Last weekend one of my favorite sandals broke. A friend mentioned that she had a similar problem, and had her’s fixed at great expense at a shoemaker in Manhattan, said it wasn’t worth it. Before I threw them away, I decided to find out how much it would cost at a new local place that opened right here in Park Slope.
He said it would be no problem to fix, would only cost $6, and would be ready the same day. That was about 1/4 of what my friend spent, and pretty fast service; so I readily agreed. Before I left, he looked at the other shoe, and sure enough, it was starting to tear in the same place. (sale now doubled)
He asked for a deposit (smart move, I’m sure a lot of people don’t pick up old shoes they’re having repaired). Before I left, he let me know that he also repairs watches, which reminded me that my leather watchband needed to be fixed as well. (sale tripled)
As I walked to my office, I remembered that my kid needed arch supports for a new pair of boots. (sale quadrupled)
The sales lesson here? Solve one small problem for a new prospect quickly and easily, and they’ll come back for more.
Do your prospective clients have any shoes that need repairing?
Susan Martin, Sales Coaching
