Smarmy salespeople

[Gigi]

A rant, mostly.

I was working in my front yard yesterday when I was approached by a young woman selling a cleaning product. Here's a recap of the conversation.
"Helloooo pretty lady. What's your name?" (Now call me cranky, but I'm rather offended by a total stranger out to sell me something asking this.) 
"Who wants to know?" (I know, not polite)
"I do. My name's Stacey." (Big phony smile.)
"Hello Stacey."
"Let me ask you a question, waving a picture in front of my face, have you ever seen this product?"
"Yes. I bought that product last year and it didn't work. I do not want any more."
"It didn't work?" (Big, fake shocked expression on face.)
"It didn't work."
"What kind of stain did you try it on?" (Puzled, fake expression.)
"It didn't work on anything I tried it on.  I don't know what the guy who demonstrated it to me had in his bottle, but the product he sold me did not work"
"I'm not trying to sell you anything but did you call for your money-back guarantee."
" There was no mention of a guarantee on the receipt."
"I can't understand that.  I'm not trying to sell you anything but you should have got a guarantee. Look at my face.  I'm trying to wrap my mind around this"
"I didn't." 
"Do you still have the bottle?"
"No. It didn't work. It was taking up cupboard space. I threw it away."
"I can't believe it didn't work.  What did you try it on?"
"I tried it on several things.  It didn't work.  I don't want to try it again."

She finally got the idea, said good-bye and left to find another sucker customer.

Now, I admire entrepreneurial spirit and people working to make a living.  It has to be very hard to do door-to-door selling.  I know I'd be miserable at it, and I'm usually polite to them, BUT I do wish that whoever trains these salespeople would teach them that the phony comliments and attempts to be ingratiating probably turn off more customers than they yield.

I have more respect for someone who just says "I have a really great product here, and I'd appreciate an opportunity to show it to you if you have a few minutes right now.  I don't need to be conned or false flattered into listening to your spiel. I don't need your false modesty or lame self-deprecating *jokes*.  If you have a good product just demonstrate it efficiently, describe it's benefits and let me make a decision.  Forget the cheesy compliments about the color of my house paint, my haircut, the niceness of the car in my driveway etc.  Who teaches these techniques?  Do they work on anyone?  Your thoughts, please.

[Bijou]

A rant, mostly.

I was working in my front yard yesterday when I was approached by a young woman selling a cleaning product. Here's a recap of the conversation.
"Helloooo pretty lady. What's your name?" (Now call me cranky, but I'm rather offended by a total stranger out to sell me something asking this.) 
"Who wants to know?" (I know, not polite)
"I do. My name's Stacey." (Big phony smile.)
"Hello Stacey."
"Let me ask you a question, waving a picture in front of my face, have you ever seen this product?"
"Yes. I bought that product last year and it didn't work. I do not want any more."
"It didn't work?" (Big, fake shocked expression on face.)
"It didn't work."
"What kind of stain did you try it on?" (Puzled, fake expression.)
"It didn't work on anything I tried it on.  I don't know what the guy who demonstrated it to me had in his bottle, but the product he sold me did not work"
"I'm not trying to sell you anything but did you call for your money-back guarantee."
" There was no mention of a guarantee on the receipt."
"I can't understand that.  I'm not trying to sell you anything but you should have got a guarantee. Look at my face.  I'm trying to wrap my mind around this"
"I didn't." 
"Do you still have the bottle?"
"No. It didn't work. It was taking up cupboard space. I threw it away."
"I can't believe it didn't work.  What did you try it on?"
"I tried it on several things.  It didn't work.  I don't want to try it again."

She finally got the idea, said good-bye and left to find another sucker customer.

Now, I admire entrepreneurial spirit and people working to make a living.  It has to be very hard to do door-to-door selling.  I know I'd be miserable at it, and I'm usually polite to them, BUT I do wish that whoever trains these salespeople would teach them that the phony comliments and attempts to be ingratiating probably turn off more customers than they yield.

I have more respect for someone who just says "I have a really great product here, and I'd appreciate an opportunity to show it to you if you have a few minutes right now.  I don't need to be conned or false flattered into listening to your spiel. I don't need your false modesty or lame self-deprecating *jokes*.  If you have a good product just demonstrate it efficiently, describe it's benefits and let me make a decision.  Forget the cheesy compliments about the color of my house paint, my haircut, the niceness of the car in my driveway etc.  Who teaches these techniques?  Do they work on anyone?  Your thoughts, please.

She would have lost me at the Pretty Lady part.  Gads.  You had a much longer converstation with her than I would have had.  I've perfected the statement, "Thanks, but I'm not interested." by talking to telemarketers.

