No such thing as a freebie

The grass is greener

on the other side. Maybe so but it's usually pretty green right where you're standing. Perhaps the most difficult thing for a salesperson to do is point the finger of blame at themselves. Not to say the customer wasn't interested but rather "I failed to interest the customer." It's harder than you might think.

Salespeople tend to attribute their success and failure to external forces. It was a good day or it was a bad day. We pretend we don't know what we did on the good day to make it good or what we did on the bad day either. Actually, that isn't always true because sometimes we get bold and take credit for the good day but we still proclaim the bad day happened through no fault of our own - it's just the fickle hand of fate.

Well, if you read some of my other post then you know that I call 'em like I see 'em, The truth is you know exactly what you did on the good days to make them good and vise versa. Your product or service remains pretty much the same from day to day. Your clients remains the same as well. The only real variable is us. Sad but true; you can't blame them even though it is certainly easier than pointing the finger back at you.

The great news is that we only have ourselves to blame. We are the only variable. You see, the grass can be green where we're standing as long as we keep our heads screwed on right. If you want to be a sales professional then you have to be "pro" in all aspects of your game.

It's 3:00 o'clock in the morning and you wake up in tremendous pain. You rush to the E.R. to find out that you need an emergency appendectomy. The surgeon is called at home, he gets out of bed and trips and falls over a toy his kid left on the floor. He gets in the car and discovers the battery is dead. Not frazzled, he takes his wife's car only to find it's almost out of gas. While at the gas station filling up it begins to rain in buckets. A car drives through a pothole that just filled with water and completely drenches the surgeon.

When he finally makes it to the hospital and steps into the operating room, all the crap that just happened to him had better go completely out of his mind. He must be able to completely focus on the task at hand. Can you imagine the surgeon coming up after the operation and saying

"Hey listen, I'm really sorry your scar's all f**ked up.
You won't believe what I went through to get here!"

Nobody, especially your customer, cares about your personal bullshit and yet I've heard salespeople say almost nonchalantly "Yeah, my head just wasn't into it today." No one is perfect and we all have bad days and sometimes our head isn't into it.

Just remember that if you blow one - it isn't a freebie. There is no such thing as a freebie. If you blow one it isn't because you've had a bad day - it's the other way around. A lack of focus and the inability to control one's emotions results in a bad day.

Now check this out: If you can control your head and your emotions that little bit extra then amazingly what seemed like a bad day all of a sudden gets good. In fact, it will probably turn into a story for the other salespeople about how the S.O.B. didn't want to buy and how you turned him around. You star! And you are a star because it's true. You kept your head right and you made some green grass.

Sink the hook. Worry about the consequences later!

I sold transmissions many years ago.

I'm not a mechanic and

I didn't know anything about cars.

I sold them for three days and finally on the fourth day I asked my boss "What are these things all over the floor?" He told me they were transmissions. I was amazed. No shit, I had no idea!

You say that's impossible but here's how it worked. I saw a classified ad in the sales section but the ad didn't disclose the name of the company. It advertised a base plus commission which sounded good so I called. It turned out to be a well known national transmission repair franchise and I was assured they were looking for a salesman and not a mechanic. I went to the interview and wound up with the job. I wasn't refereed to as a salesman and I wore a white shirt like a manager so the customers assumed that I was a mechanic who made good.

When someone called with a possible transmission problem I would follow a script and either get them to drive in or I would send a tow truck. From there I would test drive the car and then sell the" pull". The "pull" was an internal inspection of the transmission for $85.00 and it was also scripted. In fact, the entire sales process was scripted and it worked well.

You see, what was drilled into my head was RETAIN AND SELL. Get the car in the shop and sell the "pull". Once the customer spent the initial $85.00, it was much easier to sell the rest of the job.
Let's throw a monkey wrench into the works. Let's say the shop was busy with at least a one day backlog (maybe 2 or 3) and the customer said he would agree to the inspection but ONLY UNDER THE CONDITION that we were able to complete the repair and return his car the same day because he absolutely needed his car back the same day. We would tell him "no problem" even if we knew there was no way in hell . We'd give him a ride home if necessary and call him later to sell the the entire job. The customer would authorize the repair and reiterate that he had to have the car back by the end of the day. We'd reiterate "no problem."

