Learnt some sales techniques in a mall…yeah really!

I was visiting a mall a few days back (yes, on a weekday!), doing window-shopping mostly. Apart from the new inventory on display, inadvertently I started observing the people who work within the mall. While my intent was not to do any study or sales research (I wanted to get away from work honestly), but now that I recall, there were different sales techniques in play during my occasional stops at the counters that caught my sub-conscious eye.

I thought it might make a good read for all the recruiters out there; as they engage with their potential candidates on the phone. Here are two quite opposite styles and their outcomes….

Counter 1

I entered this section looking at the impressively arranged stack of fashion. I might have probably spent 15 seconds looking (and touching a few) clothes; just then a lady walked up to me and said “What size are you looking for?” and in mind my I almost said,  ‘hey, give me a break, I have not even started looking at this stuff properly”…but I could not really respond with any smart one at that time…but after about 15 more seconds, I just blurted out “Oh, thanks, I was just looking” and I slyly walked away…with an angered feeling of someone robbing of my ‘alone time’ amidst a beautiful stack of clothes.

Counter 2

Wandering around, I entered another well-stocked section with a new line of designs. This time I entered almost half expecting some sales person to pounce on me. But nothing happened for a few minutes. Then I saw one sales person, in midst of his folding some clothes; come up to me and said “These are our new arrivals; this time they have really used a lot of nice colors.  But many people earlier said that they prefer more neutral colors”.  With a smile yet intact, he walked away from me, leaving me with my ‘alone time’ and stayed at a visible distance, should I need any help. Personally for me, the experience of this non-interactive moment was very good. While I didn’t really pick-up any clothes from this section either, I did make it a point to go to the Sales person and say “Thank you” with a genuine smile; getting back a genuine “Most Welcome” from him.

I am not sure if the above short stories deliver any learning per se; I feel, as recruiters if we are able to deliver a great candidate experience by not being forceful; by respecting the space of the candidates; by being honest and genuine, there is a very high chance the candidate will connect at a different level with you.

Closing the candidate is always a matter of whether he/she likes the opportunity on offer, but a subtle sale will create higher loyalty than “Are you looking for a job?” thingy.

With an impactful yet respectful opening message recording using Callify, you can truly deliver the ‘nice or Sahi hai’ moments to your candidates.