Sales Approach: How do you like to be served?

23 Replies

iadoraTEA said

There is something to be said for reading people, as a sale person you should be able to tell if the person wants your attention, is looking for help with what to buy or just wants to be left alone. I generally just want to be left alone and if I need your help or opinion about something I’ll ask for it.

I recently went into a Teavana to buy tea and after about 5 min of walking around the salesperson was so pushy, talkative, constantly coming over to me and asking questions that it made me feel uncomfortable and I just left with no purchase.

Wonks said

I have been a store manager for AT&T, and have TONS of sales experience based on quotas. There’s a middle ground between pushing products, and giving freedom imo. When it comes to teas, you have to keep in mind that people already know what they like- oolong, blacks, whites… etc, but they may not know about the new teas that have been released within the subtype that they like. I can’t speak for the tea crowd, but I can’t help but notice that the tea drinkers can also be grouped in with the intellectuals since they aren’t your typical “sheep” coffee drinkers that take salesman recommendations very well. Perhaps printed collateral is the absolute best solution for this as it gives the customers something to read on their own time, make the decision themselves, and you aren’t making them buy something. I personally love to read about tea and tea blends… print something up yourself and give it to the people- let them know that “hey, my job is to sell you stuff, but I don’t want you to think I’m only here to pressure you… ask me stuff, let me show you things… even if you don’t buy”. Not only will this give you lingering sales, but when you’re busy, customers can read the collateral right then and there instead of walking away because they aren’t being helped at that moment.

Tea drinkers make leaves sound seductive, exotic, lush, and simply put… they’ve done their own research and can know what they like to a “T” (no pun intended). I will go out on a limb to say a majority of them are probably introverts…. and smart introverts can be a real nightmare for sales people. Just keep in mind that they’re in there on their own will, they don’t like to be pushed around, they love to read about the things they love, and the love to explore. Being a member of Steepster, you are already moving in the right direction. Good luck!

ALSO: Speaking directly as a salesman, it’d probably be a good idea to have random events… like idk… tea tasting tournaments… which may introduce self-proclaimed connoisseurs to new teas, as well as newbies off the street. Things like this would turn companies like Teavana into a place that tea lovers like… instead of a place that tea lovers have to endure.

I have been a store manager for AT&T, and have TONS of sales experience based on quotas. There's a middle ground between pushing products, and giving freedom imo. When it comes to teas, you have to keep in mind that people already know what they like- oolong, blacks, whites... etc, but they may not know about the *new* teas that have been released within the subtype that they like. I can't speak for the tea crowd, but I can't help but notice that the tea drinkers can also be grouped in with the intellectuals since they aren't your typical "sheep" coffee drinkers that take salesman recommendations very well. Perhaps printed collateral is the absolute best solution for this as it gives the customers something to read on their _+own+_ time, make the decision themselves, and you aren't making them buy something. I personally love to read about tea and tea blends... print something up yourself and give it to the people- let them know that "hey, my job is to sell you stuff, but I don't want you to think I'm only here to pressure you... ask me stuff, let me show you things... even if you don't buy". Not only will this give you lingering sales, but when you're busy, customers can read the collateral right then and there instead of walking away because they aren't being helped at that moment.

Tea drinkers make leaves sound seductive, exotic, lush, and simply put... they've done their own research and can know what they like to a "T" (no pun intended). I will go out on a limb to say a majority of them are probably introverts.... and smart introverts can be a real nightmare for sales people. Just keep in mind that they're in there on their own will, they don't like to be pushed around, they love to read about the things they love, and the love to explore. Being a member of Steepster, you are already moving in the right direction. Good luck!

*ALSO:* Speaking directly as a salesman, it'd probably be a good idea to have random events... like idk... tea tasting tournaments... which may introduce self-proclaimed connoisseurs to new teas, as well as newbies off the street. Things like this would turn companies like Teavana into a place that tea lovers _like_... instead of a place that tea lovers have to _endure_.

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K S said

Reading this sounds so much like what is going on inside my brain, I had to read all your review notes. Well said. I just wish I had even a pushy tea shop nearby to be annoyed by.

Wonks said

Thanks! And same here! Luckily I’m about two hours away from Dallas, and there’s 4 Teavanas there alone. However, in my home town everyone thinks Stash is some sort of high-end “uppity” connoisseur’s tea.

K S said

They get between $4-5 a box for 18 half filled bags of Stash dust around here and yes it is considered top of the line. I would have to drive 2 hours to sniff good tea (Empire Tea Services).

SunnyinNY said

Having worked in the retail field I can say that the stores managers always push you to approach everyone. Make them feel welcomed & acknowledged is what they always pushed for us to do.

Being a shopper, I don’t want to be approached in a pushy way. You can greet me & ask if I need help, but then let me be unless I ask for help.

A lot of complaints have been posted about Teavana & I feel sorry for them. Their teas are okay & even their teawares are okay…it’s their staff’s over the top pushiness that turns me off. I refuse to shop there for this reason.

I don’t have many tea shops near me that I visit. I normally order on-line.

So what keeps me going back to those on-line sites?
-Good customer service
-Great quality tea
-Great selection
-Price
-Shipping

For these reasons, I have returned time & time again to Adagio Teas. I can’t rave about them enough!

For these reasons, I will also be returning to California Tea House. While I’ve only ordered from them twice so far, I am highly impressed.

Overall, a lot of the people here on Steepster would probably be able to run most tea shops from the amount of knowledge we all have. Maybe it’s also the passion we have for tea. Your average shopper in most stores, like Teavana, are just there for a trendy quick fix. Most of the people I saw shopping in Teavana had no clue about tea. They weren’t interested in the tea, but more into getting a free sample & then moving on.

As for myself, I don’t like being approached when I shop. I know what I’m looking for & if I don’t see it, I will ask for it. If you don’t have it, don’t try to sell me something else. I won’t come back to your store.

Just my two cents….

Wonks said

I agree with this. Teavana hires sales people…. not tea enthusiasts. This makes their company look as though it’s ran by profiteering gluttons.

SunnyinNY said

Thanks Wonks…that is how I feel in Teavana.
I feel like if they hired people who really appreciate tea, I’d want to actually shop there.

Wonks said

I actually just remembered a story that I read somewhere (maybe on steepster…idk). Someone bought a tetsubin and cast-iron cups from Teavana. Obviously a metal cup will get extremely hot when you pour nearly boiling water into it. The guy went back to Teavana to complain and they proceeded to tell him that he is using the cups wrong, and pointed to the shelf that the cups were displayed and noted how they had two cups stacked. That’s right, she told him that he must stack two metal cups to properly use it as a single cup since the bottom cup won’t get as hot. It’s these type of sales tactics that keep me away from mall kiosks, pawn shops, car lots, and any other businesses that prefer the uninformed customers.

After re-reading your post I was reminded of that Teavana story for some reason… and thought that it was relevant (kinda).

SunnyinNY said

I’ve heard that too…not from here, but from a friend. Sadly, the people that work at Teavana are trained only to make sales, not to impress us with their knowledge of tea or teawares. Anyone with a brain knows that stacking the cups has nothing to do with the cup being hot or not. What a crock! I would love to have them tell me that so I could laugh in their faces!

Sales Approach: How do you like to be served?

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