Customer Service Sells

Posted by Opinioneer

August 27, 2008

It’s been a while since I posted anything here, and for a good reason; I had no time. But here is a great story from this past weekend.

I was looking to buy a mattress, but it never occurred to me that mattress sales people can be like used car salesmen. I walk into the first store, Sleepy’s, and this pretty girl comes up to me and starts showing me mattresses. She is having a hard time showing me something that I like and within my price range. Finally, she shows me something a few hundred dollars over my price range and starts the “let me see what I can do” game.

As a side note, she seemed inexperienced in sales, while at the same time, this was the only mattress she showed me that actually felt comfortable.

Anyway, after telling me that the mattress that was normally selling for $1599.00 is only $1299.00 without the box spring, I tell her that it still is $600 more than what I’d like to spend. That’s when she quickly remembers that there was a recent sale and she goes to the manager to find out what the sale price was. Well, it turns out that in the most recent sale they had, the mattress sold for $1099.00 and she would be willing to extend that price if I bought on the spot.

Needless to say that I insisted that I want to go home, sleep on my mattress, compare, and come back the next day. And that’s when the big guns come out: “Let me talk to my manager and see if he can do anything better”. Poor me… I thought that this was a car sales technique only.

Of course the deal only went down hill from there. The manager starts asking what it is that will get me to buy the mattress on the spot!!! He doesn’t understand why I would want to compare with my existing mattress and that, since I like it, I should buy it immediately. And of course if I was committed enough to buy it on the spot, he’d do something better price wise.

Talk about pressure! Thanks, but no thanks.

Then I go on to the next store, Mattress Discounters. There is a salesperson there, who has been in the business for 15+ years. He knows his product. He explains everything to me. He takes his time to show me around different types of mattresses, at different price levels, so I can compare. He does not even mention price. He knows anatomy better than a trainer. And, did I already mention, he never brings up price! He just educates me.

When the time comes to make a decision, I ask about pricing and he gives me the different prices. At this point I tell him that I need to compare with my mattress, and that I will go back the next day. He doesn’t try to get me to buy on the spot at all. He just offers to throw in a cover and honor a 10% discount coupon that they have in their website when I return.

We part ways. I go home, go back the next day and buy the mattress. I ask if they can deliver the following day, and even though it is a Sunday evening he calls me back before closing to tell me that he managed to arrange the delivery for the following day.

Do I hear customer service? Pre and Post sale? - I think so.

Customer service sells.

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