TRAI has settled the matter some time ago. No more issues on that’. The salesman declared.
He went on to explain confidently that the issue was long resolved and buried by TRAI.
I am not sure what he means by TRAI and ask him if he is referring to the Telecom Regulator in India. I also enquire if there is any regulator governing jewellery retail trade with the similar sounding name.
The salesman does not bother to listen to my statements but was very very keen on answering my objection.
Ten days ago, I visited a prominent Jewellery show room in T Nagar. There was a window of opportunity available that day to buy yellow metal at a slightly lesser price compared to previous weeks. The showroom is nicely decorated and courteous staff were present to take care of customers. I went into the designated area for buying 24 carat coins. The salesman in the counter takes care of me well and shows all available options. When I ask for an estimate, he gives me a slip that says making charges as 4 %. I object to this and I tell him there are other places where making charges are low.
At this moment, the salesman senses an opportunity to make me a customer for their monthly gold saving scheme. He starts selling benefits of their monthly schemes and explains how I can avoid paying those making charges altogether, if I subscribe to their schemes. I politely avoid his suggestions a couple of times but he keeps coming back to me on that. Just to put a stop to him, I enquire if his company has got licenses in place to collect money from the public and ask about the status of legal cases on that count. The sales man is taken a back. He goes towards some of his colleagues who were present in the other counters. Little later, he comes along with another smartly dressed sales person.
The new salesman starts with an apology that the first salesman is a bit new to the Industry and offers to answer all my queries. I ask him if he knows the Industry well. He responds with a confident Yes and boasts of his stints working for other well-known jewellers in places like Velachery and Anna Nagar.
I repeat my query about the licenses to collect money from the public and the legal aspects around the issue and that’s when the new salesman retorts with ‘‘TRAI has settled the matter some time ago. No more issues on that’.
The new salesman is probably following the principle “If you are going to bluff, make it a big one”.
As I am thinking about this incident after ten days of its happening, following thoughts run through my mind:
- Bluffing is not all that bad. It is not an outright lie to cheat a customer. It is a convenient cover up when product / industry knowledge is missing.
- Bluffing is a social lubricant that helps in smooth flow of conversations. Hence, it can be given a decent status in selling situation and can even be construed as a decent sales skill to master.
- Bluffing is on the spot creativity. It requires guts to tell a bluff on the face of a customer. The salesmen who bluff, need to be given credit for these fine qualities.
- Bluffing may help puncture the tension that may prevail between a buyer and a seller. Who says there cannot be little entertainment inside a sales conversation?
- Bluffing helps in bonding and remembrance. I forgot the first salesman who engaged me that day. But, I still remember the new salesman’s name, his physical appearance and demeanor.
- When a buyer knows that the salesman in bluffing and still enjoys the bluff, isn’t it a great? Isn’t it lovely?
Long live lovely sales bluffs.
Next time when I go to that showroom, I will look forward to meeting that new salesman again and possibly enjoy one more of his bluffs. How about you? Please share your thoughts on bluffs in sales.