Curious, I enter the store. What will I encounter? It is quiet. The back door is open, a cool stream of air mixes with me through the warm room. Nobody there. I stand still, listen. "Good afternoon," says a voice, close to me. I'm scared to see no one.
I listen to the silence for a few seconds. "Good afternoon," the voice says again. Suddenly I see her, sitting relaxed behind the counter. She sees me. "Good afternoon," I reply relaxed. “What can I do for you?” she asks calmly. She stays put, I walk slowly towards her.
"I'm looking for something warm." I see a twinkle in her eye, her face remains taut. 'Something warm? With this weather? Why?” she asks in surprise. I answer. Slowly she stands up and asks 'What are you going to do in that cold country?'
I felt irritation and heard myself think 'she must come to me instead of me to her?' This thought disappeared like snow in the sun because of her candid questions. Before I knew it I told her everything and bought 352 euros worth of clothes.
Why did I buy from her? The answer is simple. Because she saw me, heard me, gave me her vision and advice, connected with me, sincerely, really. For me she was not a saleswoman but a star in connecting, between her, me and the clothes.