|
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
"Honesty and selling. They just don't mix."
Yes, I actually had a manager tell me this one time when I was insisting we tell a customer the truth. Another Director of Sales I knew claimed that "sales is truth presented in its best light." However, when I make a significant purchase ($1,000+) I tend to pay close attention to what a salesperson is saying to me. If I catch them in a lie, I tend to walk from the purchase, because I feel I cannot trust the seller and therefore have no basis of relationship to justify giving them my money.
My computer crashed two weeks ago and left me with a considerable need to buy a new laptop PC. I decided to read the current publications comparing computers, jump on the internet at the library to see what Dell offered, and then visit several computer stores to decide what would be the best computer for me to buy.
Before I bought my computer, I can say that Dell's website didn't lie to me, but it wasn't very personable, either. Dell seemed a little pricey. And their site didn't answer my questions covering all of the unique ways I might use a computer. Neither did it redirect my clicking when I spent too much time an inadequate computer description (or one too-powerful). So, I decided a salesperson may still be valuable in the purchase of a computer.
Next, I compared computers at three separate electronics stores. The first store utilized a commission-based salesperson who smelled like mints (covering up cigarette smoke fresh off his break) and hovered around me asking stupid questions unrelated to my purchase decision. I walked out.
The second electronics store offered a more helpful experience. Their floors were cleaner and the salesperson was truly helpful (not paid on commission, I might add), but they didn't have the selection I was seeking and said it would take two weeks to get me the computer I wanted. That was a supply and demand problem that caused me to go to the third store.
At the third store I was asked about assistance by no less than five people within a minute of entering the computer area. I felt like I was surrounded by vultures. The person who looked the most computer-knowledgeable asked me some good questions, but immediately offered me a product, rather than asking deeper questions.
I told him my previous PC, an NEC, had crashed, and asked if he had an NEC. The salesperson said, "NEC doesn't make a notebook PC anymore" in response to my question. I pointed out to him that just because his store didn't sell a computer doesn't mean it isn't offered elsewhere. A magazine in his store had an article covering newer laptops and showcased IBM, Compaq, DELL, and NEC (imagine that!) and the salesperson sure got a funny look when I pointed it out to him. I consider false information very close to lying, although his oversight may have been caused by lack of competition product knowledge (a deadly sin for salespeople).
The voice of professional sales training rang out in my head..."know thy product... know thy customer... know thy customer's needs... know thy competitor... know thy competitor's ..." before he stopped and offered to show me another computer. I asked questions and checked out the specifications on the computer until we reached the negotiation point to buy or walk. At this point I realized he had lied to me about the computer he was selling me. (He said they had an excellent service record and people bought ten Sony's versus one of every other - not that big of a lie, except that this was a completely new line of computer that just shipped to their store THAT WEEK.) Guess what? That's right, I walked. And he went home playing with his pocket change.
I went to the next store and bought from the first guy who had the same product, without asking any questions beyond confirming it was the box I wanted. This guy reaped the benefit of the other buying blowing the sale. If the salesperson in the former store had been honest I would have bought from him.
I will tell any manager who suggests I must lie to make a sale to "kiss off." I just won't lie for the sake of making a sale. And, in my business, I do not tell lies to people who are interested in my consulting, coaching, speaking, or products on the website.
It amazes me to see the numerous salespeople in retail, selling cars, computers, and even higher ticket services, telling lies to their customers. The number one computer service company in the world frequently, in their past, told customers partial truths and mistruths (lies) to create FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) that if they switched alliances to my company, they would lose special services or software licenses on their computer hardware. I am also personally aware of a CIO (Chief Information Officer) at a large credit card company who promised business to a computer service company, only to cancel his word and change his mind when the competitor called a meeting with the board of his company and threatened other software service licenses. The CIO looked rather sheepish when he called to say the competitor won the deal.
So, if we think lying happens only at retail levels and not in all aspects of business, we can think again. Lying happens at all levels, in all organizations. Even the President of the United States lies (see President Clinton's Monica Lewinsky case "it depends upon what your definition of IS is," for an obvious example).
In some cases, the prospect will let a salesperson off the hook for telling a lie because they like a product, or the represented company, better. But in most cases, a prospect will find a reason to buy elsewhere when they discover you are not worth your word. Can we make our word so unbreakable we'd quit our job before lying to our customer? After all, isn't it a business relationship we are forming?
I find I can sleep with myself easier when I tell the truth. I made it practice to tell the truth when selling services, and I lost many sales because of it. However, I also made other sales, which compensated for the sales I lost. I overachieved quota during chapter eleven, and overachieved my quota six out of the past seven years.
I know we can be professional, ethical, honest salespeople, and have tremendous success. Because I've done it. The honest approach is more rare, but I've seen other people succeed with it, too.
My father wouldn't think of lying to a customer about a remodeling job. He'd tell them not to do certain construction projects or perhaps he'd recommend a less expensive and less time-consuming way to do a job. Those recommendations cost him money. They also made him an honest businessman.
Honesty and selling, after all, DO mix. Good selling!
|
|
