8 Things I Learned from the Kirby Salesman

Recently, my wife and I invited a Kirby Vacuum Cleaner salesperson in for a product demonstration.  We weren’t looking to buy a vacuum cleaner, we just know that the salespeople get paid per demonstration, and we wanted to help this person out…plus we got most of our carpets cleaned for free.  It’s a good deal, at the end of the day.

It started off well, she was very nice and friendly, but about 5 minutes in, Sid and I noticed a few problems.  She didn’t know how to put the vacuum together and didn’t have “the pitch” memorized.  She actually had to read the script to figure out what to say next.  The company set the expectation of using 100 filters that they place on the floor to demonstrate how much better their cleaners are compared to the one you own.

At one point, my wife had to show her how to put the correct attachment in place.  After the 2 hour ordeal was over, the salesperson put the entire vacuum cleaner together, back to factory specs, it was a chore and she did it all knowing that she had not made a sale.  The worst part of the evening was after it was all said and done, the sales person had to wait for over 1/2 an hour outside to be picked up for her 2 hour drive back to where she lived.  Did I mention that she was part of a van full of people, packed in like cattle…with hardly any food or bathroom stops.  It sounds more like slavery thank a regular job.

After watching this whole ordeal, I was pretty outraged.  I felt that her trainers had ill prepared her to fully succeed in her job.  There is no way that this person could succeed, given the minimal amount of training to perform.

So here are 8 Things I Learned from the Kirby Salesman:

1.  Respect People’s Time - We made the appointment for 7:00, they showed up at 8:30.  We rescheduled for the next day, they came 15 minutes early…and stayed for 3 1/2 hours.  Arrive on time / Leave on time.

2.  ALWAYS Be Gracious – The team leader had a little bit on an attitude.  I don’t care if the customer/member/boss/co-worker is in the wrong or a jerk, ALWAYS be gracious.

3.  You Can NEVER Over Train – The salesman was so unprepared, she literally read from a script. She didn’t know her equipment.  She didn’t know how to close the sale.  She wasn’t empowered to think for herself.

4.  Your People Are the Face of Your Company – The sales person was nice, but a little unprofessional.  She didn’t have a lot of faith in her leadership, with good reason.  They sent her out unprepared.  When you send people out, they represent not only the company, but they represent you and they are a snapshot of the investment that you have made in to them.

5.  Treat Your Employees With Respect – They basically put 6-8 people in a van at 9:00 am and drive an hour or two, then dump them in a neighborhood, and they sell all day, with limited bathroom or food breaks.  I’m 100% all for girl power, but they would drop a female sales person off at a house, then leave them un-attended for hours, and then make them wait outside (often by themselves) until the van came back to pick them up.

6.  Just Because You CAN Do Something, Doesn’t Mean You Should – This person attended all the training sessions, and took copious notes.  She arrived at the right locations at the right times.  She didn’t complain and did her absolute best…she just isn’t a salesman.  SOMEONE in her management team should have noticed this after a week of training, and coached her better, or let her find something better suited to her skills and abilities.

7. Make Sure Expectations Are Attainable – When a Kirby sales person goes into a house, they are expected to use 100 circular filters to demonstrate the abilities of the vacuum cleaners.  And yes, they are great.  The problem is, she had completed 2 rooms of my house and still have 40 or so MORE filters left.  So she wound up cleaning another room, and a hallway, and that added to the time.  What SHOULD have been a 1 hour demonstration, turned into a 3 1/2 hour endurance race.  The expectation is not universal to every house…but it’s still expected of the sales force.  Therefore…

8.  You MUST Set Your People Up for Success – Because you can just as easy (and even more easily) set them up for failure.  This person didn’t have the confidence she needed to make a sale.  I am afraid that she will not be successful in this endeavor, and to some degree, I blame the company.  You have to spend the time to make sure that you people know their product, are equipped to perform, and empowered to make the best decisions to accomplish their goals.