Almost none of us thinks about how we will be greeted or how we will be received whenever we visit public places, stores or clinics and hospitals, but the secret of success of any store or institution is first and foremost conditioned by the proper way of receiving a customer. This is the first step, after which comes the working style, the explanations about a product and presenting the positive and important aspects of a given product to a customer. This is what our France-based compatriot, experienced sales specialist Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian has considered. Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian was recently hosted at the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia and paid a visit to the editorial office of Hayern Aysor online newspaper where he talked about his book “How to Better Sell and Satisfy Customers” (devoted to sales, rules of ethics in trade, secrets and successes) and his spheres of activity.

Karine Avagyan: Dear compatriot, how was the idea of the book conceived?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: I received a higher education in management. I obtained my Master’s Degree in International Trade and have worked as a trade consultant for various organizations. I have also worked in the United States for five years. I have authored the French-language book entitled “Ophthalmologists: How to Develop Sales” (translated into several languages), have written the French-language book “Ophthalmologist-Manager” and have given speeches in several countries, including France, Switzerland, Tunisia, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Armenia. It is obvious that management plays a major role in my observations regarding sales, and I have included those observations in the book entitled “How to Better Sell and Satisfy Customers”. I think the book is in demand. The provided service is not too important, if the service is not provided generously, in a civilized manner, with a correct and professional explanation and through persuasion. In our daily lives, we feel the need to receive necessary services everywhere, and the way a service is provided is as important for the seller as it is for the provider. The book features the technical method of practical sale, a sales plan, the psychological process of selling and more. We need to be able to enhance our business skills, and the success of a business is also highly dependent on the culture of selling or providing a service. This is also diplomacy and a business policy. I have conducted several lessons and seminars devoted to methods of sale and management in France and other countries and have published many articles in the presses.

Karine Avagyan: How many languages has the book been translated into? How many copies are there? What kind of feedback have you received?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: The book has been translated into six languages. The Armenian version has been printed in 500 copies by Lusabats Publishing House. There was a need for such a book. It sparked the interest of not only those involved in sales, but also wide layers of society. Look, a person can have a great product, but fail to sell it. It is necessary to enhance the culture of sales, and this requires a unique diplomacy.

Karine Avagyan: People of all ages make purchases. When you were writing this book, didn’t you take into consideration such nuances? Didn’t you guide the reader on the kind of approach he should have?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: Wait! You can do my job for me! I am joking. Yes, this is all very important, and I obviously took it into consideration.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Mouradian, you wrote and published the book, and sellers bought and read it…Do they follow the rules stated in the book?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: There are readers who read for the sake of reading, and there are readers who read, master what they have read and use their knowledge in practice. Indeed, there are also those who are simply interested in the book as a phenomenon. In any case, this book has sparked interest. It is easier to follow and make inquiries in France. Armenia is far away, but I also follow here. When I pay a three-week visit, I contact a particular bookstore and ask if sales are good, what the customer requested, how the customer was treated and how he or she left the particular bookstore. The manager of a given bookstore plays a very important role. The manager is the one who has to see how his or her employees treat customers and improve himself or herself.

Karine Avagyan: Where have you presented your book?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: I have presented the book at Gyumri State University, in Jermuk and at Bukinist and Noyan Tapan bookstores. I have also presented it in hotels, in markets and at travel agencies. There are many organizations that need to learn the rules of selling correctly. We must not forget that the field of sales is very important for the development of tourism.

Karine Avagyan: Mr. Mouradian, how do you realize your books?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: I sell them at affordable prices. I also donate them. I can also carry out a charity act, but a product on sale, and in this case a book, attracts more attention.

Karine Avagyan: Can Armenians reach a high level in sales?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: Yes! What has changed in Armenians after the fall of the Kingdom of Cilicia? Why shouldn’t we go back to the era of the Silk Road and make it current? Since ancient times, Armenians have been known as high-class and skillful merchants. Armenians are talented and creative and will always be successful, if they lead the right and high-level policy on trade and sales.

Karine Avagyan: What do you think is important in sales?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: You have to know what to do so that the customers makes a purchase and comes back to your store, is content and recommends his family, friends and acquaintances to visit your store. A customer expects professionalism, attention and care. A customer expects you to have the ability to listen, be patient and make decisions that are relevant to his or her problem and in line with his or her request. It is very important to be able to listen to and understand the interlocutor-customer. In reality, in order for a customer to feel free and to ensure a favorable environment for purchases, an employee needs to please the customer with his or her behavior until the end of the sale. The seller needs to be active and open-hearted.

Karine Avagyan: What does your book teach readers?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: It teaches a reader how to design a sales outlet and how to take care of it on a daily basis (how to clean the display window), how to make sure an employee stands in front of the store at all times, how to make sure models are beautiful and interesting, how to make sure display windows and drawers are attractive and how to make sure advertisements are compatible with the trade policy of the particular store…All this is followed by the particular store’s interior design, the proper reception for buyers at a sales outlet, the art of presenting a product and giving advice, the behavior of a seller, the culture of objecting, the initial price and more…The most important thing is to never forget to smile, say thank you and say nice words when the customer is leaving. A farewell is a reflection of acknowledgement.

Karine Avagyan: Is this your first visit to the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia?

Jean-Patrick-Hovhannes Mouradian: The first time I met the Minister of Diaspora was at the airport. Now I have come to the Ministry to meet with the respectable Minister.

Karine Avagyan: Thank you, compatriot! I wish you success in all of your intresting endeavors with the hope and faith that you will write another similar book for organizations that present their work in different spheres and provide various services.

This is how I ended my interview with Mr. Hovhannes Mouradian and his nice wife, Irma-Filor Shirinian-Mouradian, who was helping her husband with her better knowledge of Armenian and sharing the story about their roots tracing back to the Armenian Genocide-the story of an Armenian.

Karine Avagyan