Last week I contacted two different marketing companies about two different things and they approached the opportunity to do business with me in exactly the same way. I call it snob marketing. Snob marketing is when the sales person/consultant says something like, “We are very particular about the kind of people we do business with. You may not be for us.” Now, I know that that statement is designed to stir up an eager want in me. I am supposed to want to be considered worthy enough to have them take my money. Needless to say, it backfired and they really only managed to make my skin crawl.
Personally, I am only interested in whether or not a vendor is right for me. I think most customers and prospects feel the same way. I am not interested in trying to prove that I have what it takes to be someone’s customer. I’m not standing in line at Studio 54 and we are no longer living in the 70’s.
Why do sales and marketing people think they have to resort to tricks all the time? It seems pretty obvious to me that if you do anything to insult the intelligence of your prospect, you lose the opportunity to do business with them. It’s like the car salesman who makes the phoney telephone call to his boss to see if he can get approval for the price you are trying to negotiate. Then there’s the guy who tries to tell you his deal won’t be around for you later. I contend that if he wants the money (and he does), he’ll make the deal available!
Prospects and customers appreciate sincerity. The moment you resort to trying to pull the wool over your prospect’s eyes is the very moment you shut him/her down. If you genuinely believe you have a product or service that will help your prospect in some way, then say so. There is nothing wrong with saying, “I think we may be able to work together. Let’s meet and see if there is indeed a fit.” That opens doors. Telling your prospect that he/she may not be the kind of person you like to do business with is akin to erecting a 90 foot iron gate and slapping on a 120 pound pad lock!
Here’s the thing about marketing: any strategy you employ that works will only work for a little while. As soon as everyone starts to do it, it becomes completely ineffective! It used to be you could mail out a special offer and people would come running. Once everyone does that, it’s no longer special, is it? You always have to keep things creative and fresh. Here’s another example: free webinars are not as effective as they used to be. Why? Because everyone knows they are going to be sold something. Who wants to walk into that?
Honour your customers and prospects. You usually need them way more than they need you. Cut the crap and be honest with people because let’s face it: if a prospect waved a few grand under your nose, you’d probably hump his leg!
Renee, I think this is written extremely well and covers the subject of “tricks” selling in excellent fashion – it’s so old school!
I’ve been a sales and marketing professional all my life and, if I’ve learned one thing, it’s be sincere and think in terms of what the prospect needs and whether or not what you have to offer fills that need and at a price point in which the prospect will see the value; and can you articulate that in terms that will win you trust and liking with the prospect.
The “alternative close”, the “Ben Franklin close”, the approach you related in your opening remarks in which the seller stated that they don’t just do business with anyone – these are all so 70′s and serve as turn offs to any prospect with half a brain.
Worst of all, these approaches are still promoted by many of the so called “sales gurus” out there.
When you think about it, you’re not the only person calling a prospect, and when you come across with the same bullshit s/he’s heard a dozen times today already, how do you think that differentiates you from the rest of the pack? I’d love to get one phone call from someone who doesn’t ask me how I am doing today!
Keep up the good work, Renee.
Thanks, George. You inspire me!
I absolutely agree with your assessment of the obnoxious snobbery of thinking anyone will be impressed (or care) that you are picky about who is let in to the inner circle to do business with you! I think we all know that clients only care about how you can help them. They really could care less about your business or how picky you are, and it’s insulting for a business to imply that someone is not good enough to be associated with. Good Grief!
Char
Great post and well said!
My position at at my company has me reaching out to tech marketers that would be interested in advertising to a targeted audience of engaged IT professionals and decision makers.
Every once in a while, the particular prospect ends up NOT being a fit for our audience or our community. We typically have a pretty good idea up front if the marketing campaign (for instance lead generation) would work well and be successful.
Recently I’ve had to tell a pretty prominent agency representing a household name-type of client – “I’m sorry, but I just don’t think this campaign will work out well for either of us in our community”. I’m hoping I didn’t come off with an aire of “snobbery”, but I would prefer not to tax our internal back-office resources running a pretty difficult campaign filled with extensive client requirements that would be doomed from the outset. The campaign would not deliver leads in a timely fashion, the demos aren’t right, and the assets are extremely thin at best.
