1st January 2011…There I was amidst the hustle and bustle of the Sector 17 market in Chandigarh. The air had a distinct chill in it as you can expect here at this time of the year. Me and my friend were roaming around aimlessly and going in every showroom to look around what various brands had to offer in the New Year. Just then I saw a book shop which was quite a small one as compared to the imposing structures in which you could find a book of every dialect and subject. It looked cornered and neglected.
Just because we had nothing to do we just went into it and started browsing through the collection of the book store. There was a man with a very heavy moustache who had a very cheerful face. The man smiled at us as if he knew us since time immemorial. We were uncomfortable as we Indians are not used to a person showing all his teeth with an uncanny expression of calm. We may have seen, as a matter of fact, all the teeth of a person due to his grit or, for that matter, rage.
Now what I did was go through all the books that he had in his shop. I picked up quite a few books which had very beautifully written excerpts and the content overall looked good too. I kept on browsing desperately to find a better option than what I liked initially. I looked here and there when suddenly the man, in a very soft and a gentle tone, asked me if I needed any help?! Being well acquainted with the knowledge of all the booksellers in our country I looked at him with a sordid expression but his calm and composed smiling face begged me to give him a chance. So, I said “Ok!”
The man jumped into the arena like a wrestler waiting for his turn against a frail and timid competitor. He asked what my last read was, perhaps to judge my genre of interest. I told him while browsing that my last read was ‘P.S: I Love You!’ . He complemented me on my choice and suggested me innumerable books on love and romance. At this moment I began embracing to what this person really had to offer as each and every book he put forth seemed like a masterpiece from the excerpt if not from the inside, which seemed unlikely.
There were a lot of topics that were intriguing during the course I read books. One of the topics was our very own Vijay Mallya, the liquor baron of the newly emerging India. Going by the splendid recommendations by the man I asked him if he had anything to offer on UB Group’s patriarch. I got a negative answer but not without a suggestion. He asked me to read about Richard Branson, the emperor of Virgin. He said that it’s his autobiography and is very interesting. The title of the book was a very bold and a suggestive one-“How I Lost my Virginity!”.
Being amazed by the sheer knowledge and convincing power of the bookseller I was engaged in a one on one with him. I asked about all the interests that I thought would never be addressed and got very satisfying answers. I came to know about a lot of books that I had in mind and was very keen to know about before diving straight into them. It was as if I could take a person out for a coffee and still not get bored (Apologies to some people who got a jolt! :P…And yes I am still straight!!!).
It was such a pleasant experience. While leaving the store I was poked with a very weird question, ”Are you January or September born?!”. I was perplexed and replied, “January! Why?”. It was then that I got to know that the guy had read a book on how to read people. He told me that I was a hardcore Capricorn and was driven by love and that throughout the conversation I was smiling but anger develops slowly inside me to the extent when I blurt it out on someone. I was so astounded by such an immaculate reading that I acknowledged it humbly and made a mental point to read that book also.
I took three books from that bookstore!
The main essence of such a long write-up was to show you the significance of good marketing and sales acumen. There are many people who just have no interest in selling their stuff or who are brusque and indifferent to a customer’s needs. This was a particular case when an impregnable customer was made to buy three books and leave the store with a promise to come again and buy a lot more books. Just to have good knowledge of what you are doing can do wonders for your business and even make a dead customer dance to your beats. You just have to have that zeal and vigor in what you are doing and that never say never attitude.
No comments:
Post a Comment