Being in sales can be a tough gig, especially if it is commission-only, so for those that are, it can take some hard selling in order for the consumer to open up the wallet and make a purchase.  Being as someone that typically does not like to be bothered when I’m out shopping, when the “can I help you?” is usually more of an annoyance than a help.  Whether you are shopping for clothes, car, house, or a watch, salespeople will likely surround you in order to close the deal, so you need to be prepared of what you can be facing when you are even going to look, and look out for ways that sales staff are likely trying to complete the sale.

Feeling Pressure

There is nothing worse than a pushy salesperson, whether you are in the market to purchase or not.  With this tactic, you feel like no matter which question or angle you approach, they are only looking at finishing the sale.  It does not really matter which line of business or price of the item that you are looking at.  Sales has goals to meet, like any other job, but those goal require a specific amount of sales, even going higher to get bonuses, so shopping at the end of the month could find a little more pressure to complete sales and that could be taken out on the consumer, which can be unfortunate if you are ok looking on your own and have a pushy sales person breathing down your back.

Running Out of Items

I must admit that sometimes if I am on the fence about making a purchase and I see a couple of the items left in stock, or maybe one left in my size, that I might be more inclined to make the purchase, probably more of an impulse.  This tactic can be successful by a sales person to use the lack of inventory as a sign of high demand so that if you don’t make that purchase right away that you could run the risk of having the store run out of the item and you will not be able to purchase again, especially at that price point if the item is on sale.  Saving money is a huge deciding factor.

Taking Your Side

When we are out comparing products, we rely on a salesperson’s expertise on the item, giving us the pros and cons, helping with our decision.  The problem is, there is a trust factor that occurs with the salesperson if they are swaying you from one product to the other, and hopefully it’s valid based on quality and price, instead of pushing a specific item over another.  The store could have specific goals on selling products as well, so while a salesperson may have a specific goal, the store does as well, trying to stay in competition with not only its competitor stores, but also outperforming its sister stores in that city/county/district, depending on how many stores are around in the area.

Too Many Questions

Sales staff know the stereotypes that come along with the job, so sometimes they may take a more personal approach to try and help you forget that they’re salespeople and just an average consumer like you.  They may ask questions about your family, what you did over the weekend, or the typical small-talk regarding the weather, but all of that talk is to try and lighten the mood up a little bit.  Since I’m not a big fan of small-talk from anyone, no matter if they are acquaintances that I don’t see often, strangers, or sales staff, I’d rather stick to the task at hand, talking about price, which is really the deciding factor between making the purchase or not.

Lowering the Price

Speaking of price, after all, if money was no option, then there would be no hesitation in buying, so either there would be less sales staff, or they would just be getting massive bonuses.  Although it’s gotten better in recent years, it used to be that you would have to haggle with car sales staff in order to get it down to a price you agree with.  So, the tactic would be to come back with a lower price, so they would start with the first-run of pricing, you would offer what you’re willing to pay, they would go see their manager, and the negotiation period continues.  If they are able to come back and “fight for you” to reach the price you want, you and the sales person have a win-win.