Alfredo lost a sale and started our weeklong vacation experience on a poor note. It’s disappointing that one of the quickest and most common ways to lose a sale, to get a poor review, to turn what could be a returning customer into a one-timer is failure to feel the room.
Alfredo knew we were starving and were running on only a few hours of sleep, yet he stood around waiting for us to get checked in just to pull us to his office and talk about all the upgrades we could purchase and time shares we should consider buying then and there.
Talk about aggravating.
Time would have been better spent sitting at the restaurant with us and talking there or just telling us to come back to him later. It would have saved both our times. But, no. He failed to feel the room.
Actually, he failed to act on what he felt. He knew we were frustrated, tired, and starving. Is that the type of person you want to try selling to? I sure don’t.
I’ll take someone who has energy, who’s content, who I know is capable of desiring what I have to offer.
The concept of feeling the room runs across all life’s themes.
– You wouldn’t tell a joke about the reaper and death in a hospital room full of mourning people.
– You don’t make out with your significant other in front of her parents when it’s your first time meeting them.
– You don’t blast your iPod music during a quiet yoga session.
Of course, these examples seem extreme and quite obvious, but so are all the other moments in life. It’s easy to recognize when someone is frustrated, ancy, nervous or hungry. (And if it’s not, ask how the person is feeling then work on satisfying them on that note first! Selling 101.)
It’s obvious what to do next when someone says they are tired or hungry or mourning, yet so many salesmen (Alfredo!) reject the opportunity to do the unscripted, to turn a stranger into a friend, not just a commission.
Stay Positive & Feel The Room Then Act Accordingly
(even if “accordingly” is against the guidebook)
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