Don't Hate The Salesman, Hate The Games He Plays

Rarely do I answer the door for anybody who isn't invited.  As a matter of fact I ask people if they have been indeed invited.  There's nothing more annoying by the ring of a doorbell while I am watching Netflix or YouTube after a long run on the road, unless, of course, I ordered food.

I get that people need to make a living.  I get that they have a quota or goal set either by themselves or the organization they represent.  But do they have to interrupt dinner with a tired script and a fake act to get me to sign over the equity in my home so someone can install new vinyl siding on my brick home?

Recently I had an instance online where someone sent me a friend request pitching his "binary options" business opportunity and the conversation went something like this:

I politely told him off and recommended a training course that could help him.

Most people don't like to be sold but they like to buy.  Go to Walmart in North Richland Hills, TX any given day of the week and see the large number of customers and the lack of people actively trying to persuade people to buy something specific, yet you see how much the average person has in their cart.

The bulk of negativity in sales comes from three main sources:

1. People who tried to sell something and failed. (It doesn't matter the reason.)
2. Someone who has been in sales and convinced someone to buy something and felt like they pushed too hard. (Hard sales tactics are still being pushed in certain industries.)
3. Someone who has been on the receiving end of a hard push to buy. (It's that feeling of being backed into a corner.)

The reasons that sales is a failure are lack of effective communication and a lack of being interested in a prospect.  Most people are very intuitive (if you believe in that, I sure do) about salespeople wanting to make a sale.  I often comment that I can smell a salesperson from a distance.  I can definitely confuse one by asking the right rebuttal questions.  It's a personal hobby and an interesting lesson in psychology (if you want to look at it that way.)

Be prepared to meet the needs of your customer.  A husband and wife coming in to a car dealership with three kids in tow would have definite need for a minivan over a sports sedan.  A contractor coming to Home Depot will need appropriate supplies and tools. Would you sell a wire stripper to a drywall contractor?  A single person with a need for life insurance wouldn't need coverage that the primary bread winner in a family of six would need.  Who would get the better benefit of a million dollar policy?

My point here is that you have to effectively communicate with a customer to evaluate the need and care about that need so you can meet it as if you were in the prospect's shoes.  If you're not on the level of their needs, you'll never make the sale.  This way you can make their lives better and not burden anyone.