What if every customer you dealt with in your business felt such a connection to you that they couldn’t wait to purchase your product or service? My fiancee, Shelly, and I had that experience the other evening when we decided to pop into a furniture/electronics store. We were just getting a few ideas for what we may like for the home sometime in 2011. When we visited the television section, we were greeted by screens and sounds of all sizes. (Did you ever think that a 42″ television would be considered “small”?)

A sales associate named Noah approached us to see if there were any questions that we had about the televisions we were looking at. We explained to him that we were getting some ideas and were interested in a television purchase sometime in the near future, but not that evening. Instead of pulling the ultimate amateur sales move of whipping out his card and saying, “If you ever need anything, please call me!” He told us, “I understand that you are just looking, but let me just tell you about a couple of things that you may want to consider regarding the technology when you are considering a television down the road.”

This guy was an ultimate no pressure, consultive salesman. He went on to show us a couple of things regarding the different finishes and light qualities that we were very appreciative of and would have probably never considered. He went on to explain, “Most people will talk to their mechanic, their hair dresser, and their neighbor about what they should look for in a television. Those people are more than likely not going to have any more information than you do right now. I happen to deal with this stuff every day, so it kind of makes sense to get your information from an expert, doesn’t it?”

After investing 10 minutes or so with us, he left us alone to explore and look at the various televisions. He managed to catch us a few minutes later and reminded us that he would be happy to answer any question big or small and handed us his card. “If you lose the card, just remember Noah, like the ark.” How can you forget that!

There are several things that anyone in sales could learn from this exchange:
1. Coaching your prospects into making the right decision for them will always pay off in the long run. It is about a relationship, not a transaction.
2. Ask important questions to qualify your prospects, and get used to the phrase, “I understand”. Also remind your prospect that you are the expert, and to leverage your expertise when making a buying decision.
3. Brand yourself. Whether it is around your name, a hobby, or something else; people will remember your brand.

Jeffrey Gitomer tells us that “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” If more salespeople took lessons from Noah, there would be many more happier customers and sales professionals in the world.