Account I: The Nice Guy Who Needs Digital Assistance
(True customer stories while working in the male dominated sales field of electronics)
A customer ordered a product a few days prior and wanted to know how long to expect it to be shipped to his house. I looked up his information and answered his question. Afterwards, we engaged in conversation. As our conversation wrapped up he excused himself saying, “it was great talking to you but before I go, I am going to ask your boss about these digital cameras if that’s alright (referring to the male associate with the same title).” My colleague tells him that I would be more qualified to answer his questions because photography is one of the things I’m taking up in college. The customer reluctantly begins asking me questions about SLR lenses, zoom and internal storage capacity. As I answer his questions he continues looking back and forth between me and the male associate still anticipating the answers to come from his mouth. By the time I get to his questions on SD cards and television & PC hook up he finally focuses all of his attention on me. He could tell that I was enthusiastic and passionate about the subject. Even though the customer was only there initially to look and learn, he confidently purchases the camera. The next time he comes to buy, he specifically looks for me.
So, how should you handle customers or clients wary of your abilities in comparison to your male counterparts?
Here are 3 best practices regardless of... read more.
(True customer stories while working in the male dominated sales field of electronics)
A customer ordered a product a few days prior and wanted to know how long to expect it to be shipped to his house. I looked up his information and answered his question. Afterwards, we engaged in conversation. As our conversation wrapped up he excused himself saying, “it was great talking to you but before I go, I am going to ask your boss about these digital cameras if that’s alright (referring to the male associate with the same title).” My colleague tells him that I would be more qualified to answer his questions because photography is one of the things I’m taking up in college. The customer reluctantly begins asking me questions about SLR lenses, zoom and internal storage capacity. As I answer his questions he continues looking back and forth between me and the male associate still anticipating the answers to come from his mouth. By the time I get to his questions on SD cards and television & PC hook up he finally focuses all of his attention on me. He could tell that I was enthusiastic and passionate about the subject. Even though the customer was only there initially to look and learn, he confidently purchases the camera. The next time he comes to buy, he specifically looks for me.
So, how should you handle customers or clients wary of your abilities in comparison to your male counterparts?
Here are 3 best practices regardless of... read more.
