Selling pies should be easy

Make it easy for your customers to buy from you…

So finally British summer has arrived, the heavens have opened and it has chucked it down. After moaning for the last few years that it’s too hot in the summer and that the heat is down to global warming we’re now being told that it’s raining so it must be global warming…

But amazingly, inbetween the rain, it’s actually really quite ok weather up here - for Yorkshire anyway! So today I managed to get the roof down on the car for a bit and decided to forget about having done 18 sales training seminars on Sales Negotiation Skills and Powerful Presenting all around the country and to have a little rest…

Or so I thought…

But as I often say in my sales seminars, life has a funny habit of teaching us what we need to know but most of us ignore it every day. Sales training tips are all around but how many do you notice…

I woke this morning feeling fabulous and headed for my favourite outdoor cafe. It’s not the food that’s fab - more the views and the environment. Sitting by the canal side, watching the ducks, geese and swans - you can let your eyes drift to the green of the hills and the valley as it stretches out in front of you.

Beautiful.

Having finished my (frankly just ok) coffee and bacon and egg sandwich - but who cares with a view like that - I headed for the gents but was stopped by a large sign. Hand written in red capitals and underlined, it informs me that the toilet is for customers only and that to use it as a non-customer will cost 50p.

UNBELIEVABLE!

I know another cafe which is underground and shares its entrance with another cafe which is on the ground floor. Passers by cannot see the cafe underground and favour the environment which they can see. The underground cafe boasts only the sign,

“TOILET DOWNSTAIRS FOR USE OF CUSTOMERS ONLY”.

This self same cafe will cook you an egg and bacon sandwich, a sausage and egg sandwich or any of those three separately. They however will NOT put sausage and bacon in a sandwich - and believe me I have used every negotiating trick in my arsenal to try and get them to!! DOH!

So what is the problem with these cafe owners?

I’d have a sign on my loos saying, “PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE OUR LOOS! HAVE A NICE DAY!” And when people came in I’d say, “Hi! How are you today? Beautiful isn’t it” And when they left I’d say, “Have a great day. See you again.” Now wouldn’t that leave a better taste in your mouth?!

But, you know, these cafe owners can probably be excused. They’re honest hard working folk trying to make a living. They’ve probably never been on a sales training seminar in their life. They probably haven’t read books on sales training or customer services. How could they know any differently??

But you know it’s not just them, is it?

How many major companies and businesses do you know who pay good money for sales training all of their sales staff bit then pay little or no regard to thinking about the taste that they leave in the mouths of their customers on other ways? How many times have you been told by a sales person or business owner, “We don’t do that”? How many businesses give you the impression that they are more wrapped up in their own rules and regulations than they are on focusing on providing a sales experience which encourages you to feel comfortable to buy?

A lot I’d suggest!

As salespeople we have to make it easier for people to buy from us - not harder. We need to build and maintain a sales environment in which the customer feels comfortable and is able to buy from us more often and, well, just more! Sure, it’s important that we’re not over eager or desperate but we, the salesperson, should not be the one who is throwing up barriers and obstacles to the sale…

Sales training tip…

Look at your business from a potential customer’s point of view. How can you improve the customer experience so that your customers have more ways to engage with you even if only in a small way at first? Once people start to believe in what you do, build rapport and trust with you and know that the sales experience is pleasurable with you and your company you will make many, many more sales.

Have a great weekend and keep your eyes open for sales training tips. Remember - daily life has a habit of teaching us what we need to know but most of us ignore it every day!