TWO FRIENDS TOGETHER
It is not unusual for a customer who may be undecided to bring along a friend to assist in the selection. The salesman, under these conditions, may have the task of selling two people the one pair of shoes, because the sale depends upon the satisfaction of both. The effort to sell will, of course, be directed to the person who is buying. However, should there be a difference of opinion between the two concerning some important point such as size or fit, the salesman would naturally be supported by the person who favors the shoe he is suggesting as the most desirable one. Although it would be a mistake for him to make a controversy of it by setting up sides, he can assist in bringing about a decision by a suggestion or two in favor of the person who has agreed with the salesman’s selection.
A woman customer accompanied by her husband, or vice versa, offers another situation that calls for tact on the part of the salesman. One good woman explained that her husband had bought himself a new suit but that she had accompanied him simply to pick out the one he should have. The shoe salesman under the same conditions, will soon be able to tell which one of the two is to do the deciding, and he will then direct his selling effort accordingly.