[hjaye]

That's why some people are better at sales than others.  They recognize what it takes to break down the barriers of people not liking to be interrupted in their daily life by someone trying to sell them something.  I've had sales training, but I'm terrible at.  I wish I were a good salesman, they can go anywhere and know they will always have a job.

I don't think I know anyone who looks forward to being approached by a sales person.  The best salesperson I ever met was one going door to door selling coupons for personal picture portraits at a local mall.  They only cost a few bucks and I'll bet he sold just about every person he came in contact with (including me.....  )

[Twik]

When I first moved to the town I live in now, I had no furniture, so first job was go out and buy a bed.

I had limited funds, so I budgeted $X for a plain single bed, and headed off to a furniture chain in town (think "named after something used to build walls").

There, I encountered a salesman who had obviously been trained to "upsell" the customer. Despite the fact that I started by saying I had a limit of $X dollars, he insisted on showing me only queen and kingsized beds, that cost at least four times as much, nothing in my price range at all.

To help persuade me, he kept on telling me to lie down on them and see how comfortable they were. Well, first of all it was winter, and I had my winter boots on - I didn't like the idea of putting them on a fresh new mattress. Secondly, my momma taught me not to lie down on a bed just because a strange man told me to.

Finally, I told him I "had to think about it", left the store, went to the store next-door to it, and encountered a nice salesman who told me "For that price range, we have this, that and this other one. I'd recommend that one, myself". I had the bed bought and paid for in 15 minutes. I felt like going back to the first store and telling the guy there "Do you realize you lost a sale for $ by refusing to accept anything less than $$$$?"

[IndianInlaw]

Oh gosh, he must have been related to the washing machine saleslady at Sears.

I had x amount (cash, no credit card) for a washing machine.  If I had another hundred bucks, I'd have bought a pricier machine with more features.

She offered me a service contract.  I declined.

She went to write up the order and added $100 for a service contract.

I told her I didn't want it.

Had there been a way to buy appliances without paying commission I would have done so.  Even if the entire price went to the store, I'd have loved to have bypassed the sales people.

The washer lasted years and years and years. Long past the expiration date of any service contract.

[Pixie]

For door-to-door salespeople, "Go away, you are not welcome here."  sometimes works.    Other times I have said, "I'm sorry, you don't have an appointment. Goodbye."


Pixie don't play.  I have a sign near my front door that says, "NO SOLICITING"



However, these rules do not apply to Girl Scout cookies, or anyone with chocolate!

[hobish]

Some people really just don't get it.

I remember going to a local lot when looking for a car. I told the salesguy i was looking for a small stick-shift, preferably European & that i wasn't looking for a back-of-the-lot special, but didn't have a lot to spend.

The next words out of his mouth were, "Let me show you the Mustang we have on the showroom floor! It's an automatic, but i bet you'll like it!"

I left.

[extranormal]

She would have lost me at the Pretty Lady part

Hee. A single friend of mine who dates a lot has a theory about men who use that phrase (what she would think about another woman saying it, I don't know). In her experience, guys who call you Pretty Lady are disproportionately interested in a...particular...intimate activity. She swears this theory has been confirmed over and over.

So now I can't hear that phrase without my mind going to places I'd really rather it didn't.

As for salespeople: I'll talk to sellers only if they are under the age of 15. I won't necessarily buy their cookie dough or wrapping paper, but I'll at least listen to them. Some adult I've never seen before? Not so much.

[audrey1962]

Hee. A single friend of mine who dates a lot has a theory about men who use that phrase (what she would think about another woman saying it, I don't know). In her experience, guys who call you Pretty Lady are disproportionately interested in a...particular...intimate activity. She swears this theory has been confirmed over and over.

Hey now - my husband says that to me all the time. What are you trying to say?
Hee hee 

[Tosha Go]

When I first moved to the town I live in now, I had no furniture, so first job was go out and buy a bed.

I had limited funds, so I budgeted $X for a plain single bed, and headed off to a furniture chain in town (think "named after something used to build walls").

There, I encountered a salesman who had obviously been trained to "upsell" the customer. Despite the fact that I started by saying I had a limit of $X dollars, he insisted on showing me only queen and kingsized beds, that cost at least four times as much, nothing in my price range at all.

To help persuade me, he kept on telling me to lie down on them and see how comfortable they were. Well, first of all it was winter, and I had my winter boots on - I didn't like the idea of putting them on a fresh new mattress. Secondly, my momma taught me not to lie down on a bed just because a strange man told me to.

Finally, I told him I "had to think about it", left the store, went to the store next-door to it, and encountered a nice salesman who told me "For that price range, we have this, that and this other one. I'd recommend that one, myself". I had the bed bought and paid for in 15 minutes. I felt like going back to the first store and telling the guy there "Do you realize you lost a sale for $ by refusing to accept anything less than $$$$?"

even worse are the people who drop you like a hot rock if you mention you are sticking to a certain budget.

