We hate to be manipulated. It is one of the worse things that humans do to each other. It throws guards up, and does everlasting damage. The practice of manipulation breaks down our relationships, our communities and how we view our fellow man. It spreads a stench of distrust through the air and makes us gaze suspiciously at every kind act with the thought, “What do they really want?” There are not many occupations so coated and coupled with manipulation as that of a salesman. We tend to distain them; we don’t like to shop for cars or jewelry or at any business that works off commission. If we cannot avoid such an establishment we often bring friends along to protect us from the coming sales pitch, acting as if we’re actually afraid of perhaps crowding the plate too much and getting hit by it.
This salesman stereotype that exists in our minds makes the non-bargaining concept at Alyshaan all the more intriguing. In an industry speckled with grossly exaggerated sales and marked by constant haggling, Alyshaan promises a very different type of shopping experience; one where you will never feel pressured or get the feeling you are being mislead. Alyshaan’s previous owner, Sameer Aslam explains on their website, “We’ve tried interjecting a more honest and straight forward way of handling the rug business not commonly found in this industry.”
Like the unique area rugs they sell, another aspect of Alyshaan that sets it apart from the negative sales stereotype is the fact that they never even have a sale, their prices are their prices, fair and square no need to go up or down. When listening to the owners and the “salesmen” at Alyshaan it is gathered that part of the fuse that sparks this streak of honesty and comfort is the passion and love that they have for the industry and the trust that they have in their product. All of their rugs are handpicked by their staff who go directly to the country of origin to obtain carpets to replenish their stock of over 2,000 rugs.
Most individuals who are shopping for a special rug to add to the decor of their home, don’t really know what they are looking for and don’t have a ton of expertise in rugs, so right from the beginning there is a need for trust and a temptation to manipulate. Interested rug buyers need a trusty leader to help them discover the perfect tapestry for their taste and their home. Alyshaan promises to be just that.
Maybe that is what salespeople really should be, expert guides not manipulators, showing people the way through a product that they have developed a love for and an expertise in. Benjamin Franklin said, “Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not the wits enough to be honest.” Fools and sales will not be found within the doors of Alyshaan or trickery and treachery for that matter just the promise to be different and quite often in our world, different can simply just mean honest and fair.
