The best salesperson you've ever met, and why?

dense

30 years ago I trained with a guy who was shït hot, turned over a million a year in a small town, in retail.

I've not seen his like since.
Anyone any stories about who they've come across and why they bought? Nn need to personally identify them!

Did you ever walk out of a shop and say what happened there?

I believe the art of salesmanship is dead, (sorry ladies) but there are a few naturals still around.

Doltanian

I remember I was in Las Vegas in America a few years ago and I was casually walking through some mall when there was these two young black guys who were in their late teens or maybe early twenties, they were selling a special cleaning solution for sneakers and runners. To demonstrate it they basically cleaned my shoes up like new, I honestly couldn't believe the job they made of them and they turned up like new. I bought the whole shebang off them there and then for like $35 - $40 and tried it on the other sneakers back in my hotel and it made a great job of them so I went back the following day and bought another set like it for a gift for someone. I still have it and I thought they were great salesmen. On the same trip I ended up buying a load of dead sea salts type things but that was more down to the absolute beauty of the attractive saleslady. Being on holiday that time I guess I was more likely to spend and having almost $1.60 per €1.00 was a major factor. I didn't feel I ever got a much value since than trip until I went to Thailand a few years later.

retro:electro

Me when I worked in Dunnes five years ago. I used to give everyone free bags for life.

Karangue

anna080 wrote: »

Me when I worked in Dunnes five years ago. I used to give everyone free bags for life.

I remember you, the Dunnes Stores Girl.

Charlie19

I bought a bracelet of this guy in Gran Can aria a few years back.

This Lad was good, I think his name was Lucky.

I met Mr Lansky Clothier to the Stars , years ago, at his store in The Peabody Hotel in Memphis . He would regale you with stories, all the while showing you merchandise.

After hearing many stories, you'd finally walk out, having spent a fortune .

ChunkyLover54

Cookie Kwan. 'Cos she's No. 1 on the west side.

Surreptitious

I used to sell over a grand of designer garb daily years ago. I think it was my brutal honesty that worked. Wasn't on commission though sadly.
I did buy a nail set off these two shysters before, they were excellently trained and I bought a set and never used it after. They literally persuaded me I couldn't live without it. Worst memory ever though was buying a walnut off a Gypsy when I was about 13 as she told me it was good luck haha.

jimbobalob309

my missus

longshanks

I met Donald Trump a couple of years ago in New York. He's since sold the American people a line, and because enough of them bought that line he is now president. Pretty spectacular salesman considering he's a megalomaniacal parasite.

Archeron

Gil Gunderson, what a salesman! No dog food for Ol' Gil tonight!

Your Face

longshanks wrote: »

I met Donald Trump a couple of years ago in New York. He's since sold the American people a line, and because enough of them bought that line he is now president. Pretty spectacular salesman considering he's a megalomaniacal parasite.

Crowbar it in.

Lorelli!

I was about 18 and on a summer holiday with my parents in The Canaries. My friend had her belly button pierced and when I was looking around in the markets, I saw some rings and wanted to get one for her as a present.

My dad wanted to haggle the price with the market lady. So he was offering her less and she was arguing that the rings were worth the price she had them at and she would not budge. She thought he was buying the ring for me. Anyway they were still arguing the price and sort of flirting when she looked at him and said in a really serious but sexy Spanish accent, "if you think they're worth so little, are you telling me that you would allow something that cheap and worthless to be inserted into the navel of your daughter?"

My dad laughed and sort of sighed and said "alright give us two of them"

Also once in Crete, going through this old town and a woman was selling carpets or something like that outside her house. You could see into the house and her husband was lying sick in a bed. She pointed to the carpets and then to the husband saying "you buy, he die"

erica74

To be honest, I'm just happy when the salesperson says, hello/please/thank you/goodbye. I don't like purchasing something in a shop and being served by someone who doesn't utter one word to me and just takes my money. One particular place I remember is Paperchase in Arnotts, the salesperson was wordless for the entire transaction.
I say hello and thank you to every salesperson.

I work for a public services provider and get asked the same 3 questions about 100 times a day (and also get abuse by the lorry load) and I just plaster my smile on.

893bet

I was a green a few years ago working in a bar.

