Lately I've been in the market for a new car - my current one can't really fit my 30-kg dog anymore, so...
I've been doing some looking around, visiting car dealerships, inquiring about models, boot sizes etc. Why am I telling you this, you ask? I was appalled by the approach of most sellers - seriously, some of them made me change my mind about buying a shiny new car, which is exactly the opposite of what a seller should aim for. You HAVE to be kidding me - I thought to myself - if I worked like them, I would have been out of business for quite some time. And thus came the inspiration for this post. Here's a handful of don'ts for sellers, even if you sell services instead of actual products - courtesy of the best (and the worst) car dealerships on the block: 1 - Treating your customer poorly/like you're doing them a favor: Yes, I know you get a lot of inquiries and people that are probably just wasting your time, but if you don't treat everyone who walks in the door (actual or metaphoric) like buying clients, you will end up losing them. 2 - Not being passionate about what you're selling: If you don't believe in your product, why should I? At least you get paid to do so. 3 - Not following basic e-mail etiquette: Of course you're answering my corteous inquiry with a cookie-cutter, pre-written auto-responder - it's not like I signed my email with my name or I asked a specific question. Go ahead and keep sending me one-line emails with attachments whose meaning I can't fathom for the life of me, I so appreciate it. I do send my fair share of "Please find attached" emails without attachment, but this is another level of email rudeness, probably on the same level of those dreaded "To whom it may concern" messages... 4 - Not having a clear offer: If you can't communicate your offer in a clear way or you are not even sure what you're selling, your customers will probably go somewhere else, to someone with a little more confidence and knowledge of their product. 5 - Purposely having a vague offer AND trying to throw off your clients with super-specific jargon: WOW, that's a lot of optionals, this car must be SO well-equipped! ...and then, after sifting through endless lists of mysterious acronyms, you find out it has, well, a wheel, electric power windows (that's SO futuristic!) and possibly an engine somewhere. The same goes for us, who sell services instead of cars: don't intimidate your client with industry jargon they don't know - speak the language they speak. Don't tell them about the features of the latest cutting-edge software you subscribed for, just tell them about the results. That's what they are interested in, after all. So, back to us... Do you have other pet peeves when you find yourself on the other side of the barricade? Being buyers might just make us better sellers :-)
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At the end of my work day, I’m here on the couch, notebook on my lap, dogs sprawled out around me, eating fine chocolate (with Macadamia nuts), studying for my Python programming course… It’s almost 8 p.m. and I’m trying to learn about Boolean logic.
Someone else is probably picturing this as their worst nightmare – you mean you work and then you study? By choice? But in my mind, I’m actually going through the courses I can take after this one and I’m feeling pretty excited about it. You see, learning has always been my thing. As soon as I began going to school, I was already reading the entire library and trying to learn as much as possible. When I was in (the Italian equivalent of) 7th grade I was shocked to find out that my classmates had no idea what “obsolete” meant and when I got to high school I liked to read schoolbooks just for fun. So when I found out I could become a translator and read about new, different things all the time I was elated. And when, a couple of years in, I found out I had the time to study whatever I wanted AND use it for work, I was even more enthusiastic. Talk about being lucky, finding the best job for your skillset AND inclinations! That’s what I want to say with this blog post: being and spreading gratitude and positivity is important, in your life but also on the workplace (even if that workplace is your couch!). For me it means:
Amazing, right?
(Bonus unicorn gif to thank you for reading this far)
I will be talking more about this in one of my next blog posts about the biggest lesson I learned in 2017. Stay tuned! :) Do you ever have one of those moments when you feel great about yourself and your job? On A MONDAY?
Yes, I know, Talk about once in a lifetime. Today I called the other side of the world on behalf of a regular client of mine and in a matter of minutes I managed to solve a huge, long-standing problem for him. Talk about the power of languages. And right now, I'm feeling more productive than ever. Every week should start like this. I know I wouldn't mind powerhousing through every Monday feeling great and checking one task after the other off the list. Motivation at its best - I have most of my professional/leisure trips sorted out for most of the year.
Maybe I'll see you there? ;-) |
SimonaFreelance translator, foodie, animal lover. Archives
November 2018
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