BUILD RAPPORT ON COMMON GROUND
Staying overnight in a motel in a strange town, one of my first moves is to look up “bookstores” in the Yellow Pages. Let’s say I find one to visit. What would make me want to visit again? Why would I suggest—or not suggest—to friends that they visit this particular bookstore on their travels?
As far as I’m concerned, the store can be small and neat or sprawling and chaotic, contain all new books or all old, high end first editions or mostly paperbacks. What makes or breaks it with me is the bookseller. The bookseller must be (1) knowledgeable—about his or her stock in particular and about books in general; and (2) welcoming. Not simply one or the other! Both!
Most of the bookstores I visited this winter passed my test with flying colors. One failed miserably on part (2) and left a very bad taste in my mouth.
People in sales talk about how important it is to establish rapport when trying to gain a customer. Research indicates that people like people based on perceived similarities, ways in which the other is like the self; thus the message you want to give is, “Me, too! We’re in this together!” You do not want to make someone in your shop feel stupid or wrong or unwelcome. I know, you’d think that would go without saying, but we booksellers are a strange breed!
