What Do Prospects Really Think?
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‘Tis the season for holiday
shopping. Many major U.S. retailers generate 40-60% of their annual revenues
during the last two months of the year. Wow, talk about finishing the year
strong! |
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Of course, those retailers don’t actually make the
items they sell. They purchase merchandise from manufacturers and other vendors.
I recently connected with Steve Guild, Senior Buyer for Best Buy in Minneapolis,
MN. Each year, Steve is responsible for buying $400 million of mobile audio
products for the retail superstore chain. You can bet that Steve has seen it all
when it comes to sales presentations. Here’s what Steve had to say about
salespeople, salespeople’s actions, and George Foreman Grills. |
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How many sales pitches per month do you hear? |
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If you include phone calls, it is close to 250 per
month. Of those, 40-50 are face-to-face meetings where I am pitched on products
or programs. |
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In your opinion, what separates the exceptional
salespeople from the average ones? |
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The best salespeople have done their homework. It
sounds easy, but I talk to people every week who haven’t done their homework
prior to making sales calls. Salespeople all have an intimate knowledge of their
own product. If they are very good, they also understand what role, what need,
their product can fulfill for me in my business. |
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Do you think it's possible for a salesperson to
be too slick? |
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Absolutely. I don’t care for “slick” salespeople. I
don’t trust them, and they come off as superficial and shallow. In my
experience, “slick” salespeople like to do a lot of the talking and not nearly
enough of the listening. |
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When you meet salespeople for the first time,
how do you determine their level of trustworthiness? |
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Great question. Initially, I try to get a read on
their body language, their style, how they communicate, what they communicate,
and how well they listen. It surprises me how few salespeople make and hold eye
contact. That’s not major, but something I see frequently. |
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One example of something salespeople do all the
time that seriously jeopardizes their credibility and trustworthiness is the
following: Since I work for a major retailer, salespeople frequently include
detailed information about how well their product sells at my competitors.
“Customer W sells 1,000 a month; customer T sells 800 a month,” etc. I think
they feel this will help build my confidence in their product, when, in
actuality, it decimates their own credibility. If you are selling out your best
current customers, of course I can expect you to do the same to me if I become a
customer. If I ever got word that you were sharing my sales numbers with the
competition, you, and possibly your entire company, would be shown the door. |
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One other way I determine a salesperson’s
trustworthiness is through my network. I have been a buyer in a number of
industries in the last ten years for both Best Buy and Target. Every industry I
have worked in is small. You can ask a few questions from peers inside your
organization and from the salesperson's peers in the industry and learn pretty
quickly what you need to know. |
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What are your favorite ways to dodge overly
persistent salespeople? |
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A large percentage of the “initial” contacts I get
is via the phone or via email. The obvious answer is to say that I don’t
call/email them back. I try to be very precise about why I turn down proposals,
and I don’t expect to hear back unless they have overcome those objections. If
someone continues to pester me despite my objections, I will remind them that
their persistence is jeopardizing their credibility, and I will not call them
again until they have overcome the issues I have already communicated. |
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What would a salesperson whom you've never met
have to say in a voice mail message to inspire you to pick up the phone and call
him back? |
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This is another good question, and this is
something I deal with every day. Be professional. Think through what you are
going to say. Be concise—don't ramble and tell me all the benefits on the phone.
Do your homework. Tell me that you have looked at my current business and
explain to me how you think this could make my business better. And, lastly, if
at all possible, eliminate the clichés. I get 15 calls a week saying, “I
guarantee you that our product is the (best, cheapest, coolest, fastest, top
brand, etc).” |
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What behaviors should salespeople stop doing?
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I mentioned one earlier: sharing sensitive data to
try to build credibility. Another one I hate is what I call “ducking.” I have
salespeople that call me all the time when business is good. But they “duck” and
avoid me when they have to deliver bad news. The product is late, they can’t
ship it on deadline, my “exclusive” item is going to show up at a competitor,
etc… This stuff happens all the time. You learn the true values of a company and
their salesperson in how they react when they have to deliver bad news. Don’t
duck. Be forthright, be honest, outline the problem, and come prepared with a
viable resolution. |
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Complete this sentence: "I love it when a
salesperson..." |
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...follows through on the things they say they are
going to do. |
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Can you get me a discount on a George Foreman
Grill? |
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For you, Al, I can get one for the low, low price
of $24.99. Plus tax and shipping. |
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Hey, that’s the same price Best Buy charges every
day in your stores! I guess I’ll have to mooch a George Foreman Grill off
somebody else. But thanks a lot, Steve, for the insightful interview. |
