chang|e one’s mind

i hate high pressure sales.   i hate it when people tell me what i should be doing, even if it is good for me.  i have this rebellious side where if people tell me i should be doing something, i automatically don’t want to do it.  maybe it’s because i grew up being told what to do, and when i actually could make decisions, i realized that a lot of the times the things i was being told to do weren’t very helpful to me.  so back to high pressure sales.

this is the phone that timeshare people called to push their product.  it looks kinda scary in black and white.  very ominous.

i can’t help but think that when people are pushing a product, that they’re hiding something from me.  is that really the best product on the market?  are you telling me this because i really should get it or because you’re trying to make commission off of me?  do you really believe in your product?  are you trying to get to know me because you want to know me personally, or are you trying to find an angle to pitch your product?  i don’t like that about sales people.  they’re only thinking about the sale.  but right in front of them might be some of the most amazing people they will ever meet, but they don’t want to get to know them because they’re only fishing for information that will help them make their sale.  the sale is the goal.  nothing else matters.  whenever i get into a high pressure sales situation, i just want to stand up and yell, “NOOOOOO, GET OFF ME!!!!!”  i’m hoping, by doing this, it’ll startle and confuse the sales person so much that they’ll give up on trying to sell me something.

and of course i’m generalizing.  i’m sure there are a lot of sale people out there who honestly want to get to know their customers and who aren’t all about the sale.  and to you guys, i commend you and i would wish that all sales people were like you.  i like honesty in my sales person.  that would make me buy something from them.  i remember when i used to work at starbucks, i didn’t drink coffee.  i don’t know how i got the job.  i guess they must’ve been desperate.  but we’d get new items that we were supposed to be pushing.  i always thought, most of the people coming in already know what they want, why would i push it on them?  but then on some occassions someone would come in and stare at the menu (like i normally do), and ask, “what’s good here?”  i’d usually wait for a co-worker to answer or i’d say what’s really popular.  and then they’d ask, “what’s your favorite drink?”  and i’d say, “oh, i don’t drink coffee.”  i think a couple times my manager heard me say this and got mad, “if they ask you if something is good, you say it’s delicious!  if they ask you what your favorite drink is, you make something up!”  i could never do that though.  i hate lying.  i did make some mean drinks though.  so even though i didn’t know what they tasted like, everyone else seemed to like them.

honesty.  i think the world could use more.