I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and ham? Would you like them
here or there? Would you like them in a box, would you like them with a
fox?” (Suess, 1960)
What Would Sam I Am Do?
 I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and ham? Would you like them here or there? Would you like them in a box, would you like them with a fox?” (Suess, 1960)
Kelley Robertson, president of the Robertson Training Group uses this classic Dr. Seuss tale to illustrate some of the timeless sales tactics good sales people deploy.
“ First of all Sam is selling a product and although his prospect is not initially interested, Sam doesn’t let that deter him from asking. Secondly, Sam consistently offers the prospect a choice when trying to close the sale. Thirdly, he refuses to give up. No matter how many times his prospect says ‘no’ Sam keeps offering alternatives. In fact, he offers fourteen options before he finally closes the sale.”
Robertson goes on to say that objections are a natural part of the sales process and it’s normal for the customer to raise several objections before making a decision. As long as we don’t take the objections personally and use our listening skills to determine what the customer wants, we should be able to close the sale.
But what if the customer is raising physical barriers? How can we overcome objections if we can’t start a dialogue? I am referring to my recent observations that people are using their cell phones as a means to prevent you from starting the sales process. It happens all the time at donut shops, grocery stores and gas bars.
A recent visit to the Louis Vuitton boutique in a Montreal department store illustrated the problem beautifully. These shrines to haute couture, with their minimalist décor and
beautifully turned out sales associates can be very intimidating. Enter the savvy young consumer with a cell phone. By walking in with the cell phone firmly up against her ear and a conversation in progress, she is now free to browse and leave without any attempted sales pitch. Robertson says this ‘defensive mechanism’ is tough to overcome.
I contacted him to get his thoughts on this behaviour. He suggested sales people just, “Keep an eye on them and approach (them) when they finish the call. Anything else would be rude.”
I suggested using humorous signs to get customers to turn their phones off. A nicely executed sketch of a distressed flower with the caption, ‘No cell phones please we’re sensitive’, would get the message across in a polite way. Robertson cautioned that signs are easily ignored, especially if they aren’t at eye level. He went on to say that reading signs isn’t one of the objectives on the customer’s mind when they enter a store. In that case perhaps a big smile hello and exaggerated wave would allow you to get the customer’s attention and let them know that you are there to help.
I didn’t share my more extreme ideas with Robertson, but you could move your store to an area without cell service (we have them out here), or invent some sort of cell interceptor to block the service. Time spent studying at the Marcel Marceau School of Mime would also give you the tools to make the sale without exchanging a word. I am confident that this is the approach that Sam I am would take to tackle this challenging sale.
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