Think about the last time you went into a retail store. You most likely went there on a mission – you were looking to buy something.

What happened? Did you buy? Did you buy because of the salesperson, or in spite of the salesperson?

Once you cross the threshold, you enter sales-land. Someone approaches you and, in a variety of pathetic ways, tries to engage you. Or should I say, tries to sell you. You of course try anything possible to avoid this salesperson by uttering the phrase, “I’m just looking.”

It’s almost like a game. The salesperson wants to sell you, and you don’t want to be bothered, unless you see something you want to buy or are mission driven.

The retail sale is an excellent window to the world of selling. It’s the convergence of successful advertising, successful branding, successful word-of-mouth advertising, your personal experience and your specific need. Once you’re in the store, the overall experience determines the fate of the business. Short-term and long-term.

The other day, Jessica and I went into a clothing store called Runway in New York City. Two steps inside the door, the well-dressed sales guy approached Jessica and said, “I have something that will look perfect on you.” How do you say “no” to that? How do you say, “just looking” to that? You don’t. You want to see what looks perfect.

So we did. And it did. And we bought. And we bought again. Bob (Mr. “I have something that will look perfect on you”) has now become our friend. We were drinking sodas and talking to Lynne, the owner of Runway, about shopping in Paris.

We were engaged. We were engrossed. We were involved. And we were buying.

How many stores have you gone into where the salesperson could have made the difference, but did not? And you left with your money in your pocket, not theirs.

Oh sure, sometimes the salesperson doesn’t matter. If you went to buy a PlayStation 3, the salesperson could call you ugly and stupid, tell you it’s not worth the money, and you would still buy two of them. That’s called a transaction, not a sale.

But I can assure you that every storeowner and every store manager wishes he had a salesperson like Bob. Someone who engages, entices, recommends, reinforces, up-sells and is friendly.

Keep in mind that Runway and its ace sales guy, Bob, are in New York City — not exactly the epicenter of politeness and friendliness, not exactly a city known for engaging, happy people.

A couple of other things that I think are important to note about the retail selling process as relates to Bob, but also as they relate to you:

1. Bob did not prejudge us. He was just friendly and open.

2. Bob was a product knowledge expert. He knew exactly what he had and what he wanted to show us five seconds after we entered the store.

3. Even though it may have been Bob’s 1,000th time to use his engaging greeting, to us it sounded like his first time. I admit, I was instantly engaged AND impressed.

4. Bob had a great attitude. He was enthusiastic about his job and his products.

5. Bob was relentless. Once he found we were customers willing to buy, he was willing to sell us the whole store, and a pair of shoes to go with it.

6. As relentless as Bob was, he was not pushy. He replaced pushiness with friendliness. And it worked. In New York.

7. Bob was honest in his recommendation and was willing to state his opinion, good or bad. He had no qualms about saying, “It’s not right for you.”

7.5. Bob was so good, I’m writing about him. Oh sure, there have been other great retail salespeople and I intend to write about them, but this was a shining example in a soot-filled city.

Think about your business. Think about your selling skills. Think about how you interact with customers and engage them. Is anyone willing to write about it? Are you good enough to create word-of-mouth advertising once the sale has been completed?

Want some inspirational quotations from the founding fathers of retail? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter RETAIL QUOTES in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.

© 2006 Jeffrey H. Gitomer