Sales Suicide - It Could Be Worse
by Jerry Hocutt
If you’re new to sales – heck, even if you’ve been in sales for 20 years – here are some things you might want to avoid saying and doing.
Pinocchio on line 1
Had someone call our office last week and ask to speak with me. I was in a meeting and asked Fletcher if he’d take a message. The caller said he needed to talk with me as it was urgent. Fletcher asked, “What’s this in regards?”
The caller hem-hawed around and finally said, “Well, Jerry dropped his card in a fishbowl at Azteca Restaurant last week in reference for someone to call him about our financial services.”
A. I don’t carry my business cards with me. B. I never drop them in fishbowls at restaurants. C. I wasn’t in Azteca last week. D. Me looking for financial advice at a restaurant? And E. this wasn’t urgent.
71% of the purchasing decision is based upon trust between the prospect and the salesperson. Would you call this guy back? Didn’t think so.
Show me the money!
Had one of our sales managers at a Seattle company I worked with collect a customer’s monthly payments for her pager rental by going to her house each month and collecting the cash at her door. Funny thing. When the customer needed service work on her pager the company had no record of it. Our sales manager became an historical footnote the same day.
Am I hired?
From a sales candidate interviewing with our branch manager: “I think I’ll be good in sales because I’m a great talker. But I don’t like to work under a lot of pressure.” Next.
“This is not a sales call.”
A lady called me from Arbitron on my home phone and began with that statement immediately after identifying herself and without taking a breath in between. Wanted to do a 15 minute survey on what radio stations I listen to.
“I thought you said this wasn’t a sales call.”
“It’s not,” she said. “Just a survey.”
“But,” I asked, “aren’t you trying to sell me on taking the survey.”
She got flustered and hung-up. Too bad. I like salespeople and I like the ones who can make a good cold call. And if she’d told me immediately, “This is a sales call,” she would have won me over instantly. I like honesty.
“I’m not a salesperson.”
Pu-l-e-e-a-s-e. We’re all selling every day. You might not be getting paid to sell a service or product for your company, but you’re selling something. Maybe you want people to donate their time or money for your candidate. Support your charity with contributions for your 8K Beat the Bridge Run on Sunday. Convince your boss to give you a promotion. Bat your eyes at the state trooper and say you didn’t know the speed limit was 55. Get your sports hero to give you his or her autograph. Get that date. Get that date to return your call.
Don’t sell with a Rolex on your arm
The first business owner I worked with always bought Chevrolet’s as his work car and Oldsmobile’s as his wife’s car when he could have had Cadillac’s, Mercedes and BMW’s. Both the Cadillac and Olds were made on the same assembly line and were practically identical except for the nameplate.
Since we were in the school picture business he said that “You never want to pull up to a school in a luxury car. The principals and teachers can’t afford such cars and if they see you’re in one, they’ll think you’re making too much money; you’ll lose business you should be getting.” Once he retired, he started buying Cadillac’s. Exception to the Rolex rule: if you’re selling to Donald Trump.
It could be worse
Salespeople get a bad rap. When you tell someone that you’re a salesperson they shudder and shake their head. “I’d never be caught dead doing that.”
Well, it could be worse. At least we’re not attorneys. Or politicians.
About The Author:
Jerry Hocutt is the author of Cold Calling for Cowards: How to Turn the Fear of Rejection into Opportunities, Sales, and Money. He is also the founder and speaker of the famous Cold Calling For Cowards® seminars nationwide. Want a copy of his book? Click here to order
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