Salespeople are often seen as silver tongued sneaks. But where does that bad reputation come from?
Few things are as annoying as a salesperson trying to sell you something you don't want.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a salesperson for almost my entire career. I love sales and I can greatly appreciate it when a salesman is good at their job.
That being said, I can DEFINITELY understand where that ‘sleazy annoying’ reputation comes from…
Many salespeople have no idea how to sell properly. Or they do, but they are desperate to sell more due to ridiculous targets within a large company.
It doesn’t have to be like that at all. You can actually sell without being annoying and sleazy, without resorting to high pressure guilt-tripping.
That’s what this article is about.
How to Sell Without Being Annoying
When you watch movies like “Wolf of Wall Street” & “Boiler Room” you get a good idea of how to sell like a manipulative sociopath.
Take the following conversation from Boiler Room between a customer (C) and a salesperson (S):
C: I have to talk to my wife first.
S: Ok, what kind of a job do you have?
C: I’m a purchasing manager.
S: So you make decisions at your job, right?
C: Yes, I do.
S: So do you call your wife before you make every decision?
C: Well, uhhhm, that’s a bit different.
S: How is that different? Besides, it’s YOUR money. You earned it. And you’re just investing, right?
Making comparisons that are as solid as a wet cardboard box to lure people into a “yes funnel” so they agree with you, etc, etc.
It’s a classic example… I don’t like it at all.
When you think about it, it doesn’t even make sense.
If you sell a good product that the customer benefits a lot from… Why would you have to deal with 110 objections?
And That’s the real secret.
Most people waste their time selling to the wrong people.
The Sales Cliché That Changed My Life
My mentor told me a one-liner that I will never forget.
“People love to buy, they hate to be sold”
He told me this after looking at my sales presentation. It was his way of saying that the presentation was.. not great.
(He used other words, I’ll let you use your imagination to fill those in.)
I followed his advice and instead of pitching straight away, I started asking questions first. I started qualifying prospects to find out if they were a good fit.
If it seemed like the prospect wasn't a good fit, I did something revolutionary.
I thanked them for their time and then left them alone.
This did three things:
1. It saved me hours and hours of time.
2. It saved me an untold amount of frustration, stress, and tension.
3. It gave me much more time for customers who are suitable.
Selling is much easier with this angle.
Ask questions to find out what the problem is.
Tell them what your solution can do for them.
Ask if they want that.
Try it out. I think it will make your life a lot easier. It’s definitely better than using high pressure, manipulating people, twisting their arm and getting stuck in endless discussions.
Talk soon,
Tim