Selling is Not Politics: Going Negative in Sales May Destroy Results and Reputation
Selling is Not Politics: Going Negative in Sales May Destroy Results and Reputation
Commercial ads, like Apple’s Mac versus Windows users are a humorous way to point out competitive differences. As dirty as it is, going negative seems to work in politics. But how does it work in selling? How can salespeople still manage control when competition shows up?
Washington is Like the 80AD Roman Coliseum
During the gladiator days in the Roman Coliseum a thumbs up meant kill and thumbs down mean spare him. People cheered and ranted for the kill. There was nothing personal at stake to each individual. The event was their boxing of that time. Negative in politics possibly works because of the crowd herd behavior, but it does not necessarily win over all people. It may even discourage some voters not to show up. But the herd phenomena in politics does seem to encourage the fight.
Don’t Make Selling Like a Custody Battle
How do children react to one-parent bad mouthing the other in a custody battle? Usually not well. In sales, beating up the competition is similar. Consider potential customers as children. It can slows things down and put doubts in the customer’s mind. The competition of indecision is the biggest competitor in many cases. Would you talk to your customer badly about their decision making style? Then why sell against the competition in a negative light?
How do you sell against competition then?
Be grateful for competitors
Competition is good. It’s what creates better value and allows us to learn from competition. The humor in the Apple versus Windows ads may be helping to make Microsoft a better company. The competitions weaknesses can be your strengths that you can talk about.
Don’t be reluctant to talk about competition
Acknowledge to yourself that you have competition. Know their strengths and weaknesses. If you do mention them, do it early on and in a positive or humorous light. Keep things short and light and you may show your own confidence. Then get right back on track to talk about your company, your products, your services. That is what you are talking with the customer about buying! Better yet, ask a question that puts the focus back on the customer.
Don’t be reluctant to admit a weakness
Early in my selling career I remember not making the due date for the release of a software package. We turned this weakness into strength. First, we let every prospect know we would be late. What a great reason to follow up! Then we offered them an olive branch. If your company or product has a weakness just take it head on. If your competition has a weakness, then head off in the direction of focusing on your strength.
Rather than consider talking badly about your competition, or even referring to them other than an acknowledgement of something good, give a Roman Coliseum thumbs down to such talk. Spare the negative talk. Focus on you, your company, your strengths and most importantly your customer. Your customer will vote for you with their checkbook.
Selling is Not Politics Going Negative in Sales May Destroy Results and Reputation - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Political mud-slinging attack campaigns are an approach that isn’t often found in selling. Some salespeople get fearful and defensive as soon as competition is mentioned. Others, those who usually win against the competition, know a productive approach.
Commercial ads, like Apple’s Mac versus Windows users are a humorous way to point out competitive differences. As dirty as it is, going negative seems to work in politics. But how does it work in selling? How can salespeople still manage control when competition shows up?
Washington is Like the 80AD Roman Coliseum
During the gladiator days in the Roman Coliseum a thumbs up meant kill and thumbs down mean spare him. People cheered and ranted for the kill. There was nothing personal at stake to each individual. The event was their boxing of that time. Negative in politics possibly works because of the crowd herd behavior, but it does not necessarily win over all people. It may even discourage some voters not to show up. But the herd phenomena in politics does seem to encourage the fight.
Don’t Make Selling Like a Custody Battle
How do children react to one-parent bad mouthing the other in a custody battle? Usually not well. In sales, beating up the competition is similar. Consider potential customers as children. It can slows things down and put doubts in the customer’s mind. The competition of indecision is the biggest competitor in many cases. Would you talk to your customer badly about their decision making style? Then why sell against the competition in a negative light?
How do you sell against competition then?
Be grateful for competitors
Competition is good. It’s what creates better value and allows us to learn from competition. The humor in the Apple versus Windows ads may be helping to make Microsoft a better company. The competitions weaknesses can be your strengths that you can talk about.
Don’t be reluctant to talk about competition
Acknowledge to yourself that you have competition. Know their strengths and weaknesses. If you do mention them, do it early on and in a positive or humorous light. Keep things short and light and you may show your own confidence. Then get right back on track to talk about your company, your products, your services. That is what you are talking with the customer about buying! Better yet, ask a question that puts the focus back on the customer.
Don’t be reluctant to admit a weakness
Early in my selling career I remember not making the due date for the release of a software package. We turned this weakness into strength. First, we let every prospect know we would be late. What a great reason to follow up! Then we offered them an olive branch. If your company or product has a weakness just take it head on. If your competition has a weakness, then head off in the direction of focusing on your strength.
Rather than consider talking badly about your competition, or even referring to them other than an acknowledgement of something good, give a Roman Coliseum thumbs down to such talk. Spare the negative talk. Focus on you, your company, your strengths and most importantly your customer. Your customer will vote for you with their checkbook.
Selling is Not Politics Going Negative in Sales May Destroy Results and Reputation - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Patricia's articles
 |
|
America's #1 Sales Coach for Introverts, Shy and Reluctant - Being in sales for 30 years, and having success after success as an introvert may not be the norm. I'm here to encourage other introverts to succeed in sales!
|
|
 |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Loyalty Strategies Program Health Check Emotional Intelligence Auditory, visual preference? Future Networking |
|
 | ||
 |
Top Social Business Blogs
Top Social Entrepreneur Blogs | |
 |
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
