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The Zulu Salesman

Written by: Laura Posey

Article Overview: In South Africa, we stayed at a wonderful game reserve called Zulu Nyala. Most of the workers there come from a local Zulu village and take incredibly good care of the guests at the lodge. One man, in particular, stands out because he was such a great salesman. “Mike” works in the gift shop and is single-handedly responsible for making sure guest go home with plenty of reminders of their stay in South Africa. Here is how Mike worked…

The Zulu Salesman

In South Africa, we stayed at a wonderful game reserve called Zulu Nyala. Most of the workers there come from a local Zulu village and take incredibly good care of the guests at the lodge.

One man, in particular, stands out because he was such a great salesman. “Mike” works in the gift shop and is single-handedly responsible for making sure guest go home with plenty of reminders of their stay in South Africa.

Here is how Mike worked…

The first thing you notice about Mike is that he is so friendly, you can’t help but like him. When you first venture into the store, you get a greeting and introduction right away. Mike never steps from behind his counter, so you never feel attacked, but he engages each guest right away.

The next thing Mike does is learn, and remember, your name and where you are from as soon as possible. Each time you come back for a browse in the shop, Mike greets you by name. By the second visit, you already feel special and like Mike is a friend.

The last thing Mike does is that he educates his guests. Every time you pick up a dish, touch the fabric of a shirt or show interest in an object, Mike, again from behind his counter, has a comment for you. Sometimes he tells you what an object is made of (like my elephant hair bracelet) or what it might be used for (like the small dish I bought). Mike helps you connect with the objects, which allows you to move towards a decision. Even though we knew that his prices were much higher than others in the area, we didn’t care.

In short, Mike makes you want to buy something from him. He is so nice, generous with his information and helpful, that you really want to connect with him. You want to linger in his store and see everything, just in case you find something you want. Mike does a wonderful job of engaging without ever crossing the line into pushy. Mike feels so much like a helpful friend, we stopped by his store almost daily, just to say hi and see how his day was going.

How well do you connect with your prospects? Do they really like you? Are you really generous with them? Do you make suggestions about how they might use your services? Do your prospects really want to engage with you or do they just see you as a salesperson?

Take a page from Mike’s book and you’ll find more prospects buying from you soon.

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Article Tags: marketing, motivation, sales, sales tips, small business



Related Forum Posts
Hat's off to you- - As an owner/operator, I wear many hats...especially when employees become ill, go on vacation or resign. Here's the hat's i've worn over the years: 1) Manager (skilled) 2) Salesman (very skilled) 3) Book keeper/ Accountant (somewhat skilled) 4) Publicist (somewhat skilled) 5) Payroll officer (skilled) 6) Receptionist (very skilled) 7) Secretary (very skilled)
Re: Hat's off to you- - [quote="BizLoanz4u":1j1xk9p5]As an owner/operator, I wear many hats...especially when employees become ill, go on vacation or resign. Here's the hat's i've worn over the years: 1) Manager 2) Salesman 3) Book keeper/ Accountant 4) Publicist 5) Payroll officer 6) Receptionist 7) Secretary[/quote:1j1xk9p5] Hi Michele, Would you be able to rate each of your job functions on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource? Thanks


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