Networking Article from Networking Today Canada, Nat'l
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Could You Have Opened the Candy Store?
Earlier this year, we were on family vacation in western
After a spectacular dinner we went for a stroll in the small town of
Across the street from us we noticed a candy store, which also advertised ice cream. Since we had skipped dessert at dinner, this place looked like it would hit the spot. Our group enthusiastically marched toward the candy store.
"Oh, too bad," someone said. "It's closed." The big red OPEN sign was off and the hours listed next to the door clearly showed we were about ten minutes too late.
We pushed on the door anyway and even though it didn't budge, we didn't want to believe it was closed. Of course it was.
The kids were disappointed. Okay, yes, so were the adults! Everyone muttered their own words at the store being closed. Imagine eleven adults and kids all pressed up against the glass of this shop.
Someone in our group noticed a man sweeping up at the very back of the shop. "Wait, there's some guy in the back of the store. But he's not looking this way."
As the others in our group walked away, I knocked on the door and waited. The man inside waved, but he didn't move towards me.
I knocked again. He waved again. I waved back, but this time I yelled, "We're from
The man walked over to the door and opened it. I explained a little more how this was our first trip to the area and we hadn't ordered dessert at the restaurant. I told him we'd love to buy a lot of candy. He thought about things, shrugged his shoulders and said in a warm friendly voice, "Sure, okay, come on in!"
$68 worth of candy and ice cream later, we were all happy campers. And the candy shop had a nice final sale for that day.
Some lessons here:
#1 - Obviously a smart owner or manager. The store was closed, he heard the plea of his customers and decided to capitalize on the opportunity. Everyone wins.
#2 - Remember: In life (and in candy store retailing) just because a sign says CLOSED doesn't always mean it is closed!
#3 - Remember, there are three types of sales people in the world:
Passive: The sales person who said, "Oh, it's closed" and walked on past the store.
Average: The sales person who knocked once and when nothing happened, walked on past the store.
Proactive: The proactive sales person who made a second effort and didn't hear the first "no."
And congratulations to the proactive owner who recognized a few more minutes of his time would result in a nice extra sale and some very satisfied visitors.
Thought for the day: If you had passed the closed candy store, could you have opened it?
Nancy Friedman, customer service and sales expert, is available to speak at your association conference or corporate event. Click here for a complimentary DVD demo of Nancy in action. You can also contact Nancy directly via email nancy@telephonedoctor.com to discuss your specific needs.
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