Chapter 23 How To Sell The Man Shopping For His Wife Or Sweetheart (From a Talk by Mr. Wheeler at R. H. Macy & Co.)
So much scientific data has been brought to light these past few years showing that women do 85 per cent of the buying that the art and science of selling the humble male is being lost or taken as a matter of fact.
IT IS A WELL-KNOWN fact in retail stores that when a humble male comes into the ladies’ department, he is shown the best -priced lines at once – for he is a quick buyer. Price is a secondary thought. He is embarrassed. He wants to make a fast purchase and leave quickly. If he sees only the expensive merchandise, he makes up his mind on which of the higher-priced items he wants, pays, and goes out. Women, on the other hand, are “shoppers.” They make the salesperson show item after item, and they keep looking until they get the best bargains. They are bargain hunters. Recently R. H. Macy & Company became “word - conscious,” realizing that the finest merchand ise won’t sell itself, no matter how attractive it is; that greater sales always result when the salesperson uses persuasive language and techniques. I was asked to address first a group of 200 buyers and merchandising officials, and then, at a later meeting, many of the 12,000 employees of this world- important organization. After chatting with Mr. Paul Hollister, vice president of the store, it was decided that the salespeople would catch the idea of properly choosing their words and selling techniques through presentations. It was agreed that first they must be shown, in a dramatized manner, the wrong way to make a sale, and immediately afterwards the right way. The sudden contract would prove a good bit of instruction.
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