We'd suggest that he should call before coming to pick up his vehicle just in case something unforeseen came up but we certainly didn't anticipate that happening.

He'd call back at 5:00 o'clock just to make sure everything was OK and we'd fabricate some excuse as to why the car wouldn't be ready as anticipated and that we would finish the job the next day. If we couldn't get to it the next day then we would simply repeat the process.

Well that's not right....that's not fair....that's misleading!

To that the OldManSalesMaster says "GROW UP". First point - No Harm - No Foul. Yes, it could be argued it was unscrupulous to mislead the customer knowingly. However, the way I see it is if I would have answered honestly that there was no way we could have his car finished when he wanted , then there are two possible outcomes. One is that I could have still retained the job.

The other is more probable. The customer would have declined to get the repair done now because he previously stated that he "needed" his car back by the end of the day. He would have driven away, possibly returning for the repair at a future date but, more likely, not. The likelihood is he would have broken down somewhere else and a different repair shop would have gotten the work. Lastly, if he really would have freaked out about not getting his car back when promised, then we would have rented him a car at our expense until his car was ready.

Secondly, if you have a good script to use, use it. Don't feel the need to show the other salespeople or prove to yourself just how creative you are. Sales is not about ego stroking, it's about maximizing your earnings potential.

"Canned pitches are for lesser salesmen. Certainly they don't expect ME to use one."


Just read the f**kin' script.

Memorize it and use it word for word. Odds are that it works pretty well just the way it is or the powers that be wouldn't want you to use it. You should definitely add your own personality once you've mastered the script, just don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Think about it. There is no logical business reason you would be asked to use something that doesn't work well. The only possible exception is you work for moron. If this is the case you should leave their employment.

Third, product knowledge is overrated. Yes, it's nice to know something about what you're selling and you'll pick up the jargon soon enough. Obviously, the ability for salesprofessionals to speak knowledgeably about the features and benefits of the product or service they're selling is essential. Listen, if you really love what you're selling then, by all means, learn everything you can about it and the competition as well.

What I'm simply suggesting is you don't have to know absolutely everything in order to dive into the deep end. Screw it! Dive in! You'll learn! I think people spend too much time getting prepared in the beginning. Really, just dive in. The water's fine and if it's not and you lose a sale, chalk it up as a learning experience and dive in again. Don't use excessive preparation as an excuse to not dive in.

Lastly and most important, remember RETAIN AND SELL! This gem can be applied so many ways but it doesn't matter what you're selling, the point is SINK THE HOOK . Certainly it makes sense to qualify your prospect and you should try not to waste time with someone who can't afford or doesn't want or need your product or service. Just don't disqualify them prematurely, it's done all the time and it costs us sales. You can't reel him/her in unless you begin with the hook in the mouth.

Get him to bite. Go that far at least.

Don't worry that he may spit the hook, just get it in and start selling. Too many sales are lost because "we know within the first 30 seconds that this guy's not going to buy." We tell ourselves we might have a problem meeting a delivery date or maybe we won't have enough for a minimum order. You see, as a professional salesperson we still can't read minds and we aren't always able to anticipate every obstacle so always try to sink the hook! Don't anticipate objections. Do the work, sink the hook and then see where it leads.

Don't worry about filling the order initially. Just get it and then worry
about trying to fill it. You can always come up with a legitimate sounding excuse. I think you'll be amazed at how creative you can be.

Well by now you're probably saying "That's it. I've had enough of this OldManSalesMaster. First he tells me customers are like cattle and now he's telling me to lie to them. I JUST CAN'T DO IT."

The truth is I'm not saying to lie to them, I'm just telling you to look at the big picture. Somebody was going to put a transmission in that car and we sold a good one so why shouldn't I be the one to sell it. If you noticed I've never suggested doing the wrong thing by the customer. I am saying the customer can bend to our will sometimes too, it doesn't always have to be the other way around.

