I’m sure there have been times when you’ve come across a person who becomes nice only when there is some benefit they can gain. The type of person who is frequently described by others as “insincere,” “two faced,” or more commonly, “fake.” They’re not nice because that’s the way they want to treat others; they are nice only because they feel they need to be to get what they want.
A friend of mine encountered someone like this recently at her yearly eye exam. The doctor had completed the exam and written out a prescription. My friend asked for a contact lenses sample and was told, “That’s up to my assistant at the front desk.”
My friend was confused why the doctor was delegating this financial decision and disappointed since the assistant had been less than friendly during her visit.
The reason for his delegation soon became apparent. The assistant was tasked with giving a hardcore sales pitch to buy contact lenses from the doctor instead of ordering them elsewhere. The “pitch” was the only time the assistant was civil to my friend. He smiled and laughed and seemed like a completely different person. My friend wondered if she had been wrong about him.
However, when she calmly explained that their price was nearly double what she usually paid online, the civility came to an end. The assistant turned from “good cop” to “bad cop.” She was abruptly asked to pay for the visit and sent home without samples.
Unfortunately, this type of experience is far too common. It’s easy to blame the assistant for the rude behavior but the doctor is not blameless himself. He obviously decided he was fine with the discourteous treatment of his patients if they weren’t willing to buy the expensive contacts. To him, the added sales from the sales pitch were the most important thing.
Unfortunately for the good doctor, people are smart and normally see through this behavior. His sales would increase if he’d just abandon the hardcore push and instead focus on treating his customers with kindness and respect.
Whatever business you’re in, make sure and focus on what you can do for your customers and not what they can do for you. If you do that, they will be far more willing to pay extra for the convenience and the pleasure of ordering from you.
Lanny Zechar, speaker and consultant to some of the most happily successful people on the planet. Cold calling, sales and customer happiness consulting.
Comments