It’s been said that people love to buy but they hate being sold to.
A number of years ago I used to get together occasionally with a speaker colleague to trade stories and update each other. However, every time we got together I had the distinct feeling that I was being sold something. After a while I found myself being on guard when we met because I didn’t want to get trapped into making an unwanted decision. Eventually, I stopped getting together with him.
A friend recently told me he stopped someone halfway through a sales call when the sales person switched from having a conversation to starting his sales pitch. The sales rep’s tone of voice and body language changed and it became apparent that he was primarily interested in closing the deal, even though it was just a preliminary meeting.
The goal is to continue moving the sales process forward and you achieve this by having a conversation and simply talking to them rather than “pitching” them. You can still deliver a formal presentation but it should be done in a conversational manner.
During your sales calls this week; pay close attention to the other person. If you notice any type of defensive behaviour, there’s a good chance that you have slipped in “pitch” mode.
