Thursday, September 24, 2009

Don't Lie

I've been receiving cold calls lately where the sales person says "I'm calling to respond to your request for more information about vending machines (or fill in the blank product/service)."

These sales reps are banking on the fact that the prospect is so busy and overwhelmed they can't remember what they inquired about.

I remember. I resent being lied to.

It's a really bad sales practice. Do you want to build your foundation and connection with your prospect based on manipulation?

Connecting and building trust are two key basics in the sales process.

Don't be tempted to skip over them. Connecting and building trust with your prospects will put you head and shoulders above your competition that is acting out of fear and desparation.

Do business the way you want to. Find out what makes you, you and connect with your prospects in a way that makes you feel good. Then you'll start really selling.

3 comments:

  1. I like your sentiments about "don't lie" but wonder what the typical salesperson thinks about that.

    For example, how would you explain the fortune amassed by people like Bernie Madoff? Sure he got caught, but for a long time he really pulled one of the world's biggest scams, and he was lying the whole time.

    I think many salespeople might think a short-term gain is fine, since they'll change companies and somebody else will have to pay for their dishonesty. Kind of like women who decide to be prostitutes when they're young so they can put away money for later, and think they won't get jaded because they'll only be in the business for a few years. Take the money and run.

    I totally agree with you that lying will create bad karma and it will not pay off in the long run, but salesmen I've worked with in the past generally think that karma is for chumps, and they've got the world outsmarted so they can get away with whatever they're doing. They think that fooling people is part of the fun of the job.

    Have you dealt with salespeople like that? How do you address those attitudes?

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  2. You are so right - connecting and building trust is the way to go. I get those annoying lie-calls at home all the time and don't buy into them. They are a waste of their time. Lying to me is insulting. If I had a SPAM button on my phone, I would hit it! I don't care how busy I am, I KNOW who has called me.

    One time I had a guy tell me that he wants to make sure he "dots his t's and crosses his i's". I said, "Don’t you mean "dot your i's and cross your t's?" He said he just wanted to check if I was listening. I said, "Hey, I'm a writer; it's my job to listen. You're wasting my time."

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  3. This is a great dialogue on telling lies in the sales process and integrity. I'll address these comments in future posts. Thanks for commenting!

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