I’m really tired of salespeople’s tactics that involve not being upfront with you and then hitting you with “the catch”.
Recently we talked about Kirby vacuums and how while they are great machines even though expensive that they still continue to use an underhanded approach to selling them. “Hey, let me clean your carpets for free. Now that I’m in the door i’m not going to leave until you buy one. And I’m not going to be upfront about the price.”
Why do they pull this crap? Why be a schemer if you’re actually selling something of value? It just degrades your product.
Another one happend yesterday. The door-to-door salesman claiming he’s “heard there’s been crime problems in this area”:rolleyes: and wants to give me an absolutely free installed home security system in exchange for letting them put up a 1’x1’ advertising sign in my front yard. Of course the catch is as it has always been that they want you to pay a monthly “monitoring fee” to use the system. I even let the guy babble on for quite a while where he never mentioned the monthly fee once.
What would have been wrong with being upfront and saying “Home security systems require a monthly monitoring fee of X$/month. If that sounds reasonable I can give you a free system and installation.”
I almost suggested the guy try this approach but instead he pissed me off by saying “I just came from your neighbor and he told me you would really be interested in this.”:rolleyes:
If you’re selling overpriced crap, it’s hard to sell the product on its own merits. Why not take advantage of most people’s reluctance to throw you out of their house, or their desire to get something for nothing (assuming your personal moral code allows you to do this)?
I’d like to vent about Verizon Wireless. I’ve been getting calls from their 877 number every day and it waits long enough for the machine to pick up and then doesn’t say anything. I call back to ask that this be taken off–“We’re just calling to review your expiring plan”. Bullshit since I just renewed it and selected a new plan, etc. “Please stop calling here.” “We’ll make a note but be aware that it may take up to 30 days to go into effect.” REALLY? I bet it would take a but a moment to set me up on a new plan you talk me into, though, huh? :mad:
Just be up-front that you’re selling something, not servicing my account.
The factual answer is that it is a common sales approach to get you emotionally invested in the particular product. Once people have become emotionally invested in the transaction, they tend to be less resistant to last minute add-ons and become less willing to kabosh the deal by walking away from the table.
Another trick they try to do is build a sense of relationship with you by name-dropping. Whenever I meet a vendor, the first thing they start doing is rattling off names of people at my company they may have met. I straight-up tell them “Look. I’m going to be honest with you. My company told me to come to this event and give $2 million in business to the first person who could mention the name of an insignificant middle manager who worked here 18 months ago. So congratuations!”
The reason salespeople do this is that most people have an innate reaction to tell salespeople to fuck off. But once they are in and the longer they talk to you, people become less willing to be perceived as “rude” or “unfriendly”, especially to someone who is outwardly being friendly.
When I was right out of college, I went to a job interview for a Multi-level Marketing company like Amway. They would not tell me what the company was about until the formal presentation and became very hostile when I indicated that I was going to leave because I felt they were wasting my time. During the presentation, one thing that struck me was how much of an emphesis they made about how your teachers and parents and friends would probably give you a lot of shit and how you should disregard them because they don’t know how to be successful. These are common cult tactics used by companies. They try to make you feel as if you are part of something grand that everyone else won’t get. The next step is invaritably to make you feel that you are doing it wrong if you aren’t successful at it.
Right out of college, I got sucked into one of those full-day “interviews” where you walk around with the [strike-through]cult-members[/strike-through]employees who tell you how great the job is, and how much money they’re making now. I knew from the get-go it was clearly not the job for me, but at that point I was basically stuck with these guys going door to door.
I declined to come back for a second interview. For some reason, this surprised the guy I “interviewed” with :dubious: Didn’t I know the only way to succeed was to be a sales-person?
Later, when I moved to St. Louis (the above story is from the Boston area), I got an interview to be an assistant at a place like the above - I wouldn’t have been doing saleswork, just regular office work, so I didn’t realize that’s what the company was before I went into the interview. But I did once I walked in. I declined to interview, I didn’t want to have to look at all those poor, fresh-out-of college, hopeful faces every day, and not be allowed to warn them.
A recruiter once contacted me about a job, and the day before the interview told me it would be with American Communication Networks. I was happy about having a prospect so close to my house, and they told me about how everyone there was so happy with their job, etc.
Now, this would have been an IT position, not doing the actual multi-level sales, but once I looked up the company, I declined to interview. I could not be a part of a company that’s pretty much an outright fraud like that. The recruiters were not happy.
We all know you hate us. We know that you don’t want to talk to us. Therefore, before I can sell a product, I have to sell myself - and the easiest way to do that is to get you to talk to me. When you talk to me, I become less of a salesperson and more of a person-person to you. That way, when you’re hit with “the catch” you hopefully still have enough invested in the exchange that you’re still willing to move forward.
