Beyond Bartering: 3 Eternal Sales Lessons from Morocco's Shopkeepers

I recently took a trip to Morocco. Originally, I thought this would be a full break from my sales role at Stripe and the day to day of working deals. But Morocco, in addition to being a warm and welcoming country that I highly recommend visiting, proved to be more of a masterclass in sales than an escape from it. 

At Stripe, I’m the seller, but over a week-plus being a buyer of handmade rugs, leather goods, ceramics, and more, I witnessed a degree of craftsmanship that extended beyond the wares.

To experience Morocco is to walk through a medina– old school neighborhoods and hubs of commerce. Tight alleyways brim with stalls containing everything from teapots to soccer jerseys while eager shopkeepers stand outside their open air storefront calling curious tourists in to examine their goods. Once someone walks in, a delicate dance begins towards what the shopkeeper hopes results in a sale. Everything has a price, but nothing is priced, so if a sale is to be made, it always ends in a negotiation. 

I quickly developed a cadence with my wife: she’d pick things she liked and then remove herself while I excitedly practiced my negotiating. After a week, I did my part stimulating Morocco’s economy and learned a ton. 

In addition to rugs, a leather jacket, and some handmade bowls, here’s what I’m taking home from haggling for everything in Morocco. 

1. Narratives and stories are king

Within about three hours of getting settled into Chefchaouen, our first stop, we’d already acquired three rugs. And it wasn’t an accident. Looking for dinner, we were hooked by a man outside a restaurant with a menu. Once we’d finished our meal, he offered to take us to the best rug shop in the town. We followed him to a shop (not sketchy mom, promise) filled to the ceiling with folded rugs. He was essentially a glorified SDR for this shop, bringing folks like us in the door. 

Before we could get far exploring on our own, a very smiley man joined us and offered a demonstration. He took us to a back room where an older man was using a loom to make a blanket. We learned about the tools used, the difference in what men versus women typically create, the material they work with, and how long it takes to make something. 

The story and demonstration gave the rugs life, connecting them to real people. The backstory made us care. No longer were we part of a transaction (we give you money for these rugs). We were a part of a cultural experience (“take home a piece of Morocco”). 

We saw this repeated in all kinds of places. In Fez, we squeezed up a cramped stairwell to a tannery. In a very similar motion, we learned about how raw animal hides are treated and turned into leather bags, coats, wallets, etc. Our guide this time, a 60ish year old man with a warm, toothy smile told us how he had been working in this shop since he was 14 years old. Once we were sufficiently fascinated by the process of making fine leather goods and hooked with our salesman’s journey, there was no chance we were leaving empty handed. 

These places weren’t selling things we’d never seen before or things we wouldn’t see again. But each sales person’s ability to connect us to the product through stories made it nearly impossible not to buy.

2. Nothing replaces being nice

When lots of shops are selling the same things, it helps to be someone people actually want to buy from. The people of Morocco were exceptionally warm and welcoming throughout our adventure, but the people we bought from were especially so. I couldn't quite tell where the genuine warmth ended and the salesmanship began.

On the last day, we stumbled into a tea shop. We were going to buy one tea package as a gift. Once we started asking about the different teas, the shopkeeper offered to make us each one to taste. We sat, learned about him and his background, and drank tea together.  

I had learned an Arabic phrase from our Riad (hotel) staff to use in the medina that translated to “brother, give us the good price”. In this negotiation with our new friend, Ibrahim, we ended up with a good price because the connection we made went both ways (he loved my Arabic). 

After feeling like we’d made a real friend, we wanted to buy from him specifically. It usually can’t be the only reason to buy (he still had great tea and soaps!), but we were mostly hooked by how friendly and welcoming he was.

3. There’s nothing more powerful than walking away

Our best negotiations came when casually browsing. Each outcome– buying versus not buying– felt acceptable to us. In these conversations, we had the upper hand so clearly because one of us could live without a transaction and the other couldn’t. 

We bought a ceramic bowl where the original price quoted to us was about $50. We said we’d do it for $20 and were met with a flat no. As we hemmed and hawed about how much we actually wanted the bowl, it became clear we were comfortable just leaving the shop. Up until we were on the brink of leaving the shop, the shopkeeper held firm. It wasn't until we took a few steps out before he called us back to complete the deal at our suggested price. 

In a similar experience, I wanted to buy two small keychains as gifts. We had a fixed budget since we were running low on our final cash reserves. The initially quoted price was $8 for a single keychain. When I said we had $6 and needed two, I started walking away. The salesman pushed for $7 (for one) but I told him we only had $6 to spend. As soon as we took two steps away, we ended up at our preferred rate for both. The severe discount only made me question all the negotiations that had come before!

It was so obvious that our best prices were a direct result of caring less, being willing not to do a deal, and inadvertently pressuring the seller to meet our price. 

Morocco should be on your list of destinations for its culture, history, food, and people. But if you’re looking to get into sales or just sharpen your skills, nothing replaces the reps you can get haggling over every little thing in a place like this. 

In many of these negotiations, it felt like we left as friends more than customers. With our rug guys, we came back the next day with some baked goods and we had tea, watched soccer, and learned their story. That’s the North Star I have now–make buying from me so enjoyable people want to split some mint tea afterwards. Inshallah.