May 8, 2007

“No, you may not”

Written by: Eric  |  Category: Articles

I know most of you are Seth Godin subscribers already, but for those of you who aren’t, I wanted to point out this post…

“May I help you?” is almost a useless thing to say.

If you want to end a conversation with a teenager, just ask, ‘How was school today?’

If you want to end a conversation with a customer, just ask if you can help. Instead, ask, ‘can I get you a hot drink?’ or ‘what’s the worst thing about your insurance company?’ or ‘one slice or two?’

We all know it’s a bull shit thing to ask, so why do people still say it? Habit? How do you open it up to customers?

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About the author, Eric
An automotive ace and real estate mogul in the making, Eric originally created YGG all by his lonesome self. Feel free to stalk him on twitter.

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9 Comments

  1. Wes Bos said on May 8, 2007...

    May I help you it right up there on the list of things that boil my blood, right next to “No Problem!”

  2. Peter said on May 8, 2007...

    “Have a nice day” is my personal favourite.

  3. Jacob said on May 8, 2007...

    To you semantic sticklers… “No Problem?” Who cares… what ever you asked must not be difficult, nor will your server run into any unforeseen circumstances. Have you ever thought that the customer is the number one enemy of most of the retail workforce? They realize that if they ask “May I help you?” most customers will say “No… just looking.” Problem solved, they can return to their conversation with coworkers. I did it for years. Places should really start giving employees commission… sales would double.

  4. Aaron said on May 8, 2007...

    I think commission is a great way to give employees a reason to care.

    I think a base + commission is the best way though so that you don’t get overwhelming sales people but just enough so that they care and want to help out.

  5. Travis said on May 8, 2007...

    “May I help you?” is associated with those annoying sales reps in retail stores.

    “How can I help you?” usually comes from the mouth of a support agent.

    Sales versus Support. Changing a couple little words can make a big difference.

  6. Aaron said on May 9, 2007...

    It helps to ask open ended questions.

    What are you looking for?

    At least they have to work harder to shut you down.

  7. chad chabot said on May 9, 2007...

    I’ve had a retail store for 4 years, and worked in retail the last 10.
    “May I help you?” is as bad as “How are you?” or any variation of the two.

    Employees don’t appear to care because they get stuck asking scripted questions that their head office thinks is going to generate sales.
    That, and there is little value in the not-easily quantifiable aspect of the service sector, in the eyes of management.

    I’ve worked in large-format, big-box settings, and it’s a terrible environment. Of course everyone puts on their game face and claps along to the songs and “gets excited” about sales. There is little reward for honesty, and even less room for personality.

    My evidence is that creating a great atmosphere and being genuine with your customers is what creates and inspires continued loyalty.

  8. Zixor7 said on May 16, 2007...

    Best to start with Hey Fuckhead

  9. Leigh said on May 17, 2007...

    My favorite is when they ask

    “did you find everything you were looking for today?”

    and if i say, “actually no” (which I sometimes do)

    they always look at me funny like they want to say (but don’t) , ‘your not suppose to say that.”

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