The JF Guest Author Spot
Kim Duke
One thing I cannot stand is CHEESY SALESPEOPLE.
Really - they give all of us a bad name!
I had the misfortune of running into not ONE but TWO cheesy salespeople this past week-end. I'm still on the car hunt, taking my time and looking for absolutely the next purrrrrrfect vehicle for me.
Two sales people (who were obviously tag-teaming the deal) were a younger guy and an older woman. The woman proceeded to tell me within 7 minutes that she had:
* Only started working 7 days ago
* NO product knowledge "All cars look the same to me."
* Gained 30 pounds because she had quit smoking
* NO idea of the benefits and disadvantages of premium fuel.
And oh - you'll LOVE THIS, after she took a copy of my driver's license she told me loudly... "Wow - you look hot - I wouldn't have guessed your age." (OKKKKK - thanks for that!)
On to the next dud.
After laughing inside because this salesman focused his energy on my boyfriend - I told him "You're looking and speaking to the wrong person." He gulped and said:
"Oh - but I saw him drive up in the sports car."
Duh - first mistake - don't make assumptions - I didn't feel like driving!
I told him I was looking for a vehicle that was "unusual" and he said "Oh - why would you want that? Unusual means awkward to me."
And with a wave of my hand...off we went because I CANNOT spend my money on people or companies who don't deserve it. I don't care how nice the product is.
Good bye sales.....all those cheesy comments were the "kiss of death" for making a sale with me!
Which Leads Me To This Question:
Where are YOU making assumptions about your customers?
The 2 turkeys that were trying to sell me were making judgments on my age, looks, who was with me, who was driving my car, as well as the words I used. Except that they were WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING.
And you know this rule - because I'm sure you heard this from your mother:
"You can't judge a book by its cover."
Are You Making Assumptions Based On:
* What you THINK you know about your potential customer?
* Your lack of questions to your prospect?
* The research you haven't done?
* Where your customer lives?
* How much money you THINK they have/don't have?
*And the list goes on and on?
Listen. People buy from who they like, trust and respect.
Making assumptions doesn't provide you with opportunities to be liked, trusted OR respected. It just makes you annoying.
My Diva Dare To You?
List 3 projects/clients where you may be taking your assumptions for granted and treating it like REALITY. (Even though they aren't fact)
Do some digging. And most certainly - I dare you not to be like the 2 cheese balls I encountered. I would bet you'll discover that you have been WRONG about something BIG and there is a wonderful opportunity RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE.
The good side of my story? The cheeseballs made great fodder for this article. (And I'll never buy from that dealership again.)
So there.
Love From Your Bossy Sales Diva,
Kim
Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report "The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make" at www.salesdivas.com
Kim is also one of the original members of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read more about her here
Today's News: You know, I have always believed that cold calling is one of the most difficult and unrewarding sales tasks frontline sales professionals have to master. Amazingly, some people actually enjoy it! I guess that is because they are good at it.
My good chum from NY, NY, is probably the best in the world and the "Queen Of Cold Calling" Wendy Weiss, has just launched a brand new service - and about time too M'am, if I may be so bold: Here's her message....
Hello Sir Jonathan,
I am excited to announce "The Queen's Court" a full service executive appointment setting service staffed with professional appointment setters trained by me personally in my renowned Cold Calling College.
In this economy, business are looking for more ways to produce income. Many times the highest producers in companies are unable to manage the time to both set appointments and keep them. The Queen's Court allows these companies to have their appointments set for them, freeing up their valuable time to actually follow up with their leads - making them more cash.
We've already launched this program and you can find full details here: The Queen's Court
Best Wishes
Queen Wendy
Tomorrow: "The Most Powerful Form Of Sales".....
"Good old Jeffrey Gitomer (a fellow member of the folically challenged club) said, "If you become a testimonial-based seller (which I believe to be the most powerful form of sales in the world), then you can get testimonials for every element, or every step of your sales cycle." and he is right on the money."
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