A few weeks ago, I described practices of merchants that kept me
coming back to their shops.
Today I will describe some of their less pleasing colleagues.
This may be informative. Besides, it allows me to vent.
A store near my residence sells photographic supplies and
provides camera repair services. Only the owner discusses repairs,
and, with him, everything is a hard sell.It may be difficult to imagine hard-sell tactics used to
convince customers to have their cameras cleaned. I've seen it in
this store.
But something is more irritating: After Whatshisname has made
his pitch, he can't stop repeating himself.
I heard and understood him the first time and found his
hammering on the message to be a bit insulting. Besides, he never
ever smiles.
On my return from ASTA last year, one camera needed care, so I
took the subway to a different shop.
Doctors don't sell things, exactly, but my medical plaint is
relevant here.As with agents, some part of a doctor's income is set by someone
else, in this case, insurers or government.
Whether or not I agreed with my doctor's views, I did not relish
his dissecting the American medical system as I sat in the
patient's chair.
Agency clients wouldn't feel as much like captives, but I am
sure you know the dilemma of determining how much to tell clients
about your issues, especially commission cuts. Meanwhile, I have a
new doctor -- ironically, for insurance reasons.
Grocers don't have to convince us to buy food the way you have
to promote travel. Nevertheless, they face competition, and food
stores vary widely in my neighborhood.They are large, small, low-cost, pricey, low-brow, upscale,
dumpy and flashy, and staffers range from comatose to wildly
efficient, from abrasive to charming.
Who or what is the most off- putting? I'd pin the ribbon on the
guy who deigns to sell cheese, and maybe if you grovel nicely,
he'll cut the amount you want and not ridicule you for refusing to
buy the overripe stuff.
He's a snob who looks as if he ate too much of his goods.
I've also seen petty dictators run the take-a-number operations
at the fish and meat counters and one day tried to fade into the
floorboards while a customer complained loudly about the "soup
Nazi" operation.
But at this store, checkout lines are astonishingly long (with
buyers waiting just to get inside during holidays), but lines move
fast thanks to high-speed checkout clerks.
Why is this flawed operation so successful? Quality (high) and
prices (reasonable or low).