consumption

excerpt from platform by michel houellebecq

she remembered the sales-pitch mnemonic SURE - strategic planning, understanding, response management, execution excellence; she remembered, too, the reality, which was infinitely more simple. but most of the salesgirls were very young - most of them had barely passed their BTS diploma, and it was easier to speak to them in their own language. talking to some of the girls, she realized that jean-louis barma's typology was still being taught in colleges. (the 'technician consumer': product-centered, sensitive to quantitative aspects, attaches great importance to the technical aspects of the product. the 'devout consumer': trusts the salesperson blindly because he does not understand the product. the 'complicit consumer': happy to focus on points he has in common with the salesperson if the latter knows how to establish a good interpersonal relationship. the 'manipulative consumer': a manipulator whose strategy is to deal directly with the supplier and thus get the best deal. the 'developing consumer': attentive to the salesperson, whom he respects, to the product offered, aware of his needs, he communicates easily.)