The agency kept insisting the campaign would work and that it’s been successful on other similar website properties (not very similar in reality).
Walking away from $$ is difficult though, but in the long run hopefully the agency will respect the fact that we were honest and up-front.
I am a strong advocate of only doing for clients what you think you can do well. I’m proud of you.
This is an excellent article and I wholeheartedly agree with the benefits of an open approach to sales and marketing. I am a Recruitment Consultant servicing the insurance industry and I am always amazed how grateful clients and candidates are when you do not try to pull the wool over their eyes.
You would imagine that unethical people who use these silly sales tricks should be in the minority, but in my experience they are not.
It seems extremely obvious, and how people expect to forge relationships while continually acting in a condescending manner, I will never know.
Incidentally, please contact Aston Charles if you feel that you of a high enough calibre to work with us.
Renee, I love your commentary. It resonates with me as a sales consultant and trainer. For years i’ve tried to teach salespeople to abandon these old school manipulative techniques but so many times this is what management believes works. It is sad that many of my colleagues in the industry still teach these outdated methods.
In today’s marketplace it really is all about the buyer and it’s not just about the needs as this is merely surface level. Deep inside each individual are the individual wants they have along with the needs and wants of their organization. We have to address not just the needs but the wants as well. Clearly you wanted an honest approach and these two organizations did not give it to you.
If it was me, and I had answered the phone, I would have said something along the lines of “Renee, thank you for reaching out to us. In order for me to assit you, it will be very beneficial for us to have a conversation around the objectives you want to accomplish. If it is ok with you, I would like to ask you some questions, talk about those areas of interest to you and discuss anything you want to talk about. This way, together, we can deterime if I will be able to help you. If at any point either you or I decide that I cannot help you then let’s be open about it and I will recommend someone who can help you. Is that ok with you?”
They should have approached interacting with you as just a conversation between two people. You did not call them to have something pushed down your throat, nor did you expect them to say we are selective about who we work with. Hopefully others will learn from this excellent blog you have written. Keep up the good work.
I share these views also.
I won’t go so far as to say that honesty always pays, but I’d rather play it straight and take my chances.
I m amazed how many people do still respond to the type of nonsense you described.
I do recognise the other side of this coin though having trained and coached sales people for a number of years.
We all have a tendency to mess about and put off decisions.
If it’s just our own time we are wasting then it serves us right, but expecting a sales person to provide a psychologist and consultant service and also discount the product and make several trips for a small order is just a bit rich.
Sales only works when the sales person is able to close the deal. It is just the insulting cheesy approach that is not good, but one way or another he needs a startegy to get the job done.
My favourite way used to be a two price system. The full price that comes with the coach, consultant and wet nurse act and a price for today.
I used to insist that under no circumsatnce did they ever get the dicount after the time was up.
Lots of people said it was hard and ruthless.
How can you achieve a win/win?
I agree, Renee. Actually, someone told me this today! Instead of making me want it more, I no longer wanted to do business with them at all!
I have to admit I have told clients that we were not ‘right’ for each other, or that I would not work for them, though. However, it was not in a ploy, but an honest statement. I think there are some times that this is how it should be. But, what you are discussing here is more of a ploy to get you to purchase, not an honest assessment of whether this is the right decision to make.
Thanks for the thought provoking post!
C
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Honest and sincere approach always pays.
Great article,well explained.I am with you on this.And i do follow this in practice.
Like your comment and posted on twitter. There no doubt that this type of business is uncalled for and is unprofessional
I always thought marketing was to develop an interest in the goods/service offerings your business has in their tool belt to meet the needs of their prospective clientele.
The suggested strategy that some may have developed wherein you have to be some sort of a VIP or a person of some stature clearly limits the possible revenue streams of the business operation.
While this may work for some it may not be the suggested route to follow for most business operations trying to develop business.