- Why do some Sales People not Believe in their own product ?
pickup their new Car ,
as the husband had to work at the appointed time
they had to receive their Car .
I always like to Test Sales People
to see if they really believe in their own product ,
or whether they are just talking Sales jargon .
The following conversation actually happened to me recently ,
only the names and specific details have been changed .
We will call the Sales person ' Jack ' ,
Craig - " Hi Jack , we are here to pickup the new Car for ...
Jack - That's great , this is a great choice of vehicle ,
one of our best sellers ,
and the Diesel provides excellent fuel economy .
I've been at this Dealership for many years ,
and this is one of the Best Vehicles we have ever produced .
Your ( relative ) has made a wise decision !
Craig - Ok Jack , tell me ,
do you drive this type of vehicle yourself ?
Jack - Well Yes , I do ,
but ................. ah ? ,
Craig - Yes ? What is it ?
Jack - We drive this type of Vehicle ,
but ( in another brand - Brand X ) .
My family prefers ( Brand X ) ,
there is more interior room ,
we've had Brand X's for as long as I can remember .
We find the quality of Brand X to be superior .
Craig - But you don't work for Brand X ,
Jack ......
you work for this Brand , don't you ?
Jack - Well Yes I do ,
but they turn a blind eye to my driving a Brand X ,
nobody seems to care ,
others do the same here .
Besides this is a great place to work .
Look ,
we have two children and a dog ,
by the time you include sports equipment
there just isn't enough room in our Brand model ,
that's why we go for Brand X , beautiful vehicle .
Craig - But my ( relative ) has two kids ,
a large dog and prams and so on ?
Jack - They have bought the right Car , they will really enjoy it .
Craig - I appreciate your honesty about the Car your family uses Jack . "
- Why do some Sales people not use their own product ?
about his own product preferences .
But even though I hear this all the time as a Sales Trainer ,
it still shocked me because this time it was personal ,
involving my own family .
- What is the Secret to Sales ?
I have done 1000's of Sales Training sessions over the years ,
and I always get asked the same question ,
" What is the Number 1 Secret to Sales Success ? " .
My answer is as follows ,
" You can't handle the Truth about this Secret ,
because it is a Secret ,
and will remain a Secret ,
even after you hear the answer in Black and White .
The vast majority will never do it . "
The Secret ingredient to the Answer ,
and the ' catch ' is that it is a Twofold Answer ,
- You have to Believe in your Product
2. You have to Buy and Use your own Product
In response to this there is always a profound silence ,
nobody utters a word of agreement ,
or protest ,
or anything else ,
because everyone knows this to be True ,
yet very few do it !
Example 2 - Mobile Phones .
Recently I received an email Flyer from my telecommunications provider ,
letting me know that an advanced new Business Mobile Phone
had just been released by the mobile phone company .
There were great pictures ,
but there was scarce detailed information .
So I looked up the Company Website ,
but there was no information featured yet ,
as the Website was in the process
of being uploaded with new data from the Mobile Brand .
Then I went direct to the Mobile Brand website ,
but it wasn't listed on the Brand Website yet ,
because the shipment of new product
had not yet arrived in our country .
The next step was to call my Mobile telco provider
and find out some very basic info about the phone .
The following conversation also actually happened recently ,
only the personal names and Brand identities have been changed .
Craig - I'm calling about your flyer you sent me
about the new Brand A phone ,
what can you tell me about it ?
Belle - I'm sorry , what do you mean ?
The info is on the email .
Craig - Well no , there isn't any info on the flyer .
Belle - Ok , for all these type of enquiries you need to refer to our Website,
Thank you .
Craig - Wait , I already have been to your Website ,
and it has not been listed yet on your site ,
I just have some basic questions about Brand A .
Is it the Best phone you have for Business purposes ?
Belle - Well I wouldn't really know ,
I don't use that Brand ,
and now that you can get Brand X
everybody is switching over to Brand X anyway .
I use Brand X myself ,
and I think it's the best phone for any type of use .
Craig - But your Company does not Sell Brand X , does it ?
So why are you telling me Brand X is better ?
Can I speak to someone else there who uses Brand A please ?
Belle - There isn't anyone else here who uses Brand A
that I know of ,
the majority are using Brand X now .
Craig - How many Tele Sales / Customer Service Staff
are there with your Company ?
Belle - Several hundred ,
but we all talk to each other about our own phone features ,
and the latest apps and games .
We love what you can do with Brand X .
Craig - Are you telling me that you don't know a single person
amongst 100's of Staff there ,
who uses your own Brand A Mobile product ?
Belle - That's right , why should we ?
It's never been mentioned at any staff meeting ,
so I don't care .
Craig - You don't care that not a single
Customer Service rep can recommend
your own Business Brand A Mobile phone ?
Belle - Nope , it doesn't effect my pay , so why should I ?
Forget Brand A , and get a Brand X mobile ,
like everyone else is doing .
Craig - Thank You for your honesty Belle .
Example 3 - Tablet Computers
The following conversation actually happened to me recently ,
only the personal names and Brand names have been changed .
We were wanting to purchase the latest model of Tablet Computer
that had just been released .
We had heard about the great new features
and were excited about the new updated version .
We were really getting into all the internet
and Social Media hype about the update .
I decided to call a non-franchise store about the new Tablet .
Craig - I'm calling about the new upgraded Tablet from Brand A
Ned - What is it that you want ?
Craig - What do you mean ' What do I want ' ,
I just told you why I'm calling ,
I want to purchase the new Brand A Tablet .
Ned - Look , take it from me because I happen to know
a lot about computers ,
there is no difference with the new Brand A Tablet ,
do you have the Brand A pre-upgrade ?
Craig - Well , yes we do ,
but I have done my own research on this Brand A product ,
and I like the new features ,
and I want to purchase several of the new Tablets .
Ned - Hey , I'm telling you there is no difference .
Craig - Aren't you supposed to be a Sales person
convincing me to Buy the new Product ?
What type of Tablet do you use ?
Ned - I use Brand X because they're the real deal .
Craig - Does your Company sell Brand X Tablets .
Ned - No , they don't sell Brand X because they're not very popular .
Copyright - Alpha Business Consultants - Craig Holme , Jeremy Reynolds - 2011
These case conversations ring very true and I have had very similar experiences. I can definitley see how sales people can become market leaders by beleiving in there product and use there product.
ReplyDeleteI for one listen very intently when a sales person can share personal success stories of there use of there company product. It is almost like buying based upon a referral due to the personal nature of the sales persons experience and edification of the said product product.