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Sales Flubs

Guest post by: Jim Meisenheimer

Article Overview: How to avoid sales flubs when talking with your customers plus eight specific sales tips you can use.

Sales Flubs

I hate it when I experience poor salesmanship. Unfortunately it happened twice this week.

First up was Home Depot.

I purchased a Miracle Grow application sprayer. It didn't work.

No problem. I went back and exchanged it for another one. The second one didn't work either.

So I went online and looked at the product reviews and they all described exactly the same problem that I was having.

So I go back and returned this sprayer for the second time.

With my refund in hand I walked over to the Garden Center looking for a generic sprayer.

Before I get to the door I asked salesperson if he knew where these generic sprayers are located.

He told me I would have to ask someone in the Garden Center.

I found the salesman in the Garden Center and told him what I was looking for and he walks me right back into the main store where the other sales person was and pointed to the sprayer I was looking for.

The next day I had to go back to Home Depot for some ghost ant killer stuff.

I meet up with the same sales person again. I told him exactly what I wanted and even spelled the name of the product FERRO for him.

He said they didn't have any such product. I thanked him and said I would look around a little on my own.

Within 60 seconds I find the FERRO.

I spotted the same sales person in a different file I held up the products and to see.

He apologized and said, "Sorry I didn't hear what you said."

A salesperson can't here is like a pilot who can't see.

I'm not without empathy because my mother had severe hearing problems and my father has trouble hearing even with his hearing aid.

However, hearing is essential if you want to be in sales.

The second example of poor salesmanship happened in a Best Buy store.

My wife wanted to buy a GPS system for car.

The salesman who is going to help us couldn't talk, but he could mumble. We had to ask him to repeat everything he said.

When he went to check the stock for a GPS system in the back of the store my wife, B, said at first she couldn't tell if he was a man or woman, and I said neither could I.

The four earrings in each ear didn't help.

My wife ended up talking three different managers, and each had a different story concerning discounts and accessories.

By the time we left we were both exhausted.

Here are few sales tips I started thinking about after running into these two people who were impersonating salespeople.

1. Smile when you're talking to customers.

2. Put your chin in the off and locked position and keep it there - it'll make you look more confident.

3. Don't mumble. You're mumbling if people keep asking you to say it again.

4. First impressions are very important when you're trying to build rapport and establish some credibility.

5. Know your products like you know the back of your hand.

6. Focus on facial expressions because they are usually a reflection of yours.

7. If you're a man avoid using too much cologne and body piercing.

8. If you're a woman avoid using too much perfume and limit body piercing to your ears.

Before you start believing how good you are in sales answer this question.

How many books and/or CDs on selling do you own? Please don't think you could if you haven't read any books on selling.

If experience is your only teacher you'll never make it to the top in your sales career.

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Article Tags: professional salespeople, sales flubs, salesmanship, salespeople



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