Welcome to the most common response I get when I ask a customer how they are going or hello. Rarely do I get an “I’m good thanks” or “I’m well”, it is a cold, blunt often rude line of “I’m just looking” which if you really look at it, it translates to leave me alone.
I have worked in customer service now for almost 12 years. Day in and day out it seems to be the same response from people. The only variance is the level of rudeness. People seem to think it is ok to treat a salesperson like they are something that they have removed from their shoe. The truth is they don’t need to do that, they just choose too.
I will now tell you the best sales pitch I can – We are there to help!
Believe it or not, we have trained product knowledge, we are informational and truth be known, we are people who simply like to deal with other people. Sadly customers don’t see this, they see a salesperson that is desperate for a sale, will hawk you and say anything to get the deal.
There are 2 types of salespeople in the world. One is salary based – as they don’t need to hawk you, the environment is relaxed, inviting and very welcoming. Plus you will often find that they don’t need to sell you the most expensive item, if it is not what you are looking for. The other is commission based – this is a tough gig, not only are you in direct competition with your work colleagues, it is also your wage and if you aren’t making sales, it may be 2 min noodles for dinner again. The problem is customers tar us all with the same brush, admittedly, it is difficult tell which one is the one approaching you.
I will now come back to my first statement, if someone is purely saying hello to you as you walk in the door and giving you attention, smile and say hello back. If they then ask if you need a hand, you can calmly and decently tell them that you are browsing and that you will call them if you need them. Amazingly they haven’t tried to sell you something by just saying hello, except for maybe human decency.
The amount of times people will look at me almost with disgust simply because I have said hello to them, is appalling and sad. You would have to be naïve or a dullard to think you would walk into a store and no one would be there to greet you. Be respectful and kind to the fact that this is another human being. When did politeness and respect be replaced with being aloof and putridly rude?
Now if you are sitting there ready this, thinking I have seen Pretty Women and those salespeople in that showroom were awful to poor old Julia, who was just trying to buy some new clothes, so how can it just be customers who are rude?! I am here to tell you that I whole-heartedly agree with you! Whilst I am in customer service and I am confronted with rude customers everyday, I have also in fact, been on the receiving end of rude sales staff. Ignoring you, being on their phone or chatting with colleagues and if you do want help they look at you like you have just asked for their second unborn child.
So it does go both ways and it would be unfair to not to judge (I mean look) at both sides of the retail counter.
I guess you have to look at why this happens? The sales staff, are no doubt sick to death of rude customers, so the bitterness comes out often in the ways mentioned above, Yes it is their job, but unless you have worked with the general public, you really don’t know how nasty it can be. Conversely the customers, who aren’t rude, often unfortunately cop the raw prawn and are categorized before they have even opened their mouth.
Sadly this does go beyond a mere shop setting – it is a core human behavioral issue. People often don’t know how to deal with other people in a social setting. They think it is ok to speak down to people and treat them like utter garbage, and the position of wealth and status symbol does not help one iota. I could on about this, but as someone who is not that wealthy, I feel I may cry myself to sleep tonight clutching a vodka bottle.
An effective list of “how to” to follow could be:
1. Smile – be inviting – the saying “You catch more flies with Honey than with Vinegar” does go a long way.
2. Don’t ignore – there is no need to do this, it is just rude.
3. Attitude is everything.
4. Reverse the role, how would you like be treated?.
5. Realise your surroundings, you have actually walked in a place of business. Regardless of whether you are simply browsing or not, the people there are still there to help and provide service. Just respect that.
The only way to really cure this situation is to be the best person you can be when you walk out the door. I would love to think that every person who I speak to is going to treat me with respect and courtesy, but it is not going to happen, but I certainly also don’t want to the person that ruins someone else’s day. Smile, be nice and realise that person is just like you.
Manners are learnt, and decency is the reward.
Ranter & Banter 