The Goop Guy

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Imagine sitting in the middle of a swanky shopping center, a male cosmetologist hovering over you, with goop slathered all over your face. Not a pretty picture. But that was me on Friday.

How in the world did I get into such a situation?

Well, it started innocently enough. I was in San Francisco for MacWorld and stopped by the upscale downtown mall to pick up a few shirts at Nordstrom's and find a Valentine's day gift for my wife.

As I was wandering aimlessly through the mall, I noticed a number of young girls handing out a sample drink of some sort. I was thirsty, so I grabbed a dixie cup of the elixer and gulped it down.

Before I could blink HE was talking to me. I say "HE" because I don't think I ever got his name. He was totally focused on me for the next half hour.

Have you heard of the goji berry? he asked innocently enough. Well, no I hadn't. Oh yes, it's one of the world's most powerful antioxidants, and the company he worked for, "The Secret of the Himalayas," was the purveyor of all things goji berry.

Before I could blink he was was looking at my hands and commenting on how dry they looked and asking what I used to moisturize them. Me, I'm a guy. We don't think about that kind of stuff. But before I knew it, I was rubbing my hands with an exotic product called Hunza Apricot Treatment.

It felt kind of like wet sand. I rubbed it in and then he rinsed my hands ever-so-delicately with a spray bottle. Next was Body Butter, a light moisturizer that smelled like coconut and apricot.

How did my hands feel now? he implored seductively.

Well, by this time I thought this was pretty nice stuff and would make a nice Valentine's gift for my wife. I was sold. OK, now let me outta here.

Not so quick!!

The Body Butter was followed by by the exotic Goji Peel, then another moisturizer and toner which he proceeded to rub into my wrist as he regaled me with the superior qualities of these sublimely divine body products.

OK, OK, enough already! I'l take the Apricot Treatment, the Body Butter and the Goji Peel. My wife would be happy and I could get back to MacWorld.

But wait, he was willing to give me the dispenser of special moisturizer for only $50 and throw in the toner for free. How could I possibly say no to that? I pulled out my credit card and $240 of my new-found products were wrapped up and ready to go.

But just one more little thing.

He looked soulfully into my eyes and asked me what I was doing for those bags so strategically placed beneath them. Bags? I have bags under my eyes? Apparently so.

And before I knew it I was sitting on a stool being slathered with eye goop. By now I was having fun. This guy was such a consummate salesman I couldn't believe the path he was taking me down.

Here I am, a guy, considering goop to put under my eyes every day! When would it all end? Then I realized it. It would never end. As long as he had my attention he would continue to sell.

Then he showed me the prices. $175 for the eye rejuvenator and $275 for the collagen cream. Yeah, how on earth did we live before collagen? And don't forget the mask that was now spread over the right side of my face.

He gently wiped off all the goop with delicately moisturized cotton puffs and then had me look in the mirror. Did I notice the difference? Well, actually I did. My right eye was now definitely less baggier than my right one. Wow, this stuff works!

But at that price? You gotta be kidding me!

But suddenly I learned that, for a very limited time, and just for me, he could give me the first two products for a greatly reduced price and throw in the third for free.

Well, I finally got ahold of my senses and thought... There is no friggin' way I'll use this eye stuff for more than a few days, feel like an idiot and regret my purchase. My sanity took the upper hand and I told him firmly, thank you, but no.

An average salesperson would have moved on. But not my guy. I think he used about five more closes (don't you care about your eyes? was the most heart-rending) before I took off.

Nevertheless, as I gathered my bags and walked away and down the escalator to freedom, I looked back and still saw him enticing me back to his parlor of lotions and potions, never really giving up until I was completely out of sight.

My only regret was that I hadn't pulled out my Flip Video and recorded him in action. It was in my pocket, but as I contemplated returning I knew I probably wouldn't get away without buying that damn eye goop.

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If most Independent Professionals had one tenth of the focus, persistence and charm of this guy, they'd be making ten times the income. No, you really don't have to manipulate, but certainly you'd know exactly what to say to make your services compelling and valuable. You'd have a great answer to every single question your prospects asked, and always have another way to move the sale forward, no matter what.

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Where do you stop when it comes to marketing and selling yourself? Would you stop before Goop Guy did? Please share on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.

Comments

[Larry Wenger]

I loved the story Robert; the first time your stuff ever made me laugh. I could probably stand to be a little more unabashedly persistent.

[Sylva Leduc, Leadership Strategist]

Robert, how I wish we could have seen a video of you with all that goop on your face.

Another great story from a great storyteller. Thx!

Cheers,
Sylva

[Liz Williams]

I too ended up with products from the very same stall, Robert! Perhaps we should compare the bags under our eye? ;-) That shopping center is bristling with tiny booths and aggressive salespeople. If the products had actually been made with all-natural ingredients as the salesperson said, I'd still be using them. Instead, I gave them to a neighbor.

