It was a beautiful day in La Jolla this past Monday. The clouds had blown away and the blue sky, warm sun was absolutely perfect.
People were out walking, jogging, and generally soaking up some of the most incredible weather anywhere. While not as crazy busy as a Sunday in the summertime, there were still a lot of people and parking was scarce.
The young woman began setting up her T-Shirt stand at a very rich crossroads of paths. One going along the cliffs and the other meandering up toward the Valencia Hotel and the center of the city.
Location: Great.
Weather: Great
Tourists: LOTS
Potential: Great
Boxes at the ready, she began building her store. She made no eye contact with the little girl who was patiently waiting to buy a T-shirt. Money in hand. You could see it money in hand. The girl continued to build her store and very slowly and deliberately lay the T-shirts out across the small folding table.
After a few minutes, the parents grew impatient. A few more minutes and the little girl became impatient and simply walked away.
The young woman never acknowledged them. She lost a sale.
Eventually she got her umbrella set up, her table set and organized, her chair in position and her iPod set to the playlist of the day.
She sat at the table and pulled out her book. iPod in place, sunglasses on, and head buried in her book she began her day.
I sat and watched people come by and "ooh and ahh" over the shirts without nary a smile or a word unless the 'customer' would ask a question. She would slowly pull the iPod from her ears, set her book down and answer the question in single, monosyllabic words. She didn't acknowledge any compliments on the merchandise, and instead would cut the conversation short by a terse question: "You want to buy something?"
I watched for a good hour while my wife and daughter made a long sojourn on a short beach in search of sea shells for the 'collection' growing in a neat little pile in the garden.
She never made a single sale.
What would have happened if, instead of burying her face in a book, with earbuds in and sunglasses on, she had engaged the visitors with eye contact and smiles, maybe even a little pro-active "Hello... beautiful day - what brings you to La Jolla?"
What if she had actually paid attention to that little girl waiting patiently with the $20 bill clutched tightly? What if instead of acting as if she were no more interested in selling a T-shirt to someone as she was in throwing herself over the cliff?
I don't know the answer, but she didn't get at least four sales. Mine and my families, and the little girl. The couples who stopped and looked at the T-shirts were in the dozens and not a single sale.
If this was her own business, I guess it would be no problem but hers. But I saw these shirts all over San Diego, so I imagine there must be someone who owns/manages/supervises the sales.
Time for an intervention of the pink slip kind.
1 comment:
So true of so many things in life, including everyday relationships
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