What Makes a “Good” Sale?

by Christopher Walsh, Sales and Purchasing Manager

There are many different ideas among salespeople as to what makes a good sale. Some consider the size of the sale or how much they can make on it as the main factor in determining a good sale. After over 25 years, as I think back on my favorite sales, they are mostly NOT the largest, or the ones that have made me the most money, but rather the ones where I have helped someone. There is one such interaction that comes to mind whenever I am asked about my best sale.

It was November, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and a young woman with a few very young children came into the store to purchase a new electric range. The interaction began as any regular sale, and I asked her a few questions before taking her over to some ranges that seemed to fit her needs. After a few minutes, she selected a range that she thought would work best for her, and we began walking over to the sales desk to finalize the sale. On the way to the desk, she told me that she wished she didn’t have to buy a stove because it would use up all the money they had, and that she didn’t know what they were going to do for Christmas. I could tell that she was upset. I decided to ask her about the stove she was replacing. She described the issue she was having, and it was very clear that all she needed was a new bake element.  I asked her if she was a little bit handy. I then walked her through the process of changing the element and sold her the part she needed for $40.00. She came back the next day to tell me that she was able to do the repair, and she was so happy that she was in tears because I had saved Christmas.

I felt so happy and could see the joy on her face as she shared this with me.  I felt great about myself and truly believed I had done the right thing for her.  I could have taken all of her money and sold her a new range, but I knew how much it would mean to her to be able to save money and give her children a good Christmas.  I saw her again a few months later when she came into the store to buy a new stove.  She told me again that I saved Christmas and that she would never go anywhere else for an appliance again.  I have never forgotten that woman, or the time I sold her a bake element instead of a range. It is still one of my favorite moments as a salesperson. It wasn’t a big sale, I didn’t make a lot of money, but I did a good thing, and that is what makes this a “Good” sale in my eyes.