I too love being handled by a great salesperson - it's fun to watch them work, even as I'm succumbing. It's true that persistence sells, but only once. It's the match between what the seller says and what the product is or does that brings me back.

Now I give that booth a wide berth and tell my friends to avoid it too.

[Geoff Wilson]

Robert: Don't feel bad. This can happen to even the most miserley/cynical/astute among us!

Like many others above, I had the same exact same experience with Dead Sea products in a downtown Glasgow shopping arcade in 2008. I ended up buying three skin care products and spending a whopping 75 pounds (somewhere over $150Cdn). Previous to this I don't think I'd spend more than $150 on skin care products in my whole life!

Two of the three products were fantastic. They lasted a long time but I've used them all up now and, annoyingly, can't buy them anywhere in my hometown.

[Alyson B. Stanfield]

Priceless! I could so feel for you as you were sitting there. I would have been totally sucked into all of the products. Thanks for sharing the experience and making me laugh--while teaching me a lesson.

[Susan @ New Niche Finder]

Too funny...it will probably be a while before I get the picture of you sitting in the middle of shopping mall covered in goop, out of my mind. LOL

Yes persistence, salesmanship but mostly your great use of story got me here commenting.

[Dolores Hagen]

After I stopped laughing at your story, I had to write and thank you for using a humorous story to teach a lesson. It reminded of how story-telling is such a great marketing tool that engages readers to relate to the writer.

[Robert Middleton]

Mike, a natural born salesperson is a myth. I am very good at selling and I promise that it was all learned and it took me a long time and I had to get through a lot of stuff to be good at it.

You need to start with the basics. If you ask an Independent Professional what they do, 75% of the time they can't tell you in a way that interests anybody.

Why? I don't know. Perhaps lack of knowledge and laziness. I can teach someone to do this in 90 minutes or less. Then I can teach someone how to answer any question someone can throw at you. Most are hopeless at this as well. It's all stuff you can learn.

An Independent Professional needs to learn different skills than a "goop salesperson" but what I admired about him is that he had learned all of this stuff step-by-step. It may have come naturally, I don't know, but it didn't come automatically.

Cheers, Robert

[Mike Dalton]

Great story - but unfortunately I think it only helps to reinforce the idea of the natural born sales person. Maybe the sleaziness of sales too :-)

[Ruth Dubinsky]

I've been gooped.

Her persistence with the Dead Sea stuff was unbelievable. She actually chased after me, till she got ahold of my hands. "See all that dirt? It's really dead skin. I know you're not a dirty person"

I told the woman she should hang this up and start selling Porsches. I bought anyway!

[Jim Blanchard]

Had the same experience with dead sea salt products and the sales women who had just arrived from Isreal. It does remind me how little we train as sales people. We want to be marketers or business development professionals but not sales people. I was blessed to have been trained by Xerox through PSS which I taught and still use. Thank you for a great reminder

Jim

[Suzie Price]

Love your story telling. Like that you're doing more of this...

This shopping mall experience is prevalent these days - I had a similar one in Atlanta.

They are definitely persistent - which is a good thing, but they use manipulation to get short term sales, preying on a perceived 'weakness' - "What about those bags?"

Or they compliment, "Hey Miss America, come over here and you'll be even more beautiful..."

While I appreciate their willingness to go the extra mile for the sale, it actually turns my stomach because it is manipulation for short term gain.

Yes you have some goop for your wife, but what do you want to bet - you'll avoid their stall (or one's that are similar) in the future. I know I avoid them now.

So while I like the point "be persistent" I don't like the method. Short term gain does not a long term business make. I want to build trust and value, not use fake compliments and smarmy language to win you for a minute.

My thoughts. (Can you tell I can't stand those stall tactics?!)

All the Best, and More!

[Gary Slavin-trainer, consultant, author]

I fell into the same trap under similar circumstances, but like Lyle, mine was a goop gal. I'd like to know where they get their sales training. They are extremely persistent and always have the right answers for every objection. If I wasn't so frugal I would have left the mall with too much to carry! She was so good I felt guilty for leaving with one bag under my left eye!

[Charo Pinilla]

Hi Robert
Couldn't stop laughing :-) Yeah I would really benefit myself from a bit more of persistence. Even though I know I have that persistence, but I use it to be persistently scared to sell what I do :-)

Oh, and since I'm a woman, back to my mirror to put some moisturizing cream on...

Thanks for your inspiration
Charo

[Lyle T. Lachmuth - The Unsticking Coach]

I'm more of a sucker for women sales types.

I went into Shoppers Drug Mart to buy some a new cologne to celebrate my divorce ... and walked out with moisturizer and body wash and ... well, you get the picture.

No collagen though.

Mind you, the moisturizer does smell nice and it makes my newly shaved face feel better ... or at least that's what I tell myself.

LL

[Adele Howell-Pryce]

Wow! I think 90% of salespeople would have been really happy just to have made the first sale - never mind gone for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th product in their range. Thank you for an inspiring lesson in persistance!