At a leather furniture store I worked with in my radio days, the general manager had this posted in his office: YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIKE THE FURNITURE. YOU JUST HAVE TO SELL THE FURNITURE. According to The Consumerist, that philosophy was recently taken to the next level by a sales clerk in Staples. Is this how […]
The retail and airline industries are not, in general, known as bastions of great customer service. A constant onslaught of books on customer service, motivational speakers and consultants have had limited success in convincing stores and airlines to get better. So, what will convince them? A couple of stories in this morning’s New York Times offer […]
One of the amazing things about Vietnam, to these American eyes, is how hard the people hustle. Everyone has a product or service to sell; unlike many of their American counterparts, they’re not content to sit back and wait for business to come to them. My family took a motorbike tour of Nha Trang yesterday […]
There was a message on our answering machine when we returned from a trip this weekend. Hello, this is your local Fred Meyer store with an important announcement. We wanted to alert you that you may have purchased Private Selection 10-ounce Shelled Pistachios that have been recalled. You should not consume the product. You may […]
I’ve made the Sweet 16 (out of more than 100 entries) of the Inside Sales Experts Elevator Pitch Contest. For the next 72 hours (as of March 26), I’m up against the always-dangerous Joseph Kupstas of Goodfellas Construction. If you could take a moment to click here and vote for Phil Bernstein, my mother would […]