My first job out of college was selling cars, and the career salesmen at the dealership taught me a few tricks of the trade. They taught me how to employ the bait-and-switch, the double box, and other such techniques for getting customers in the door and out with a new car.
I never used those tricks. They didn’t sit right with me, so I just tried to learn a lot about the cars and be as helpful as I could. I found, to the surprise of the other salesmen, that this approach worked very well: in my first month at the dealership, I was its top salesman. I went on to become one of its best, and to “lead the board” for two more months that year.
My consultative approach to sales has always served me well. While I’m not afraid to ask for the sale, I don’t rush to close it, either. As one of my co-workers at a retail furniture store said: “Chris is good with customers. They really like working with him, and they’re almost always smiling when they walk out the door after they’ve paid for their order.”