Retail Shoe Salesmanship

by George F. Hamilton; Frank Butterworth; H. T. Conner; A. H. Geuting

THE HUMAN HEART THROB

So far we have been considering those important matters that have to do with the salesman’s relationship to himself—the responsibility he has to build for himself a healthy mind, and business spirit. We are now interested to consider his relationship to the person who supplies the power to operate the whole machinery of commerce, who foots all the store’s expenses, and who regulates the size of the salesman’s pay—the customer.

A man whose career as a salesman had extended over many years, and who had been unusually successful in his work, was once asked before a large gathering of business men to tell them what great power he considered responsible for his success in selling goods. His reply was the simple and beautiful fact that he learned to love his customers. What he meant, of course, was that he had trained himself to regard each customer and to show him the same consideration and interest as though the customer were his warmest friend. Mention love, and we immediately think of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, with his fiery devotion, would have made a wonderful salesman if he had applied the same enthusiasm to the commercial field.

The man who said he loved his customers was not some soft, wishy-washy dreamer who gazed soulfully into his customer’s eyes. He was a strong, vigorous, man’s man, who understood enough about human nature to know that it is sympathetic interest coming from the heart that the customer wants and for which he is happy to pay. He wants to feel that his request to be served will be considered by the salesman not simply as another series of mechanical motions, but rather as an opportunity to be of genuine help.

GREETING THE CUSTOMER

The kind of respect and consideration a gentleman gives to a guest in his own home is the standard by which the successful salesman measures his service to the customer. There is nothing false or artificial in it; simply a genuine effort to please. When reduced to this basis the art of good salesmanship is not a series of cut-and-dry rules to tell the beginner how many steps to take forward when greeting a customer, when to reach up to remove a box from the stock, case, or when and how to accept the customer’s money. Those are simply mechanical operations and should not constitute a more important part of the sale than the arm motion of a speaker in delivering an address. To the man who has his heart in his work the mechanical motions called for in conducting a sale will come as naturally as breathing.

In line with the thought of natural selling, it is evident that a salesman should not rush at the customer. To pass someone else who is approaching a customer with the idea of serving him means to cause resentment both in the customer’s mind and in that of the fellow-worker.

Of course, the customer will be treated with politeness, but this again is more of a forced expression of consideration. The trick monkey that accompanies the Italian organ grinder has been trained to take off his little red cap whenever anyone put a cent in the tin can. This is a mechanical movement that might be considered politeness, but surely it does not express any part of the salesman’s responsibility in serving his customer. The salesman is courteous, which implies that there is in him a genuine regard and an honest effort to show every respect to which his customer is entitled. Courtesy is the habit of being polite—that means it is a natural expression and not artificial.

The impression made upon the customer at the time he first enters the store or department depends upon the manner in which he is received—whether his host is glad to see him or whether he seems bored by the fact that another visitor has come. When he realizes that he is welcome there comes at once a warmth of friendship that removes his natural tendency to restraint. The salesman’s responsibility is to remove every obstacle that stands between the meeting and the final sale. A cold reception will prejudice a customer against the house and the salesman. Therefore, greet him cordially, so that the sale may commence on even ground. This will save both time and selling effort.

H. T. Conner, vice-president of the George E. Keith Stores Company, believes that a natural smile on the face of the salesman as he greets the customer governs the success of the meeting. He says: “The first duty of the salesman is to smile. A great big smile always wins. Be good natured. No matter how grouchy your customer may be you can rest assured that a pleasant word or two will set him right. Look your customer straight in the eye and convince him that you are at his service. Do this and the sale is yours. Never permit the grouch to get the better of your patience, for it means lost time and ten to one you will not be any good to serve the next customer.”