The customer is not always right but they are always the customer and should be treated fairly. We're salesprofessionals, not waiters. Remember for a sale to work well it has to be a win/win situation. The customer needs to win but don't forget that's it's equally important we win too!

Post a comment. Tell me what you think!

Your customer is really a cow!

I don’t care about the customer and neither should you.

Now hear me out. I don’t mean “stick it" to the customer because that’s bad for repeat sales. That would affect your income and understand this - generating MAXIMUM INCOME should be the primary reason why you’re in sales. When I say I don’t care about the customer what I really mean is that I only care about him as a
source of income.

I don’t care about their personal lives. I don't care about their marital problems or their golf game. I definitely don't care about their usually pathetic reasons why they can't buy. Friends care, friends understand.

I am not their friend.

You should not be

their friend.

I understand relationship selling and I believe in it. A good rapport with a client leads to larger and more frequent sales. It also makes the sales professionals job much more enjoyable but I ONLY CARE to the extent that it affects my income. GET IT! The reason to listen to him is because if you’re a good listener then you’ll hear when he makes a mistake. He may do this by admitting that your product or service would benefit him or he might disclose a need for a different product or service that you sell. Setting him up to make a tactical mistake or a mistake in logic and then using it to our advantage is essential in successful selling. It's all a game and the reason to play is to win money.

Deep down every buyer knows how the game is played and if they didn't want to play then they wouldn't allow themselves to listen to your pitch. Most objections you incur when trying to get into the pitch are simply initial resistance - get by this and many times you'll find the reason for that initial resistance is obvious.

It's about the MONEY.

They are weak and don't want to listen because they fear that they might find several benefits to what you are selling and then they will have to work harder to find more excuses why they're not buying. That's a lot of effort; it's easier to get rid of you before you get started.

Just remember when they agree to listen to your pitch or whether they just don't stop you from pitching them, they are giving their consent, passively or actively. It doesn't really matter, even with passive consent you have earned the right to either sell them or get a logical explanation as to why they aren't buying. So how do you apply this gem that I just laid on you?

Do everything in your power to make the pitch. Don't think of excuses why it's a waste of time or effort. It doesn't matter if you have to push your way in the door, just get in the door. Don't worry about being too aggressive or pushy and somehow forcing the prospect to buy something they truly don't want. What a moral dilemma that would be. You probably couldn't live with yourself if that were to happen. Luckily, that's probably not going to happen. When people determine they don't want something they almost always find a way to refuse your offer and no amount of magic sales dust is going to change that outcome.

Let me emphasis. Don't talk about getting into the demo, presentation, pitch - do it! After all, if the customer allows you to get into the pitch then you have a reasonable shot at making the sale. Don't second guess yourself, just charge! Even if you need to be more assertive than usual, if you manage to get the pitch off it's only because the prospect allowed you to, isn't it?

One other thing on the subject. One excuse commonly used when prospecting for new customers or selling repeat buyers, an excuse that really makes me want to puke is the classic "I don't want to be too pushy or he'll never buy from us or buy from us again." Let me clue you in. There is no such thing as repeat business until you get the initial order. Also, the surest way to have an active customer go dormant is to be too "nice" or too understanding of all of their excuses.

Wake up. They're not your friends or your buddies.

They're not shit until they buy and then you have to

keep them buying.

Whether it's a new prospect or a long time buyer the idea is to make the sale now. If you believe in your product or service, then you should pitch it with conviction, and in most cases that requires you to be assertive. Trust yourself to know when to back pedal or when to release some of the pressure - you are a professional, right? All I'm saying is the limit before risking the loss of a sale is much greater than most salespeople think. The only way to establish that limit is to be aggressive and push. The end game is to get an immediate return on your investment of time and effort.

Having a great relationship or even personally liking your customer and being aggressive in business aren't mutually exclusive. Just remember the purpose of the relationship is to produce income. A cattleman's purpose for raising cattle is to produce income. He might have a favorite or two but he's not supposed to be friends with them and understand when they don't feel like giving milk or getting slaughtered. You shouldn't have to explain to your family why they have to go without so your customer can buy from someone else. Someone who's a little less understanding and a little more aggressive.