Why High Pressure Sales have always been hard for us.

Everyone knows "this guy"

I’ve always felt a bit uncomfortable around pushy salespeople. When someone comes on too strong, it makes me uneasy, and I tend to go out of my way to avoid situations like that.

Even when I’m just shopping for something simple like jeans, I tense up when someone asks, “Can I help you with something?” They’re only trying to help, and 90% of the time I probably need it, but my reflex is always, “I’m just looking.”

So with my slightly skewed view of what a salesperson is, you can probably see why it feels like a bit of a stretch for me to now be in a position where we’re selling a product, in our case, docks.

I tend to assume most people are like me and don’t want to be bothered. Because of that, many of the people who contact us either find us online or come through a referral from a past customer. That makes a big difference, since they’re reaching out to us first and the conversation feels much more relaxed.

Now, with the boat show coming up in a couple of days, things shift a bit.

People are there for all kinds of reasons. Some are shopping for a boat or a dock, some just want to enter the giveaways and get free liquor samples, and others are simply wandering around for the day. They have every right to walk past our booth without stopping.

That’s where it gets tricky. We want to start conversations without making anyone feel uncomfortable, or coming across awkward ourselves.

From what I’ve learned from other salespeople, especially the ones I keep going back to when buying cars and trucks, the best approach is simple: I won’t sell you anything unless I’m completely sure it fits your needs.

Basically, it comes down to this mindset: I don’t have to make the sale. The decision is completely up to you.

When I think about it that way, everything feels different. There’s a lot less pressure when you’re talking to someone new, especially when you’re not leading with, “Are you looking to buy a dock today?”

So as we head into the next few days at the show, here’s what you should know.

At NP Floats & Docks, we’re not trying to sell you something you don’t need. We simply want to help you figure out what makes the most sense for you, whether that’s our product or someone else’s.

If we can offer some good advice and maybe make a few new connections along the way, that’s a win for us.

This is just a small glimpse into the learning curve of growing our little business.

Stay humble.