A "salesman" came in selling knife sets. No customer wanted one.

I was half interested. He demonstrated how sharp they were by holding up a few beer mats and chop slicing them! He started at i think 150 (these are 300 in the shops he said). After some bartering I think I paid 30 quid.

As he left he shouted "any one else want a bargain.....30 quid...... anyone........20 so??? .........10?? Anyone"

He sold two at 10 the bastard.

Stonedpilot

Knew a lad who was a trained hynotherapist who used neuro linguistic programming on people all the time. He worked Selling everything phone upgrades, time share, cattle, bin contracts, expensive swiss knifes etc. He always used NLP and was very good at it. I knew he was doing it as I read Richard Bandler and Ross Jeffries pioneers (creators if you will) of NLP so when he did it I was like ah here we go. Crazy how persuasive this guy was. He had to be, he had a very expensive drug habit and got into alot of trouble in Thailand he did after selling a criminal a dud motorbike for few grand and had to get out of there fairly lively and with his life. He could sell dangerous criminals shyte.
Hes selling something or other now but best practioner of NLP I have ever seen. He was a gifted hypnosist never really bothered with a practice too wild to run his own business.

razorblunt

ABC Always Be Closing.

Snotty

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Knew a lad who was a trained hynotherapist who used neuro linguistic programming on people all the time. He worked Selling everything phone upgrades, time share, cattle, bin contracts, expensive swiss knifes etc. He always used NLP and was very good at it. I knew he was doing it as I read Richard Bandler and Ross Jeffries pioneers (creators if you will) of NLP so when he did it I was like ah here we go. Crazy how persuasive this guy was. He had to be, he had a very expensive drug habit and got into alot of trouble in Thailand he did after selling a criminal a dud motorbike for few grand and had to get out of there fairly lively and with his life. He could sell dangerous criminals shyte.
Hes selling something or other now but best practioner of NLP I have ever seen. He was a gifted hypnosist never really bothered with a practice too wild to run his own business.

Did he sell you that story?

Stonedpilot

Snotty wrote: »

Did he sell you that story?

Haha boom!.
Lived with him for year in houseshare. He did a couse in NLP and Hynotherapy. Crazy persuasive dude.

Bit unethical but NLP is used on us 24/7 in advertising.

Billy86

Terry Tibbs.

Hector Bellend

My usual response to sales talk involves the response

"get away from me. don't look at me. don't talk to me. if I want you i'll call. now f**k off "

philstar

^^^^^^^^^^

i say you're a delight to shop with

Are Am Eye

Swiss Toni.

Burial.

razorblunt wrote: »

ABC Always Be Closing.

One of the greatest scenes ever.

DrGreenthumb

a pleasant fellow by the name Lyle Lanley, I didn't know I needed a monorail till I met him and his catchy tune

freshpopcorn

893bet wrote: »

I was a green a few years ago working in a bar.

A "salesman" came in selling knife sets. No customer wanted one.

I was half interested. He demonstrated how sharp they were by holding up a few beer mats and chop slicing them! He started at i think 150 (these are 300 in the shops he said). After some bartering I think I paid 30 quid.

As he left he shouted "any one else want a bargain.....30 quid...... anyone........20 so??? .........10?? Anyone"

He sold two at 10 the bastard.

We bought these sets or similar sets a few years ago. They are actually good enough!

893bet

freshpopcorn wrote: »

We bought these sets or similar sets a few years ago. They are actually good enough!

Did you pay 10 euro in a pub in Limerick?

If so hi and long time no see.

Atoms for Peace

It's toasted!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYc6AN72N2c

freshpopcorn

893bet wrote: »

Did you pay 10 euro in a pub in Limerick?

If so hi and long time no see.

No door to door guy out of the back of a van!

mfceiling

Wedding suit. One of those crowds who do made to measure and set up in the 4 seasons in ballsbridge. Had me measured in 3 minutes, fabric picked in another 3 and buttons etc in another 3. Had me in and out in less than 10 mins and I was a grand lighter. I only went in for a browse.

johndaman66

Doltanian wrote: »

I remember I was in Las Vegas in America a few years ago and I was casually walking through some mall when there was these two young black guys who were in their late teens or maybe early twenties, they were selling a special cleaning solution for sneakers and runners. To demonstrate it they basically cleaned my shoes up like new, I honestly couldn't believe the job they made of them and they turned up like new. I bought the whole shebang off them there and then for like $35 - $40 and tried it on the other sneakers back in my hotel and it made a great job of them so I went back the following day and bought another set like it for a gift for someone. I still have it and I thought they were great salesmen.

