Mobilize Your In-Store Erotic Capital

For top customer satisfaction, which of the following three do you think is most important in retail sales associates?

• Appearance the shopper considers to be sexually appealing 
• Displays of emotion the shopper considers to be appropriate to the situation 
• Questions or advice the shopper considers to be helpful 

     Researchers at University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, Peking University, and PetroChina Pipeline Company sought an answer to that question with studies at a retail store. They concluded that the third factor—the helpfulness of questions or advice—impacted customer satisfaction most strongly.
     They also discovered that the three interact in ways other researchers have called “erotic capital.” Sales associates who display appropriate emotions and ask helpful questions are more likely to be judged as sexually appealing.
     The London School of Economics researchers who coined the “erotic capital” term go beyond facial beauty and physical fitness to include confidence and interpersonal skills. They also acknowledge that what’s defined as sexually appealing and as acceptable salesmanship differs among cultures.
     A number of those researchers urge salespeople to mobilize their erotic capital to best advantage. Pay attention to grooming. Choose work clothing that fits both the body and the situation. Master the mechanics of charm. And don’t forget to bathe regularly.
     Actually, it may be in the assertive presentation of strengths and the strivings to compensate for shortfalls in physical appearance that the best salespeople are created. Not exactly what Sheryl Sandberg is saying in her current best-seller Lean In. But not wholly incompatible with it, either.
     Take as an example symmetry. We are genetically programmed to like left-right symmetry in people’s physical appearance. Evolutionary biologists say it’s because an irregular body on the outside can signal abnormal chromosomes inside. In most cultures and organizations, the symmetrical are more likely to be selected as leaders.
     But a study at Aston University, University of Lancaster, and University of Birmingham, all in the UK, found that work teams have a 20% advantage in performance outcomes when led by someone whose earlobes don’t match perfectly. The researchers explain by saying those without symmetrical features must develop skills in persuasion, and this means recognizing others’ needs and appealing to others’ emotions. That’s why the teams led by those with mismatched ear lengths, wrist widths, and finger lengths were more productive.
     To sell their ideas in the workplace, those with less than ideal symmetry mobilized their erotic capital.

Click below for more: 
Be Provocative, But Don’t Offend 
Lob Lots Over the Net with Funny Earlobes