I recently had some great advice given to me by a friend! Her suggestion was that I leave my comfortable world of the cubicle and sitting in front of the computer monitor/laptop and live the lives of my clients. I took her advice and am glad I did.
Although it was not as easy as I thought I landed a job working for a VERY successful retail business as a sales associate. This might seem like an easy job – it is not. I guess the first thing I have learned is plain ole customer service. Running cash register is not as easy as it looks with all of the credit cards, gift cards, etc. But the big learning is that old fashioned talking to the customers.
If you think you have good customer facing skills try checking people out that are in a hurry! They come in all shapes and sizes and you will improve your people skills if you survive.
The other real big advantage is working for a company that understands that customers are price sensitive today. These customers are from all economic levels. They want a good product for a good price. Not an unreasonable expectation! I find myself thinking about this a lot these days. The question is “Am I providing the same product/service to my customers?”.
So I would encourage everyone to get out of the comfort zone and try something different. You might be really surprised at what you learn – I know I have.
Pat Pierson
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