One of the "skills" I found very useful when I worked in a store was the ability to do many things at once. Most people call this multi-tasking. I called it retail.
The longer I worked in retail the better I became at doing many tasks simultaneously. I could check in an order, deal with a customer issue and answer an employee's questions all at the same time without missing a beat. And that's when things at the store were slow.
When I moved into the corporate office at Bose I found the pace maddeningly slow.What really drove me nuts was that it seemed like people only did one thing at time. I used to tell people in the office they'd never make it in the stores.
One day after a meeting a colleague pulled me aside to give me some feedback. I had worked with Pete for a while and knew him to be a straight shooter although I didn't always like what he had to say. Pete told me that my behavior in the meeting had bordered on rude. I had no idea what he was talking about.
He told me that people didn't think I cared what they had to say since I didn't pay attention when they were talking. I was flabbergasted. I told Pete that I was always paying attention even though I might have been doing a few other things at the same time.
Pete told me something I've never forgotten. He said, "You might have heard them, but you weren't listening. To listen you have to use your ears and your eyes." I tried to explain that it was just a habit I had from working in the stores and he said, "Well, it was rude then, too."
Ouch. I realized he was right. From that day forward I tried to listen with both my ears and eyes. I'm sure I failed from time to time when meetings started to drag on, but all in all I did use my eyes a lot more.
The best salespeople always listen with their eyes. While some salespeople are looking around the store or watching colleagues when a customer is talking, the best salespeople are completely focused on their customer whenever he or she is talking. Not surprisingly, hearing more allows them to sell more.
Whatever your position in a retail organization, when you take the time to listen with both your ears and your eyes, you can't help but make a stronger connection with the other person. And isn't that ultimately how we make a difference in both our stores and in our lives?
And Some Miscellaneous Musings
1) With Halloween on Saturday this year I recommend going all out to make your store a great experience this weekend. It's opportunities like this that let your store experience stand head and shoulders above the competition.
2) New research shows that high-potential employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their communities and increasingly seek out employers that allow them to do so on the job. Something to consider as you go into the holiday or post-holiday season.
3) Speaking of giving back, two weeks ago at the Brighton store manager's meeting all 140+ managers spent one evening at different shelters and organizations helping women in need. What a great activity for a manager's meeting!
The longer I worked in retail the better I became at doing many tasks simultaneously. I could check in an order, deal with a customer issue and answer an employee's questions all at the same time without missing a beat. And that's when things at the store were slow.
When I moved into the corporate office at Bose I found the pace maddeningly slow.What really drove me nuts was that it seemed like people only did one thing at time. I used to tell people in the office they'd never make it in the stores.
One day after a meeting a colleague pulled me aside to give me some feedback. I had worked with Pete for a while and knew him to be a straight shooter although I didn't always like what he had to say. Pete told me that my behavior in the meeting had bordered on rude. I had no idea what he was talking about.
He told me that people didn't think I cared what they had to say since I didn't pay attention when they were talking. I was flabbergasted. I told Pete that I was always paying attention even though I might have been doing a few other things at the same time.
Pete told me something I've never forgotten. He said, "You might have heard them, but you weren't listening. To listen you have to use your ears and your eyes." I tried to explain that it was just a habit I had from working in the stores and he said, "Well, it was rude then, too."
Ouch. I realized he was right. From that day forward I tried to listen with both my ears and eyes. I'm sure I failed from time to time when meetings started to drag on, but all in all I did use my eyes a lot more.
The best salespeople always listen with their eyes. While some salespeople are looking around the store or watching colleagues when a customer is talking, the best salespeople are completely focused on their customer whenever he or she is talking. Not surprisingly, hearing more allows them to sell more.
Whatever your position in a retail organization, when you take the time to listen with both your ears and your eyes, you can't help but make a stronger connection with the other person. And isn't that ultimately how we make a difference in both our stores and in our lives?
And Some Miscellaneous Musings
1) With Halloween on Saturday this year I recommend going all out to make your store a great experience this weekend. It's opportunities like this that let your store experience stand head and shoulders above the competition.
2) New research shows that high-potential employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their communities and increasingly seek out employers that allow them to do so on the job. Something to consider as you go into the holiday or post-holiday season.
3) Speaking of giving back, two weeks ago at the Brighton store manager's meeting all 140+ managers spent one evening at different shelters and organizations helping women in need. What a great activity for a manager's meeting!
Have a Happy Halloween and a great week.
Doug and Brian
I was just having this conversation with my business partner yesterday on the phone, and we touched on the points you brought up. Related is how less successful sales reps tend to fall back on the relative security of talking about features or benefits rather than putting themselves out there to try and understand what the customers desire's or needs are-- and ultimately find that authentic connection you are talking about.
Also, just found your blog today and I'm so excited to have found a blog on retail that's fun and entertaining. Bravo! You're in my reader.
Posted by: Dan | November 03, 2009 at 03:28 AM
Good point Dan. It's easiest to ignore the customer, and it takes more work to talk features and benefits, but ultimately the best thing we can do is to get to know the customer.
Welcome aboard!
Posted by: Doug Fleener - Retail Contrarian | November 05, 2009 at 06:53 PM