A new trend in sales techniques has come to Helsinki’s shopping centres.

For some, they are pushy salespeople, to others, entrepreneurs willing to take a risk in a new country. But however you view them, it looks as if the sales representatives accosting passers-by in the capital’s main shopping centres are here to stay.

One might think that pursuing this sales technique in Finland is a risky strategy, given the Finns’ twin reputation for shyness and sisu. Indeed, observing the salespeople at work, it seems as if few Finns are willing to stop and listen to their sales pitch, some ignoring them outright, others responding with a blunt “no”.

A new trend in sales techniques has come to Helsinki’s shopping centres.

For some, they are pushy salespeople, to others, entrepreneurs willing to take a risk in a new country. But however you view them, it looks as if the sales representatives accosting passers-by in the capital’s main shopping centres are here to stay.

One might think that pursuing this sales technique in Finland is a risky strategy, given the Finns’ twin reputation for shyness and sisu. Indeed, observing the salespeople at work, it seems as if few Finns are willing to stop and listen to their sales pitch, some ignoring them outright, others responding with a blunt “no”.

Despite this, the number of these retail stalls, largely run by non-Finnish staff, appears to be increasing in Helsinki’s shopping malls, with centres such as Kamppi making space in its main thoroughfares available for commercial lease. And, with 30 million people each year visiting Kamppi alone, there are plenty of potential customers walking past.

Many of the stalls are small franchises of large international companies specialising in beauty and personal grooming products, such as Herstyler, a Californian-owned company selling hair styling tools and accessories, or Bellapierre Cosmetics, another US-based company with a global franchise business.

But what is it like to work in this kind of business in Finland? Most of the salespeople we approached were very reluctant to talk about their experiences.

One salesman did agree to say a few words. Andrew (not his real name) has recently arrived in Helsinki, having spent a number of years working for another sales franchise in the United States.

“Finnish customers are quite shy, compared to the US,” he says. “But they’re also very polite.”

“From what I’ve seen so far, you have to take a different approach with Finnish clients, to be more gentle. I try to show the customer the products without making them feel they are under pressure to buy.”

“In the US, you can persuade customers more easily, but I find people here are less impulsive.”

Perhaps sisu is an essential quality for this type of salesmanship after all.

Louisa Gairn - HT
Sari Gustafsson