"David, I'm Not Going to Buy This": How a 2-Minute Shortcut Turned into a $200 Loss
I was walking through the Westfield Mall in San Francisco when I suddenly heard:
“Nice jacket! Where is it from?”
I turn around and spot a guy neatly dressed in black pants and a black shirt, standing next to a mall kiosk, ideally located by the huge skylight.
I never want to be rude to the kiosk salespeople because they have a tough job.
At this point I’ve never seen anyone look at me with more disapproval in my entire life.
Context: I had just moved out of my apartment in London and thrown away three bags worth of shoes and clothes and donated two to charity to fit my life into a single suitcase.
David now proceeds to carefully apply what I was told was diamond-infused facial peeling gel to the top of my hand. He massages it using circular motions.
Instantly, dead and dry skin cells gather in grey lumps on my hand.
I look at David.
What followed can only be described as an out-of-body experience. I reached into my bag, grabbed my wallet, took out my credit card, and handed it to David.
*Ka-Ching*
Next, I exited the mall, standing on Market Street with a $200 dent in my bank account and a bag containing two diamond-infused skin care products in my hand.
What Salespeople Can Learn from David
While David got lucky with the Scandinavian connection and could use it to build rapport, that’s not why I ended up buying. Good salespeople know not only what the prospect wants but also what they need.
David managed to close the deal because of three main reasons.
1. He Asked Questions
High-performing salespeople ask questions, often twice as many as the average salesperson. While he initiated the conversation with a compliment, he consistently asked questions throughout our conversation, especially when I objected.
While he kept his questions simple, they weren’t particularly benefit-oriented. So why did they work?
Asking questions is the most powerful thing you can do. Questions immediately help build a stronger relationship. Questions engage people and make them open up.
Great questions will create less work for the salesperson as the prospect will do most of the talking. Often, they reach conclusions on their own. This could mean that they 1) qualify themselves and 2) sell themselves on the product.
2. He was Persistent
Despite repeatedly being told that I wouldn’t buy the product, David would not take no for an answer. Sure, skill and finesse goes into doing this in a way that doesn’t piss off the prospect, but the point is that you don’t stop at the first objection.
The first objection is when it gets interesting. This is when you can ask questions to discover the true reasons behind the objection and then find a way around it.
The first objection could be the first step toward closing the deal. Embrace it.
3. He was Confident in the Product
David enthusiastically told me about the product, the brand, and the business. A blind man could have seen that he took great pride in his work. And with pride comes confidence.
In hindsight, it was the product demo—seeing and feeling the effect—that closed the deal, despite my unwillingness to admit it to David (or to myself).
If you don’t believe in your product, you shouldn’t be selling at all. You might as well find a new job. Because if you don’t see the value, neither will your prospect.
No Regrets
Lastly, it’s important to include the fact that I’ve never regretted that purchase. The product was fantastic.
I’ve told my friends about it, and whenever I travel, they ask me, “Jo, did you bring the diamond stuff?” Of course I did. Once a week, just like David ordered, I apply that “stuff” to my face to get a new one.
David, if you read this—stellar job. (Oh, and send me a discount code, running low. Kthx.)
