Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM AUGUST 2018 40 I 'm a sucker for a good selling experience. As soon as an associate engages me with a couple of questions about me I'll buy whatever they're selling. But because I know a good sales presentation when I see one, a bad one rankles me no end. My latest trip took me to Ireland and Iceland. Iceland had been on my bucket list for some time. My friends and I found that the best way to spend the most time there was to take a cruise. But my cruise aboard Celebrity's Eclipse felt a bit like a souk in the Middle East. As soon as we boarded, the smiling Eclipse staff started hawking their services. I have to admit that after a long trip to Dublin, the neck massage in the spa lobby felt great. I went to make an appointment and was told about the 20% discount on a package of five spa services. Okay—my friend and I agreed that during the ten-day cruise we'd manage five massages between us. We signed up. We left the spa and continued our tour around the ship. Walking toward the restaurant lobby we were stopped by a waiter holding the menus from the three specialty restaurants. We were urged to book our reservations quickly because seating in the restaurants was limited. These great venues were not included in our cruise package and there was an upgrade charge to eat in them. Knowing that in ten days we'd get pretty tired of the two main dining rooms, we started looking at the menus. Our restaurant host then made an offer we couldn't refuse. Agree to eat in all three of the specialty restaurants and we'd get a 25% discount on our meals. Sign me up. When we booked the trip we bought a Classic Beverage package that gave us unlimited soft drinks, bottled water, and specialty coffee drinks as well as a fairly wide selection of beer and wine, cocktails and other adult beverages. Order a premium drink not in our package and we'd have to pay the difference—usually $2 to $3. Now it's time to sail to Reykjavík. It seemed that for the first three or four days we kept running into the spa therapists and restaurant hosts continuing to sell us dining and spa packages. "No, thanks, we already have one." It got old quickly. The first time someone in our group ordered a drink not included in our Classic Package, the waiter or bartender instantly offered to upgrade us to a Premium Drink Package for only an additional $14/day. We heard it nearly every time we ordered anything to drink. If I drank the six or seven additional drinks it would take to break even, I'd be seasick on the calmest water. No, thank you. No, thank you. No, thank you. I really needed that massage. Before she started, my lovely Thai therapist suggested I upgrade to a hot stone massage. I reminded her that I'd asked about it when she gave me my first five-minute neck massage and she said "No, your neck is tight. Deep tissue would be better." Our first specialty dinner at Murano was out of this world. The food was wonderful, the service impeccable and the ambiance relaxing. It was so good that from that night on we tried unsuccessfully to cancel our reservation at the international specialty restaurant Qsine and return for another meal at Murano. I have no words to describe our meal at Qsine. One friend said it was the worst meal she'd ever eaten. When we returned our first dish barely touched complaining to our waitress, her response was "at least you tried it." We left without finishing our dinners. On the way out, I asked to see the manager. I paced impatiently in front of him waiting for him to get off of his phone. I explained how we felt about our ruined evening. He mumbled something about being sorry and promised to have the ship's food and beverage manager contact us. No offer to refund part of dinner or comp our drink upgrades. We never heard from anyone. So here are the lessons: • Undersell and over deliver. • Every prospect is not a buyer all the time. • Wearing prospects down with repeated offers doesn't make them buyers. • If you believe in your product, present it professionally, not like a street vendor. • If you fail to deliver on your promise, make it right on the spot. • Give your managers the authority to recover from a mistake. • No amount of salesmanship can overcome a poor experience. We eventually laughed at the continuing efforts to "upgrade" us and had a great vacation. And definitely put Iceland on your bucket list. Elly Valas is an author, speaker and retail consultant. She can be reached at elly@ellyvalas.com or 303-316-7568. Elly Valas Retail Views RO MY UPGRADED CRUISE TO ICELAND

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