8 Things You Should Know About Your Local Sample-Lady:

1. They are paid less if you don't buy their product.
Most sample-ladies, otherwise known as sales reps, demo specialists, or product reps are either paid by commission, or are paid by sales "skill". I say "skill" because,  for example, the sample people at Costco (CDS) are paid an hourly rate, and no commission. However, they are judged by the amount of sales they make, compared to the amount of samplers. They are also expected to sell 2.5 times the sales of the same product last week. Sometimes this works at their disadvantage; imagine a new product comes out by Tollhouse week one, everyone wants to buy it. But, when the samples are being given away, people either realize the cookies are too dry, or too small, or too sweet-- what ever! This woman is working while odds are against her to sell two-and-a-half times the sales of the product when people thought it might be something they were interested in.

Now, I promise I'm not just rambling. The important factor about this information is that if these women don't sell 2.5 times last week's sales, they will lose their hours the next week. This leads to number two:


2. Their job is not easy.
Some days they may have "easy" products, but most days they don't. Keep in mind there's usually a reason why these companies pay people to try to sell their product. It's either an awesome hidden gem, or more often it's terrible/near it's expiration date and the company (or in some cases the store itself) is trying to move the product off the shelves.


3. Small talk brightens their day.
However, there is something you can do. You want to make a difference in someone's life? All it takes is a simple "hello", and "thank you" when you take the product. You could even ask how they're doing. All of the demonstrators I've spoken with have told me how much they appreciate when someone says thank you, or smiles at them. Just remember, they're on their feet all day dealing with rude customers and grabby children. This leads to number 4...


4. They hate when you say things like "Ooh, it's lunch time?"
Sampling the store's food is not a free service to you. The product you're eating, as well as the wax paper it's sitting on comes out of someone's pocket. If you're not interested in the product, what's the point of trying it?



5. They remember you.
Alright, so you admit it. Maybe you're the type of person that takes sample after sample and giggles about it when you slink away. Maybe you were rude to the demo lady, or told her to hurry up. Maybe you let your five kids take five samples a piece, and didn't pick up the garbage they dropped when they walked away. A sample lady never forgets; and don't be dumbfounded if there's a "mystery surprise" in your food next time, or the food is conveniently not finished cooking every time you walk to their cart. Sample ladies can be a delightfully passive-aggressive breed.

But on the other hand, say you're one of the customers that was polite every time. You engaged in short conversations, used your manners and didn't just pretend to be friendly so you could continue eating. They remember you, too. And you will be the first to know if a product is going on sale next week, or get the biggest, prettiest sample she's got.


6. They are not allowed to tell you to stop taking seconds, but they really wish you would.
Unfortunately, your local sample lady is not allowed to tell you to stop, but this means she's also not allowed to tell anyone else to stop. So if you're staking out the bratwurst, wait ten minutes until the next batch is done, and suddenly a swarm comes and batch two is missing: this is not the sample lady's fault.


7. If you harass a sample-lady, you can get banned from the store.
Here's where the truth comes out, I worked as a product rep for about three years through high school and my start of college. Unfortunately, there was a lot of customers that came to feast that were beyond rude. They were insulting, would call me names, grab me, would not leave me alone when I made it perfectly clear that I was at work, and didn't want to go out with them on Saturday: and the sad part is that this is not uncommon. It's a normal occurrence for many demonstrators, and most of the women at my particular store would have to report someone to the manager at least once a month.

It's not worth losing a Sam's Club membership because you've had a bad day.


8. They're people, too.
If you grab 5 samples of chocolate cake and then explain that you can't buy it because of calorie-restrictions, you will be mocked. If you're rude, you'll be badmouthed. All these ladies want is the same thing as you want; as little stress as possible at work. So if you can help it, try to be one of the people that makes them leave that night smiling. Don't ask them why they don't have a "real job", because what they do is not as easy as it seems. They can't take tips, but if you notice they're doing a good job- tell them! They are not out to get you, or to sucker you into buying something- they're there for the people that want to buy the product. (And maybe the people whose kids won't let them leave without it.)

