Mall vendor fury

[PepNYC]

^^ That!!

The only requirement for employment is knowing what the buttons on the register do.

I understand what you guys are saying. All I'm saying is it's a shame these and other sales people these days haven't the slightest clue about the products they're selling. If we had no internet to do research, we'd all be screwed.

 

[Train2]

Yes, but it is a reasonable expectation for a salesperson to be an advisor.
One way to be a successful salesperson is to learn what the buyer wants, and then position your product so that it matches.
Understood they won't point out flaws or admit something else is better (usually), but this does not involve making up or lying about features and specifications.

I'd MUCH rather buy something from a salesperson who admitted they didn't know the answer to a question, but perhaps helped FIND the right information - than someone who guessed or lied. As you can see in the original post, the guess or lie will likely lose the deal.

I've been selling or teaching people how to sell for 30 years.

Also, you said you are upset that the consumers aren't getting adequate information from the people selling the stuff. Really? You are upset that the salesman, looking to make $$$, isn't informing the buyer of everything they need to know? That isn't the sales persons job. Their job is just to SELL. YOUR job, as a consumer, is to do your OWN research.

I'll never understand people that want stuff handed to them. Maybe I just grew up in a different environment.....and maybe I'm lucky for that....but the way I grew up, you never expect a person selling you something to have YOUR best interests.....as a person, only YOU have your best interests. That is why you need to know what YOU want to buy, and how much you are WILLING TO SPEND.

People who depend on the person selling them a product as a source of information on the product should be more careful. A salesperson is just that, a salesperson. Again, their job is to SELL.

 

[InTheShade]

Yes, but it is a reasonable expectation for a salesperson to be an advisor.
One way to be a successful salesperson is to learn what the buyer wants, and then position your product so that it matches.
Understood they won't point out flaws or admit something else is better (usually), but this does not involve making up or lying about features and specifications.

I'd MUCH rather buy something from a salesperson who admitted they didn't know the answer to a question, but perhaps helped FIND the right information - than someone who guessed or lied. As you can see in the original post, the guess or lie will likely lose the deal.

I've been selling or teaching people how to sell for 30 years.

You're not wrong Train2, the problem is finding the salesperson who displays these behaviors. In my experience they are few and far between. In order to get that behavior consistently from your sales team, you have to train them and motivate and reward them for selling in this way.

Many companies, especially smaller ones, simply do not invest any amount in the correct training of their sales team. As someone else said in this thread, if they can punch the buttons on the cash register, they're good to go.

I guess PepNYC is correct in that it's a bit sad that I've had to lower my expectations in salespeople considerably in order to not be constantly disappointed.

 

[rhean]

I never said I was asking for everybody to "modify their behavior". Just sharing an experience and my viewpoint. Mine and only mine. Everyone has a right to have an opinion and I respect that. Although I appreciate your suggestion to modify mine, If I want to go around being disappointed, I will respectfully say, that's my choice. Same thing goes for your choice to not let it bother you.

My life experiences have taught me the same thing you mentioned but it's still annoying. It's a shame we've come to be so submissive in this society to accept and even expect this sub-par level of service from our merchants but as I said earlier in the thread, It is annoying but I'm not losing sleep over it.

The thing that would upset me about that encounter is that there aren't a lot of b&m vape shops out there. Not many people vape, so vaping isn't a familiar sight. That mall kiosk is probably the only place in that mall, and possibly in that city, where people can see vaping goods in person. Most people who approach a kiosk are doing it on a whim. They probably haven't done their research. They see it, maybe they're smokers, they get curious, they approach.

They should be able to get good info, good juice, good drippers, atomizers, etc. at such places. It sounds like this guy (whom I DO NOT BLAME) was sorta-kinda-familiar with his equipment. He'd at least heard of drippers. He at least knew that there was such a beast as "MAH" lol. He didn't know enough, though, and that's a shame.