Here’s the story.
As the president of New York State National Speakers Association, one of my duties is to be present at all statewide gatherings. On this one specific date I had both a meeting with a client about an hour south of Syracuse and then a NYNSA Pow Wow up toward the Great Lakes about 2.5 hours northwest. Smack right in the middle is a discount store facility with over 105 stores (95% occupancy) including Nike, Timberland and Aeropostale.
For me, a great way to take a break from more than 6 hours of driving was to stop in and browse around.
For those who know me personally, I can shop all day. Shopping does not mean buying, it just means I spend time finding the right item before I buy anything. As I did on this day, I enjoy walking the stores.
Then I came across the Timberland Store managed by Jamie and staffed by Katie and Sarah.
The store had exactly what I was looking to purchase. Soft cargo pants. I found one pair that fit me after reviewing the shoe selection and then they mentioned to me if I purchased $50, I would be given a $10 discount. Sounded good since these pants were a perfect fit and comfortable.
Minutes later I found myself adding a $2.00 pair of strings for my shoes just to make it over the $50 mark. Then I realized, the guy next to me was buying 5 pairs of shoes. He had come in looking for two pairs, but by the time these woman were done with him, he had 5.
These ladies were on their game. With so little traffic they saw every prospect as a sale: and not just a $20 sale but a $50 sale. Given the state of the US economy, no-pressure, likable, sales strategies obviously work, since one employee mentioned, “They (corporate) make us get the $50.”
However, telling the staff and making it happen are two distinctly different achievements. The manager and the staff worked together so well that each helped the other find stock to fit sizes when someone needed shoes or a color or a style. There appeared to be no territorial behavior. They knew exactly what to say to close the sale and not once did I feel like they were overselling me.
They were impressive!!
In fact I’m wearing the pants and a shirt bought on that trip which reminded me of the story. What a great purchase.
Are you taking advantage of every opportunity that walks through your door?
Above is from a blog at http://davidgoldsmith.com/blog.