[Gigi]

Jeaninuskc said: She would have lost me at the Pretty Lady part.  Gads.  You had a much longer converstation with her than I would have had.  I've perfected the statement, "Thanks, but I'm not interested." by talking to telemarketers.

Actually if she had knocked on the door I'd have gotten rid of her faster.  As it was I had to get the plants in the ground, the light was fading and rain was expected.  I just kept digging while she did her thing.

For telemarketers my usual response is "we don't accept telephone solicitations. Goodbye."

[MerryRaven]

When we were looking for a house, I told a realtor that I wanted at least 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, central heat and air conditioning on one floor (no stairs).

I told him I absolutely did not want a split entire with baseboard heat or a wall/window unit air conditioner.

I knew my price range because my DH and I had gone around to open houses for about 3 years before we were serious about buying and knew what we could get for X dollars. 

We spent weeks looking at the wrong properties with realtors.

When one realtor took me to the 5 house in a row that was more expensive, on two floors with a wall unit air conditioner sticking out of the side I refused to get out of the car.

I found a realtor that finally only showed us the kind of things we wanted to see and he sold us a house in our price range in 1 week. 

Some sales people have their own agends and just don't listen.

[Chonsil]

The last time I was shopping for clothes, I got the greet from the saleslady on the shop floor who proceeded to tell me about "what wonderful items they had just in." Okay fine.

So I'm browsing away, looking at sweaters, when suddenly there she is again, pointing out that "aren't these wonderful sweaters fabulous colours and look at the twin sets and look they are half price too". Okay, I can still understand that she wants me to notice the sale price, but there is a sign right in front of me that tells me that too.

Next I'm looking at the cashmere when over she sails to trill "isn't cashmere wonderful and so easy to wash just handwash with baby shampoo."

I'm looking at jackets. Over she comes "We have such a wonderful range of these in store. So stylish, etc etc etc."

Now I'm the kind of person that just likes to browse in peace. I didn't need the running commentary on every peice of clothing I decided to touch. I was nearly at the point of screaming at her "Will you just shut up?!!? Just shut up!!! I can shop on my own and if I have questions I will ASK!!!"

Okay, I never would have really, and I appreciate she was just trying to do her job, but it was way overkill. And trust me, this was all within the space of five minutes - it was annoying! I ended up leaving the store and buying nothing because I couldn't wait to get away from her!

[Brentwood]

The last time I was shopping for clothes, I got the greet from the saleslady on the shop floor who proceeded to tell me about "what wonderful items they had just in." Okay fine.

So I'm browsing away, looking at sweaters, when suddenly there she is again, pointing out that "aren't these wonderful sweaters fabulous colours and look at the twin sets and look they are half price too". Okay, I can still understand that she wants me to notice the sale price, but there is a sign right in front of me that tells me that too.

Next I'm looking at the cashmere when over she sails to trill "isn't cashmere wonderful and so easy to wash just handwash with baby shampoo."

I'm looking at jackets. Over she comes "We have such a wonderful range of these in store. So stylish, etc etc etc."

Now I'm the kind of person that just likes to browse in peace. I didn't need the running commentary on every peice of clothing I decided to touch. I was nearly at the point of screaming at her "Will you just shut up?!!? Just shut up!!! I can shop on my own and if I have questions I will ASK!!!"

Okay, I never would have really, and I appreciate she was just trying to do her job, but it was way overkill. And trust me, this was all within the space of five minutes - it was annoying! I ended up leaving the store and buying nothing because I couldn't wait to get away from her!

I've met that saleswoman. She bugs me too!

[EvilAlice]

One of my pet peeves, for sure. 

Also, the Know it All salesman.  Last time I was car shopping, I hit so many dealerships.  I wanted some specific things:  Slightly used (less than 10,000 miles), economy size, 4 door (for my dog), straight shift (for me) and power windows and doors (I'm spoiled).

The first six lots I went to, the salespeople felt the need to tell me that was SUCH an unusual combination, I"d never find it, and how they were sure I didn't REALLY want that, I'd get tired of driving a stick (even though I've always had one) and let them show me this car, they guarantee I will love it even though it's not exactly what I want.  I walked every time. 

And found exactly what I wanted at the next dealership where the saleswoman actually LISTENED to me, looked through her inventory, and turns out they had a car that fit all my criteria including price range.  Drove it and loved it.

What I wanted might not have been the most common car in existence, but I refused to believe that there were NO CARS like that in the huge city I live in.  I wanted to drive past all those other lots and thumb my nose at them.