Test #2

Test #2

Peachy attitude at the Farmer's Market

What's there not to love about this time of the year? Warmer weather, longer days and the Farmer's Markets start to fill up with more and more of the season's best produce.

Every Sunday morning I do a cardio workout followed by a power yoga class. OK well almost every Sunday - when the weather is good it's better to be outside the gym. And speaking of outside the gym, just outside my gym there happens to be a little Farmer's Market.

I noticed a new vendor recently selling nice looking French desserts with one sour-faced lady working behind the table and staring with a blank look into the space in front of her. She wasn't engaging anyone and didn't even appear to look busy so I wasn't inclined to stop at her booth. But that didn't stop my dessert-loving husband who decided to ask her what she was selling. Her answers were short, factual and emotionless. No details about the ingredients or how it's made, no opinion about how it tasted, no smile - she acted like she was bothered to have to answer his questions.

I was planning to write about the wonderful fruits and vegetables I tasted at the market but I was compelled to tell you about this woman with the uninviting attitude. She was sitting there just doing nothing but she should have been selling - at the very least smiling and being friendly, but she didn't even manage to do that.

The whole experience interacting with her was so off-putting that despite how lovely the desserts looked, I pulled my husband away and told him later that she wasn't worthy of our business. I preferred to give my money to someone else who was putting him/herself out there, trying to engage customers - which most were in fact doing. I even returned to her booth the following 2 Sundays after the first encounter to give her the benefit of the doubt (perhaps she had an emotional trauma previously), but she was exactly the same. And each time I observed to see if customers were going to her booth - they were not.

Maybe it's the marketing professional in me that was sensitive to her unfriendliness but if I'm going to spend my money (especially on something I don't absolutely need), the interaction should be a good experience.

Bottom line... a peachy attitude can go a long way. I bet replacing her with an enthusiastic seller who is well-versed about the products would more than double that baker's revenue.

What is a lead?

TEST