SALES TALK

should not misrepresent the product or service

In the game of selling, advertising gets products and services noticed by consumers.
Literature, printed in posters, flyers and brochures or posted on the company website,
provides the important details that could push consumers into buying. But, it takes a
master in the art of sales talk to win the customer and complete the sales transaction.

Yes, we are living in an increasingly impersonal, computerized world. Transactions

made over the Internet are on the rise. Several local retail establishments have also
put up websites where their customers can order online and have them delivered to
the house.

Yet, there is no doubt that a majority of consumers still look for that human touch and
continue to go to the retail outlets to buy stuff. Malls and supermarkets are packed
with people even during weekdays. And, in spite of conveniences of these places offer,
places like Divisoria and wet markets, where the culture of haggling and negotiating
thrive, continue to give them a run for their money. Consumers want actual live people
to explain the virtues of a certain product or service to them before they actually buy
these goods.

Thus, in the traditional retail setting, it is the good sales persons that keep the
customers coming back.

First of all, the sales personnel must be trained to deal with all kinds of personalities.
Never rude to clients no matter what mood they are in. For the duration of the
transaction, they are able to make the clients still feel as if they are the most important
people in the world.

Second, the sales personnel must know the product or service like the back of their
hands. Nothing annoys consumers more than a sales person who knows squat about
the item he is selling.

Most important in the art of sales talk is not to misrepresent the product or service just
so the consumer would buy it. Sales talk serves to inform consumers that the pr oduct
or service addresses a certain consumer need, therefore it is a given that sales talk
highlights the good qualities of the goods being sold. Still, trickery and deception
should never be a part of the sales pitch.

The Consumer Act protects consumers against deceptive sales practices. A deceptive
sales act or practice is defined as an act on the part of the seller that induces a
consumer to enter into a sales or lease transaction of any consumer product or service
through concealment, false represent ation or fraudulent manipulation.

What does concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation mean? The

law cites several examples such as the following:
 A consumer product or service has the sponsorship, approval, performance,
characteristics, ingredients, accessories, uses, or benefits it does not have.
 A consumer product or service is of a particular standard, quality, grade,
style or model when in fact it is not.
  A consumer product is new, original or unused, when in fact, it is in a
deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed or second -hand state.
 A consumer product or service is available to the consumer for a reason that
is different from the fact.
 A consumer product or service has been supplied in accordance with the
previous representation when in fact it is not.
 A consumer product or service can be supplied in a quantity greater than the
supplier intends.
 A service, or repair of a consumer product is need ed when in fact it is not.
 A specific price advantage of a consumer product exists when in fact it does
not.
 The sales act or practice involves or does not involve a warranty, a
disclaimer of warranties, particular warranty terms or other rights, remedies
or obligations if the indication is false.
 The seller or supplier has a sponsorship, approval, or affiliation he does not
have.
It is government policy to promote and encourage fair, honest, and equitable
relations among parties - the seller and the buyer - in consumer
transactions. Retailers are encouraged to promote transparency to
consumers among their ranks. All information about a product or service,
especially those that concern pricing and quality, should be disclosed to the
consumer.

For instance, clothing stores sometimes goes on sale for items with factory defects. If
a shirt is being sold at a discount because it has an inconspicuous hole or tear then
the seller should mark the shirt where the “imperfection” is located. In this way, the
consumer is informed that there is a reason for the mark -down in prices.

By giving him that information, he is given the power to choose: to buy a perfect but
more expensive shirt, or a discounted one with the inconspicuous hole. If he does
choose the shirt with the hole, he cannot complain that the item is defective.