Sustainable selling

(5 minutes read)

John wants to buy himself a suit and he goes to the Hugo Boss store to buy one. The salesperson offers assistance and he proposes two models. John tries the first one and the fit of the suit is not comfortable enough. Then he tries the second one, which is better, but he has some doubts. The following conversation happens between John and the salesperson 1:

Salesperson 1: Sir this one suits you much better than the first one. The length of the jacket is perfect, and the shoulders fit perfectly. That is absolutely the perfect fit for you. 

John: I agree that it is better, and I love the fit. Yet, I ask myself if the chest is not too large even when the first button is fastened.

Salesperson 1: Not at all, this is a regular fit suit, so it is very normal to have some room for your comfort. You will see that it allows you to move your arms comfortably.

John: It is true, but I don’t know… I am very much used to slim-fit suits, and I felt a little odd in this one.

Salesperson 1: I fully understand that it feels different than a slim-fit suit. But you will see that you will be much more comfortable with this one. And it is all Italian fabric and 100% wool.

John: Do you have the same or a similar one as a slim fit?

Salesperson 1: Sir, slim fit suits are a trend and as you know fashion trends change very fast. I strongly recommend you this regular fit. It is a timeless piece.

John: Hmmm… I think you are right I am buying it.

John buys the suit. After wearing it two or three times, he does not wear it again. Because for “some reason” he does not feel comfortable in that suit.

Does this story look familiar to you? How many times have you bought something, that you were not sure of, because the salesperson convinced you at that moment? And then you just dumped it in your dressing room and even forgot that you had it in the first place.

On the other hand, it is considered as an achievement for the salesman. He did his job, convinced the customer with good arguments, and reached his sales objectives. Just as he learned during his sales training. His boss considers that as an achievement.

Let’s see an alternative scenario with Salesperson 2:

             Salesperson 2: This one fits much better than the first one sir. Can you please move your arms a little?

             John: I agree it fits better, but you see… I feel that it is too large on the chest. There is too much room.

             Salesperson 2: I see that. This is exactly your size tough, and the pants fit perfectly.

             John: Can I try another one in a slim fit?

             Salesperson 2: Sorry sir, but this color comes only in a regular fit. I don’t know why but this season’s suits came in a different cut. And it clearly is not the best fit for your size.

             John: Absolutely! The black suit I bought last year was perfect. I wear it on every occasion and I love it.

             Salesperson 2: Yes, I remember that one. You know what, why don’t you come back at beginning of the next month? We will have the new season products coming in then. They prepared the new collection in Italian cuts, like the black suit you bought last year. You would have a better chance to have a similar one.  

             John: Alright then. I am not in a hurry anyway. I will pass by then to see the new collection. 

So, salesperson 2 did not make the sales. Maybe he will miss his monthly targets and will get a warning from his manager. Therefore, he will not be considered as successful as the first one.

The sales graphic of those two salespersons will likely be as following:

What are the chances that John would go back to salesperson 1 to buy other clothes? Even if he goes back, how much do you think he would trust the salesperson and his judgment? He manipulates his customers to sell more and most of his customers will not come back because of that. So, he will constantly need to find new customers. Some months he will succeed, some months he will not because he cannot control the customer traffic. And at some point, he will hit a wall, his sales will suddenly drop, and nobody will realize the real reason. The more he will push, the worse it will get. In the end, he will have to change his job or get fired.   

The second salesperson, on the other hand, is more likely to have John as a regular customer. With his approach, he would have more loyal customers like John and his sales will keep progressing. He might miss his targets in some months but in the long run, he would know that his sales will grow steadily which means the stability of the revenue build-up for the business.

This is what I call sustainable selling. 

Unless start rewarding sustainable selling, our businesses, we will get stuck with short-term achievements which will not necessarily bring us long-term success. We will encourage manipulation of the customers and high discounts. We will hardly obtain customer loyalty despite some repeat business. Therefore, in difficult times (such as COVID lockdown) we will lose our customers forever. 

Yet, in most of the businesses, we still reward salesperson 1 because he hits the targets. We reward short-term objectives rather than sustainability. In other words, we prefer short-term achievements over long-term success.

It is time to decide… success vs achievement.