Don’t sell me anything!

These days, most sales department are trained to convince clients not only to purchase something they don’t really need, but also to get additional services or to upgrade their main purchase in a number of ways. Everything go in the attempt to produce that result; hard-sell, subtle or not-so-subtle manipulation and sometimes “tricks of the trade” are used to attain the desired result.
We visited a place yesterday where we enjoy an important-client status and we like it because there is absolutely no pressure applied upon us to “buy” something. We are respected as clients and enjoy it a lot. The quality of service this institution provides us and the trust that emanates from its departments and staff is part of what makes us want to buy. The owners have – for now a very long time – understood and applied the new paradigm that we, the clients want to remain in full control of our purchasing decision; we don’t want to be sold anything and instead, want to retain full mastery over what we buy. This is why we like that company and are ready and willing to buy from them. It would be nice if other sellers of goods and services trained their salespeople into figuring out what makes clients genuinely want to buy instead of trying to force something down their throats. Granted, this drastic change in point of view takes some time to mature and bear fruits, but it’s a necessary shift whose time has come and that will prove highly beneficial and create a more sustainable and profitable selling environment.