The Weird Science Of Comic Seller Buyer Mismatch

This flow chart fed not just business feeds when it emerged.

Let me introduce Otaku. A “group of Hong Kong Chinese who have an obsessive interest in computer technology but are socially
inept in interpersonal interactions”.

Such lone shopping Otaku young men seemed nervous when confronted with attractive 22-year old female toy and figurine shop cashiers. To the extent they interacted less, and bought less.

As reported in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the result of this discomfort of buyer with vendor was fewer sales.

Whether it be through self-comparison or shyness, as reported in London’s Times of the day, “employing attractive staff in a shop can reduce takings because they tend to make socially inept customers flee”.

It goes almost without saying – in retail like here or our solution sphere – that whenever a buyer feels unease with someone trying to sell to them, there is no sale.

Indeed, I have heard with my own ears a prospect state, ‘I will buy from you only if you switch my salesperson’. When you’re talking telephone number zeroes, realism sublimates ego and the personality clash is removed.

Beyond this though, there is the School of Level Selling.

People prefer to buy from someone perceived as being on their level.

Whether through similar rank through ascent up the greasy ladder.

Execs buy from Execs. Management from management. Owners from owners.

Or by connection through expertise.

Techies buy from techies. Traders from traders. Bean counters from counters of beans.

One exception to this is perhaps when the salesperson is relatively young. Starting out. Full of enthusiasm. In which case an elder purchaser can cut them significant slack.

Still, the point remains that the closer the match between each party the higher the chance of a deal.

So. Rank selling works well. Corresponding seniorities nattering happily away together speeds many a bid to a pleasant conclusion. Likewise, full blown level selling, the more niched the better.

If you think you may be akin to the ‘highly attractive confederate [who] wore makeup to accentuate [their] attractiveness’ rendering your prospect stifled being self-conscious about their own presentation and anxiety, then now you’ve alternatives.

At the very least man your checkout with your own avid comic-con gamer.