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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 03-Mar-06

 


Wednesday 01-Mar-06

Selling chocolate

My wife and I recently took a break in beautiful Bruges, in Belgium. Whilst there, we wandered around various chocolatiers, looking for presents as well as as some of those famous Belgian chocolates for ourselves.

There were plenty to choose from and we strolled in and out with the same tourist ignorance, wondering what we were really looking for, and no doubt annoying some of the locals, as some of the expressions indicated.

We eventually went into Dumon, a small place just outside the main square. The lady there was friendly and offered us some tasters, which were rather nice. The prices seemed a bit better than at other, fancier shops, so we decided to buy some.

The purchase process was fairly lengthy as we made a selection from a delicious-sounding choice. She chatted away as she helped us pick a suitable mixture, telling us (in excellent English) not only about the flavors but also about the chocolate, how it was made, how it should be kept (not in the fridge!) and more. As we warmed to her and the chocolate, we kept thinking about other people who would like a box. As the order mounted up she told us about the family business and asked us about our stay, complimenting us on our integrative use of local buses rather than the normal tourist use of taxis. We felt good and ordered some more.

In the end we bought about four times as much as we had originally planned. Not because the shop owner used any hard sales techniques on us, but because she showed interest in us, showed herself to be human and in doing so gave us space to think about who else might like some chocolates.


Your comments


Yes!! An answer to the demagoguery of hard sales techniques. How novel to be human and show interest in others. (Forgive the sarcasm.)

An outstanding example on how to make a significant difference in the lives of those we touch. Thanks for sharing this experience with your readers.

Enjoy those chocolates!

-- Difference Maker

 

Dave replies:
The chocolates were delightful (thank you), as were the natives -- and for a town much visited by tourists, they were surprisingly friendly (the natives, that is).


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Site Menu

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Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

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Please help and share:

 

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

+ Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

About
Guest Articles
Blog!
Books
Changes
Contact
Guestbook
Quotes
Students
Webmasters

 

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© Changing Works 2002-
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