This ridiculous dance is, of course, easily circumvented by selling a product that isn’t laden with “gotchas.” Unfortunately, nearly everything has a downside. Think of it like dating: you’re on a first date with someone and you’re trying to get them to like you. Do you immediately bring up all of your faults, or do you try to warm that person up to you in hopes that those faults will be diminished in comparison?
Yeah, but catches (i.e. price) are much preferred up front.
When I go to Best Buy to get a laptop the biggest thing in front of the display unit is the price tag. If I had to go in and have a salesperson convince me that this is the unit for me and I couldn’t leave the store without it and that I had to agree with him on those two facts before he even gave me a price I would be completely soured on the deal before it even happened.
I got the exact same pitch a few weeks ago. Told me there had been increased break-ins in our area (news to me) and that my neighbor had also just signed up, blah blah. He knew my neighbor’s name so they must look up people in the directory or something. But it’s been a few weeks and that neighbor does not have the sign in his yard, so he must have changed his mind
:dubious:
The scare tactics really turned me off the most. He went on and on about how the recession was causing increased crime and studies show it is going to just get worse, and oh the horror.
Well, let’s see, are you someone I met online who includes a completely phony picture with your correspondence in the hopes that I’ll be hooked on your fabulous personality before we actually meet?
(note before continuing: interesting mis-match between your screen name and your profession?)
I am of the opinion that even people who are cold-calling products (or harder, services) to people who never thought of buying them can (and should) be honest and not conceal salient facts. Leading up to the bad news is not a good strategy, in my opinion, either in life or in business.
Roddy
There is a very easy way around all this. Say no to every single thing no matter what. That means all salespeople every single time. In the unlikely event that it truly seems like a good offer, go home and research things and see if it really is a good deal (unlikely). That applies to everything from cars to Best Buy to home security systems. There is no downside to that and it is your own fault if you fall for it. I might let a vacuum salesperson clean my carpets for free but I know ahead of time that he is going to be kicked out right after that.
I have no idea whatsoever why everyone doesn’t do that.
You know, I understand the vitriol for salespeople in general, and insurance salespeople specifically (as that’s what I do), but I really don’t appreciate that remark, Roddy. I try very hard to do what’s right for my clients and when I can’t do what’s right, I’m proud to say that I routinely turn away potential clients instead of making a buck off of them. If your remark was just a joke that I took a little too seriously, then my apologies for the overreaction. Besides, the disconnect between my username and my religious leanings is far more amusing
Anyway, as I strive to not be one of “those salespeople,” hard-selling and deception aren’t things I condone, anyway. I’ve been trained by two different people, one of whom engaged in practices similar to the ones that are being decried in this thread. The second took me with him on a meeting, sat down with the client and said “We’re not going to find the perfect product here. We’re going to see that each one has good and bad parts, and hopefully we’re going to find one where the good parts are great and the bad parts are tolerable. If we can’t, then I’ll try to find another agent who can.” That guy became a really marvelous mentor to me. I wish more sales folks were like him.
Honestly, knowing you’re a salesman, I have a tendency to assume every thing you say to me is a lie. Got an “I’m just one of the guys, just like you” story? I assume you made it up because you thought it’s what would reel me in. When I talk to salesmen, I feel like the hot blonde at the frat party: everything that comes out of your mouth is an attempt to get into my pants.
Wow, are you a Rockefeller or a Vanderbilt or a Getty or something? No? Then relax, chief, they don’t really give that big a shit of getting you, personally, to buy their product.
Genuinely curious: does that sentiment extend beyond my profession? In other words, okay, you’ll take whatever I say about insurance and sales in general with a sack of salt; will you do the same if I’m telling you about my golf game?
And, to be honest, when I’m dealing with other salespeople I feel the same way. More, perhaps, than the average person because I can spot different techniques - “Oh, you’re trying to fit me into a One Card System.” “Nope, not going to fall for a High Probability Sales technique.” “I am not functionally retarded, and I don’t want your bullshit product anyway, so using a Take-Away Close is just a relief for me.”
If it makes you feel any better, or adds any credibility to my posts, I would never market to the Dope. Trying to convince one of you guys to buy private health insurance…no thanks, no death wish here.
My remark was not exactly a joke, just a potential observation - the potential being expressed by the question mark.
Your first post in this thread seemed a bit unrepentant regarding the sales practices being complained of. If, in fact, you are the soul of integrity in your business dealings and professional life, then I apologize for the implied slur.
I’m not entirely convinced, but as there is no way for me to find out for sure (I am not currently in the market for health insurance, I am glad to say) I extend the benefit of the doubt. I wish that all salespeople were such as you portray yourself to be.
Roddy
I sold timeshares for almost two years - we were taught many closes, and selling techniques.
Even till now I LIKE to be sold a product, and will deliberately give the salesperson leads on how to sell me.
I tell the sales pleb waht is important to me, wanting to hear back how his superwonderful product will fulfill my needs - very few sell to my hotbuttons though. Tell them I want new tyres rims for better looks or added safety, he talks about how the extra fuel consumption is only 5% :rolleyes:
