I slowly got over my fear of talking to the customers, but I was limited to digital cameras when it came to selling high-priced items. The store was stocked with hundreds of other pricey items, but a lot of them required knowledge to be able to persuade a customer to buy them. Sometimes, I tried to sway customers from buying what they had their hearts set on and tried to get them to buy something else because I didn’t feel confident about selling what they wanted. It only worked when I had something to offer that was comparable to what they originally wanted.
One Saturday afternoon, the store was busy with people who wanted to buy cell phones. Cindy, Jackie, and Ron were all busy, with multiple cell phones laid out before them on the counter. They were at the cash register, explaining to families what plans would work best for them. I was trying to stick to customers who were interested in things other than cell phones, but everyone I approached seemed to want a cell phone. I wished selling a cell phone were as easy as selling a camera—pick up the box, scan the barcode, swipe the credit card, and you are done. It wasn’t so easy, though. I had seen Cindy, the most experienced and confident among us, getting flustered when she sold a cell phone plan.
The computer often crashed while the customer was choosing a plan, and whoever was making the sale had to call the hotline. I was getting better at talking to Americans in person, but the idea of discussing a four-line cell phone family plan on the phone with someone who spoke in thick Virginia accent gave me the jitters. I’d had the hotline people ask me whether they could speak to someone who spoke English. Sometimes, they’d just hang up as soon as I opened my mouth. It was nerve-wracking to have an impatient customer waiting in front of me and have someone hang up on me—at the same time. Every call to the service provider took at least half an hour, fifteen minutes of which was just listening to a happy tune while you waited for a human. Cindy usually put the store phone on speaker and tried to keep the customers from walking away by telling them how awesome their lives would be after they got this phone. She never stopped smiling through the process, but I knew she couldn’t wait to finish the sale. I was not as competent as her. Not even close. Not yet.
Later that day, an African American man who looked to be my father’s age walked in. I was standing close to the entrance. He came straight up to me and said, “Could you help me with a cell phone?”
I knew I couldn’t, but I said, “Of course. What do you need?”
“I’m looking for a cheap plan. I’ve never had one, but I want to get one now.”
“Okay,” I said, and looked to see whether any of my colleagues were free to help. They weren’t. I didn’t want to tell him that I couldn’t help him myself, so I looked at the guy and asked him why he wanted to buy a cell phone.
“Oh, everyone has one these days. People expect you to have one.”
“I shouldn’t say this,” I said in a hushed voice, “but you are better off without one. Use your home phone instead. Just because everyone has one doesn’t mean you should get one, too. I know the company would love to have your business, but I think it’s important to advise our customers wisely. Unless you really need a cell phone, I don’t see a reason why you should be stuck with a bill for two years.”
I didn’t want Cindy or anyone else to hear this. My job was to convince a customer to buy something he wasn’t sure of. It wasn’t my job to convince a customer not to buy something he had come looking for. The old man looked at me, surprised. I smiled at him, not sure how he would react to my suggestion. He kept quiet, his eyes fixated on mine. Then he spoke.
“We need more people like you in the world. God bless you.” He squeezed my shoulder and said, “Thank you, man. Thank you for being honest with me.” I smiled at him again and he smiled back. He shook my hand and walked away.
I stood there and watched his back until he mingled in the crowd. I thought about my interaction with him. He may have liked my advice, but I hadn’t advised him against buying a cell phone because I was concerned about his money. I’d done it because I didn’t know how to help him. But the interesting outcome was that he had left the store happier than everyone else who did buy a cell phone. It seemed like he had the impression that I was being honest with him, but I felt weird about it.
A week later, when the store was not so busy and Ron and Jackie and I were standing around waiting for customers to come through the door, the old man walked in the door again.
Cindy greeted him. He said, “May I speak with Deepak?”
“Sure, he’s right there,” she said.
“Deepak!” he said.
“Good to see you again, sir?” I said, unsure why he’d come back.
“I want your advice on something.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I am looking for a weather radio. What do you suggest?” I brought out a weather radio.
“Do you think this is a good one?” he asked me.
“I think so,” I answered.
“Go ahead and put it in the bag.”
I asked him whether he had batteries at home.
“No, I don’t. Would you give me a pack of whatever kind the radio needs?” After the sale, he shook my hand and thanked me.
I thought about my interaction with him for days. It was amazing how he had trusted me. I hadn’t had to try to convince him of anything. I don’t know whether he was convinced by the radio I had sold him, but he seemed to be 100 percent convinced by me—Deepak Singh, the salesman. Watching him put his trust in my words made me think of something else: I decided that every time I’d try to sell to a customer, I would try to imagine that the customer was me. What kind of advice, recommendation, or sales pitch I would give to myself if I were the salesman? I thought about it. I would not deter the customer from buying a product, but I would try very hard to sell each one something that fit his or her needs. It would have to be a fine balance between being a great salesman and a good human being.