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The Caricature Isn't Real

by eccj
4 replies
I had to put this out. Maybe for my own sanity.

I've seen this mistake made over and over again. I continually see people who know better take advantage of other peoples ignorance.

That is......... the caricature of the salesman.

Everyone knows what a salesman is; a terrible rotten person? Yes. But he also acts a certain way. He dresses a certain way. He talks a certain way, etc, etc.

I have a friend of mine who is a killer salesmen who now owns a company where he is training guys to sell for him.

I went to his office and saw the guys there training on a script and it was terrible. All of the guys there were "acting" like salesmen.

All the sudden they are given some information on what they need to share with people and these dudes forget who they were, their personalities and start acting like completely different people.

My friend, who is a great salesman, has to beat it out of each and everyone that they are not acting like people!

Most people trying to sell you stuff or sales training would call this "old school sales" or something similar.

I was rereading a book written over 70 years ago and they guy was lamenting "old school sales."

It's not old school sales people..... it's just bad sales.

Great salesmen don't act they way. They don't talk they way. It's just a caricature painted by people who don't know any better.

I know a man who sells annuities. He makes a couple million a year like clockwork while taking July and December off.

He has the charisma of a door nail. I have no idea how people stay in a meeting with the man for an hour without falling asleep.

Here's the thing; all of his clients don't think he is one of those awful "salesmen" or brokers that you see on Wall St.

And he isn't.

Why?

Because he is a way better salesmen then those guys will ever be.
#caricature #real
  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by eccj View Post

    I had to put this out. Maybe for my own sanity.

    I've seen this mistake made over and over again. I continually see people who know better take advantage of other peoples ignorance.

    That is......... the caricature of the salesman.

    Everyone knows what a salesman is; a terrible rotten person? Yes. But he also acts a certain way. He dresses a certain way. He talks a certain way, etc, etc.

    I have a friend of mine who is a killer salesmen who now owns a company where he is training guys to sell for him.

    I went to his office and saw the guys there training on a script and it was terrible. All of the guys there were "acting" like salesmen.

    All the sudden they are given some information on what they need to share with people and these dudes forget who they were, their personalities and start acting like completely different people.

    My friend, who is a great salesman, has to beat it out of each and everyone that they are not acting like people!
    I couldn't agree more.

    What I see quite a lot are new salespeople, reading a script...and saying things that no human being would ever say in a real conversation. This almost guarantees that the people won't buy....because when you act like that with a prospect, there is a total disconnect. I see (a few) of these guys make a sale now and then, and they think it was their great "technique". No, it was despite their technique.
    Selling should sound like a conversation...between two real people.
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  • Profile picture of the author brookeharper08
    When you're in sales, it's important to build connections and think of long-term relationships with your customers. It's not just about selling products by simply reading features and benefits, it's about doing it in the most relatable way possible.

    It's also a matter of getting your point across without sounding too pushy and annoying like "old-school salesmen" do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Chapple
    Have to say totally agree, I get solicited by telesales a lot and find them an ignorant bunch, they plough through their dialogue some sound they are reading straight off the screen.

    They bulldozer every objection and you literally have to scream STOP!!! at the top of your voice to get them to yield. One was so persistent that I just put the phone down he then called back telling me I was a rude ignorant C*!t.

    I try not to answer unidentified or private numbers now, but I am in business so difficult. When I'm in the mood I jump in before they start to pitch and ask who the invoice goes to, i usually get a bemused what!!? I then explain by talking to me the charge is $2500 p/h or part of so let me speak to someone so we can get that out of the way first, brrrrrrrrrr.... end of call.
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    • Profile picture of the author SARubin
      Originally Posted by Gary Chapple View Post

      When I'm in the mood I jump in before they start to pitch and ask who the invoice goes to, i usually get a bemused what!!? I then explain by talking to me the charge is $2500 p/h or part of so let me speak to someone so we can get that out of the way firs,t brrrrrrrrrr.... end of call.
      Love it!

      I usually just cut telemarketers off before they even finish their first sentence, by politely saying something like "Sorry, I'm not interested. Please remove my number from your database. Thank you." Then I hang up before they can even say another word.

      But this one is just so funny, I have to give it a try.
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