Is that more a case of the product selling itself on its obvious merits rather than the two guys demonstrating themselves to be very good salesmen? I would say a very good product with no viable competitor (or at least none that your aware of) ends up selling itself.


I would say the true worth of a good salesperson is one who takes a relatively homogeneous product with many viable alternatives and does a good job of selling it, be it through creating that need for it in your mind or differentiating it somehow from its many similar alternatives...

Akrasia

A good salesman is one who sells people the products they will actually use so that the customers are satisfied and will come back and tell their friends. A con artist is someone who sells you something you immediately regret buying as soon as you get to use it

fryup

the chancer in kilmaley co clare, who 20 odd years back sold me a heap of sh!t car, he could charm the skin off a snake "tis mighty on the petrol"

granted i was totally naive to all things mechanical at the time..but just within a fortnight of buying it the thing began to fall asunder

2 grand it cost which at the time was a lot of money to me :mad:

mengele

albert arkwright in open all hours

johndaman66

Akrasia wrote: »

A good salesman is one who sells people the products they will actually use so that the customers are satisfied and will come back and tell their friends. A con artist is someone who sells you something you immediately regret buying as soon as you get to use it

That all still comes back to the product or service rather than the salesperson though. A good product or service that the customer needs then chances are that there is very little selling involved and the product ultimately sells itself. Granted if a range of different products are being sold there may be a certain amount of talent associated with selecting the one that's right for the customer and selling it to them - arguably the focus here is more on profiling the customer and having a good product knowledge with a more limited focus on pure selling.


Unfortunate as it sounds the con artist you mention who manages to sell you something you immediately regret buying is arguably the more talented salesperson (albeit without any ethics)....selling ice to an eskimo and all that.....

Akrasia

johndaman66 wrote: »

That all still comes back to the product or service rather than the salesperson though. A good product or service that the customer needs then chances are that there is very little selling involved and the product ultimately sells itself. Granted if a range of different products are being sold there may be a certain amount of talent associated with selecting the one that's right for the customer and selling it to them - arguably the focus here is more on profiling the customer and having a good product knowledge with a more limited focus on pure selling.


Unfortunate as it sounds the con artist you mention who manages to sell you something you immediately regret buying is arguably the more talented salesperson (albeit without any ethics)....selling ice to an eskimo and all that.....

They're talented at ripping people off, but I wouldn't want them working for my company. They'd be grand at selling directly on the street corner where there is no comeback, but in an established business, they're just going to generate returns and complaints.

There were lots of 'good salespeople' who sold a lot of payment protection insurance and probably got big bonuses at the time, up until the banks were found out and they've had to refund all those customers and pay huge fines for mis-selling

johndaman66

Akrasia wrote: »

They're talented at ripping people off, but I wouldn't want them working for my company. They'd be grand at selling directly on the street corner where there is no comeback, but in an established business, they're just going to generate returns and complaints.

There were lots of 'good salespeople' who sold a lot of payment protection insurance and probably got big bonuses at the time, up until the banks were found out and they've had to refund all those customers and pay huge fines for mis-selling

Fair enough and I did mention that these con artists weren't always acting in an ethical manner. Ethics has really come to the fore in recent years, particularly in the financial and insurance sector and as you mention there has being refunds, also contracts made null and void and worse still huge fines for mis-selling. Fair to say what defined a good salesperson in the financial/ insurance industry say 15 or even 10 years ago dramatically differs to what defines a good salesperson in that industry now.


However, from the point of view of what makes a good salesperson in a traditional sense I just don't particularly see any talent in having a brilliant product that sells itself....such as the shoe cleaner the two lads sold one of the posters in a shopping mall when they were on holiday in the States. To me the talent lies therein selling a product where there are a lot of homogenous alternatives or creating a need or want in that customers mind for a product they don't particularly need...of course remaining within the law is another aspect that must be considered if it enters into the equation.