Iiiicckkk!!!

I recently sat through a sales presentation and felt like I was “slimed.” The presenter was a national sales trainer representing one of the largest international sales speakers in the world. As a sales trainer and coach myself, I wanted to compare notes and see if there was anything valuable I could pick up for my clients. Instead of walking away with new insights, I just wanted to go home and take a shower.

The focus of the presentation was to give me and several others a glimpse of what we would get if we signed up for the all-day Tom Hopkins seminar coming to town. Now Tom Hopkins has written eight books and has presented to millions of people all over the world, so I was excited about the opportunity and figured I could always learn something new. I was wrong, unless you count learning how not to do something.

I found so much of the presentation distasteful that it’s hard to pinpoint just a few things that made me grimace. First and foremost, I felt like I was being “sold to” from the very second I was introduced to the sales presenter. Not only was he trying much too hard to force a connection, he just gave me the first impression of someone that I didn’t want to spend time with.

His grammar and speech pattern demonstrated a lack of education or a disregard for the English language. Either way, I was embarrassed for him. From a pure image standpoint, his tie seemed dated, his belt was too casual for his suit and his fingernails needed to be clipped. Call me picky, but it’s the little things that add up.

For the first 10 minutes of his 45 minute presentation, he explained his name and its Hebrew origin. That was all to make the point that someone’s name is very important to them. What he failed to realize was that his name was not important to us. When you’re selling, it’s the prospect’s name that you want to focus on, not your own.

He did several trial closes that were predictable and annoying throughout his presentation. And he told us how in the all-day seminar with Tom we would learn 16 techniques to close the sale. He even had us fill out part of the registration form for the seminar line-by-line as way to close us. For any of you new in sales, that is one of the oldest tricks in the book. And that book has since been rewritten for good reason.

The way I see it, closing should be a natural part of the sales process that is actually encouraged by the buyer. Manipulative techniques to close the sale do not build trusting relationships.

I was really shocked by the whole process. Let’s face it; I thought such high pressure selling techniques had been put to bed with the dinosaurs. And here was a representative for Tom Hopkins, a legendary sales guru, using every trick in the book to try to force me and the others to buy today. Of course, if you acted right then and there, you got a special $100 discount. Give me a break!

He even asked for four referrals from each participant. Now that may be understandable if he had demonstrated value and earned the right to ask, but from my vantage point, that had clearly not been done.

I don’t know about you, but I want to build long-term relationships with my clients. That means that I’m not going to exert pressure in the sales process. Sure, I’m going to test for fit and get a better understanding of needs, but I’m going to keep the high pressure skills locked away where they belong.

My goal in a sales call or presentation is to get to the truth. Is there a mutual fit and interest to proceed or isn’t there? If there isn’t, it’s ok. We just move on. So many salespeople try to “force” a fit when one clearly doesn’t exist. They live by the philosophy that the “end justify the means.” Forcing a fit and doing whatever it takes to make a sale is hardly the recipe for a mutually beneficial long-term relationship.

As far as I’m concerned, sales tactics like the ones I got “slimed” with give other salespeople a bad name. If you agree, here are some quick tips to stand out as a salesperson with integrity.

Forget the high pressure techniques (as well as the low pressure ones). Don’t exert any pressure on your prospect to “close” the deal. Remember, no one likes to be sold, so don’t act like a typical salesperson.

Don’t assume. It’s easy to get excited about your product or service and assume that everyone needs what you have to offer. You think that if only you could educate others, they would see the light and want to buy. The reality is that you don’t know all the details of what your prospects have done or not done in the past. Your solution may or may not be the best fit for them. Be open to all the possibilities.

Make sure there is a good fit. The right fit should exist at three levels; personal, company and needs. The fit should be natural and comfortable for both parties. In the case of the sales presenter and myself, there was not a good fit. I didn’t like his approach because he used high pressure sales techniques that I would never use. His glad-handed approach rang with insincerity to me as well.

There just wasn’t a good fit personally and there wasn’t a good fit for our companies. I’m looking to establish long-term relationships with other companies that share similar values; he was up from Florida to make a quick buck and then move on to the next city. It’s not surprising that he doesn’t stay in one place too long before he wears out his welcome.



Iiiicckkk!!! - To learn more about this author, visit Will Turner's Website.

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