself, I’ve absolutely loved this new incarnation as a ‘sales chick’. It helps that I’m working with products I’m very passionate about and promoting a concept – beautiful shoes for bigger feet – that I’ve been obsessed with since I was a teenager with size 11 feet. When I’m talking to or assisting customers, it doesn’t feel like selling, particularly when they’re over a size 10. To be honest, it feels more like a community service for women. I find that the products generally sell themselves. My job, as I see it is to try and connect with the customer, help them figure out what they want/need, and then provide it. I will not try and convince them to buy something they don’t want. If you’ve managed to make a connection with a customer, then it will be fairly obvious how they feel about the shoes they’re trying on. In fact, there have been times that I’ve advised against a purchase as I can see in their faces that the shoes don’t quite fit properly or they’re not 100% happy with them. I don’t consider it a lost sale if they walk out empty handed, as often I know they’ll be back.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s all about connecting with people and forging relationships. The sales will come naturally.