Ten Secrets to Sending out an Email to Customers that They'll Actually Read and Respond To:

1.) No Images
I see it all the time in sales emails. There's nothing more spammy than an email about a big sale with pictures of models wearing the new season's clothes, or a product with a price-slash on it. Instead of including pictures in your emails, add a link redirecting customers to the site if they want to see for themselves. This way if they're even slightly interested after reading what you have to say, they'll dive into your whole website instead of focusing on that one sale product.


2.) Make it feel personal
Subject line- their name.
It doesn't matter what company you're from, people are more likely to open the email when they feel that it directly concerns them. It shows that you spent the time to write to them, and makes the customer feel a bit more obligated to see what you have to say instead of instantly deleting the message before opening it.


3.) A little bit of improper grammar
This doesn't mean, "how u doin" is an acceptable greeting. But starting off an email with "Hope all is well!" has always worked for me and my colleagues. You want your email to seem conversational and non-threatening. You want to seem comfortable enough to converse with the customer, to encourage them to get involved with you/your company and respond or ask questions.


4.) No funny colors
When you write an email to your friends, do you use black text or bright red? You use black. To respond you use blue. Sticking with the plain black font is the way to get your customers to read your email instead of assuming you're trying to sell them something (which you probably are).


5.) No bullet points
Bullet points are tacky in sales emails. When you're trying to sell, or in my case buy things from customers, you should make it as easy to manage as possible. Don't list everything, and don't put it in bullet points.

You're more likely to read "Company A works mostly with the purchase, sale, and repair of Cotton Balls, Paper Plates, Sandals, Frying Pans, Headphones, and Shredders." without thinking twice.

As opposed to: "Company A would be interested in the following:

*Cotton Balls
*Paper Plates
*Sandals
*Frying Pans
*Headphones
*Shredders

A semicolon gives the reader the chance to mentally skip the following list. It prepares them to involve themselves in your product, which they can choose against.


6.) No enlarged text
If you want to grab someone's attention and direct it at a specific point in the email, just delete the whole email. You're not doing it right. See "Keep it short and simple"


7.) Read receipts
It's sneaky. I know. But there's no better way to judge the potency than attaching read receipts to your emails. This way you can tell how many "reads" you get out of the total amount of sent emails, and how many "deleted without opening" notifications you get. You can also go even further, and compare total reads to total replies. The fun is endless. This way if you want to try more than one version of an email in honing your craft, you can see which works better and why.

Another sneaky aspect of read receipts comes into effect when you make a point to mention that you have one attached. Just adding "*Read Receipt Attached" in smaller text underneath your signature can catch someone's eye, and in times even guilt them into responding. I know, I'm awful.


8.) Hopeful conclusion
"I look forward to working with you!" etc.
It's sweet, hopeful, polite. It tells the customer that you have their interest in mind, and that their response matters to you. It'll also put you above the rest of your kind that are also fighting for their attention.


9.) Keep it short and simple
Keeping it short an simple means that the reader can make their way from start to finish in 30 seconds. Most people don't check their email for the purpose of shopping. They check their email to absorb necessary information and move on. Referring to "No enlarged text", it's important that in this thirty seconds your email would be lucky to receive, you include the most important information only. This, of course, aside from casual greeting and hopeful conclusion. If you find yourself making something a crazy color or bold in order to draw attention, perhaps take some time to get rid of unnecessary information.


10.) Send it to one address at a time
I know, this is the worst part. However, when someone sees that their name is the only one in the "To:" box, they feel more like this is a personal conversation between you and them. They see that you took the time out of your day to "check in" with them. This factor mixed in with your conversational approach will not just give you that upper-hand in the sale, but it may even help you to form a relationship with the customer, making you their go-to person/company for their needs in the future. Wouldn't you rather have your customers come to you than have to go to them?



Feel free to leave your input in "Comments". What other factors have you experienced that forge the difference between a read email and a deleted email?