Michelle Rockwood, ACC’s Post

Women's Sales Challenge for the week: Be less friendly. . . My first sales job was selling shoes at Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. . I was horrible at it. . I'd wander the floor, making friends with every customer, learning their weekend plans and pets' names... . No one purchased; I was broke. . Then, one day, a male co-worker pulled me aside. He told me to stand and observe him. . What happened next blew my mind! . He helped customer after customer, uttering maybe two to five words each. He grabbed the shoe, set it down, and WALKED AWAY to help the next one. . No small talk. . Here is what's crazy: It worked. In the 30 minutes I watched him, he sold a half dozen shoes! . See, in my desire to serve, I'd bring out tons of options and multiple sizes. My co-worker brought out just what they wanted and maybe one more size and walked away to let the client decide. . He also non-verbally made it known that running and getting more shoes was a pain, which helped move the client to take quick action. . While we should always be friendly and kind to customers, we're not "friends." And when you fall into being "nice," you do you and your prospects a disservice. You're on a call with a prospect to help them decide (yes/no) as to their next best step. . Can you resonate with being too nice? Comment below. . #highticketsales #womeninsales #salescoaching #joyfulselling.