How honest should I be?

amother

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:25 am

What do I tell customers if they ask me if a certain item we sell is a good going item or not? I obviously on the one hand want to sell it but on the other hand I have a hard time lying if it's not one of the better going items.

TwinsMommy

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:36 am

for my main business I sell products. I'm always honest. I tell people that I don't stock a lot of x because I don't have a lot of clients on that product but here's what I recommend instead. If you DO want x, I can order it for you. I tell them WHY I don't recommend a product and I find in the long run clients stay with me because I'm not pushing product but recommending what specifically would work for them.

Rivky

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:46 am

so why carry the not so good going item if you have something better? just wondering Smile

agreer

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:47 am

be honest. ppl really appreciate that.

Pineapple

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:48 am

Rivky wrote:

so why carry the not so good going item if you have something better? just wondering Smile

Cheaper?

TwinsMommy

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:49 am

well for me, I represent an overarching company-- I don't make product line decisions. I'm with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Clients can order ANYTHING from me that Mary Kay has, but there are certain items I don't keep in my inventory because I just have a few clients who ever order those particular items. Certain items I have to keep a large stock because they go (for me) like hotcakes. But every rep haas a diff experience.

amother

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 11:58 am

op here. thanks for the replies so far.
Being that I'm with a company that sells wholesale ladies clothing, I'm questioning whether to be honest when a customer calls and asks if certain sizes go well and should they order it, what do I say? The size in question is not the best going item, but we have inventory which we want to sell.

MaBelleVie

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 12:11 pm

I don't think there are loopholes for honesty, beyond shalom....

Just tell them the truth and let them decide what to do with the info.

MiracleMama

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 12:19 pm

Having worked in the fashion industry myself and dealt with 100s of vendors... it was the job of our buyers to know our customers and predict what would sell best in our stores.

I would never lie, but I would say something vague along the lines of, "you know your customers, I'm sure you know which styles and sizes you'll do best with. Some of our customers are selling ____ very well and others not. Depends on your customer base."

skymile

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 2:03 pm

I work in wholesale jewelry.

when we have stock of an item that isn't very good going and a customer asks- I say "it's going very steadily". if they ask if they should order size xyz I say, I'm just here to help you out but you know your customers better than me. only you can know whats best for your shop...

IMHopinion

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 2:12 pm

I never knew honesty is a choice.

malksters

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 2:17 pm

I agree with MaBellVie to be as honest as you can. Everything is in the hands of hakadosh baruch hu and even though it may be hard to do, you can (and probably will!) still have lots or even more hatzlacha with your business if you are honest.

Dolly Welsh

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 2:32 pm

Life is much EASIER if you don't spend calories wondering just how honest to be this particular time. Who has time for such minute calibrations.

That is just adding another level of decision-making to your busy day!

It costs effort. Decision-making is HARD.

You are making extra work for yourself. Be lazy. Be honest all the time and too bad.

Your clients aren't stupid, and they keep records. You will eventually pay another way, if you kid them. You may lose them, or they may pay slower, or who knows. Goodwill matters.

Your kid might marry one of theirs if you are honest, and not, if not. The circles are wide. You might need them some day. You might need a JOB with them some day. Reputations matter.

You could say, "it depends on the market and the population you are serving. I can only tell you what has already happened, in markets that may be a little different from yours. You have to know your own particular customer".

greenfire

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 2:37 pm

amother wrote:

what does 'go well' mean - does she care if anybody else is buying said item - and are they not sold in other sizes ...

just say you have them to sell - try one I hope you'll find them suitable ...

you certainly can't be a saleswoman if you're not going to sell them

amother

Wed, Apr 09 2014, 10:19 pm

If you're really upfront with the people who ask this question, you'll make a name for yourself as someone who's trustworthy and has their best interests at heart. You're likely to have tremendous hatzlacha because people will want to do business with you again and again.

I'll tell you about my dh. His father (not frum) is a businessman who unfortunately is not 100% honest. It's an attitude he has, that getting away with something is good. For example he lied about my kids' ages at the zoo to get cheaper tram tickets (except I stopped him). So my dh grew up with this attitude and never really thought about it. When dh started out in business (selling used cars), he would always try to gloss over the car's negatives. I heard him one time talking like that to a potential customer. And afterward, I kind of yelled at him. I said, you know there are issues x y and z with this car, and no they're not major issues, but if I were the customer I would want to know about them. People are putting a lot of money into a car and you know a lot more about cars than they do, so you have to tell them everything so they can make an educated decision. He argued that no, everyone expects that someone selling something isn't going to tell about negatives, and that it's understood that you take the car to the mechanic and get it checked out before you buy. But I was really upset by it and I convinced him to try it my way. So he started telling people in detail every possible issue there might be, and what he thought the likelihood of a problem happening down the line was, and if so what their different repair options would be, and potential costs. And he started having unbelievable hatzlacha. He was so amazed at people's reactions. People love to buy from him. All the stress of buying a car is gone, because they know he's telling them everything he knows, and they can make a really thought-out decision rather than just hoping for the best.

Anyway, I really think being 100% straight and honest and helpful will help you grow your business a lot.

I buy my shaitels from someone who's not in my city because I trust her 100%. She tells me all the details both positive and negative about potential purchases and I feel she has my best interests at heart, so I travel to her rather than opt for convenience. I've unfortunately had bad experiences with people selling shaitels who only told me what they thought would make the sale. Well, they lost out in the end, because I have taken my business elsewhere.

greenfire

Thu, Apr 10 2014, 12:32 am

I must be confused - how is anybody supposed to know if a dress will 'go well' unless it is worn first ?

Dolly Welsh

Thu, Apr 10 2014, 1:00 am

Now that's a wife worth having.

Greenfire, my impression is OP is selling wholesale to retailers and "go well" means sell well in the customer's store, to other people.

amother

Thu, Apr 10 2014, 11:11 am

greenfire wrote:

I must be confused - how is anybody supposed to know if a dress will 'go well' unless it is worn first ?

Meaning if it's a popular size or not. It's not necessarily the style in question, its the size.

amother

Thu, Apr 10 2014, 11:14 am

op here, yes I wholeheartedly agree that being honest is the way to go. However, how can I make the business run smoothly if there really is one item that's not so popular in certain places but might be in another place? It's possible that in one retail store that item wont sell while in another it will. If I'm really honest and say something like well it's not the best selling item, the other sizes or prints or styles go better, why would the customer go for it?

greenfire

Thu, Apr 10 2014, 12:14 pm

I don't understand what the question is ... you are trying to sell something to a company - sell them what they want & answer their questions honestly

if I call a company and ask for a coffee urn - I don't expect a blender - I expect the truth -