How to Blow Any Chance of Making a $30,000 Sale

18 replies
The company I'm with orders a lot of materials. Lots. "Thousands of dollars' worth at a time" lots.

They are actually fairly open to talk to new people about switching vendors, too. (You have to have a good reason, but still, they meet with potential vendors once in a while.)

Want to know how to NOT get a sale, and to get a phone slammed in your ear?

Call here asking for someone, saying you had lunch with him last week.

And this guy passed away 5 years ago.

Moral of the story:

1. Make sure your info is correct. Don't just grab a name from a website. 2 minutes' worth of looking at the site would show the guy isn't listed as active in the business anymore. (He's mentioned in a testimonial.)

2. Don't lie.

We are actually looking for a new vendor for one of our supplies, but this vendor has blown any chance they'd ever give him the time of day.

And I put $30,000, but over the course of a year it's probably a lot more.

We get at least 5 contacts a week (calls, emails, stopping in) asking for this guy. It's unreal.
#$30 #cold calling #lose #sale #sales
  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    Are you saying that dead people don't have to work? Damn, they have it good!
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  • Profile picture of the author steffanmax
    No this is not a lost sale.. there never was a sale to begin with.

    A lost sale is when you make a contract and then go out..

    Stop misleading people, you are just like the guy there is calling.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      You mean you didn't get that the OP was saying how to shoot yourself in the foot when trying to get a sale?

      Originally Posted by steffanmax View Post

      No this is not a lost sale.. there never was a sale to begin with.

      A lost sale is when you make a contract and then go out..

      Stop misleading people, you are just like the guy there is calling.
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  • Profile picture of the author tcstix
    That's a good way to weed out the bad ones, at least.
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  • Profile picture of the author GlobalTrader
    Way too many people accept the information they find online as being factual and up to date without performing proper due diligence. The caller may also have purchased an outdated B2B database that still has the deceased person's name listed as an active POC. Way too many databases are never culled properly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by Robscom View Post

    The company I'm with orders a lot of materials. Lots. "Thousands of dollars' worth at a time" lots.

    They are actually fairly open to talk to new people about switching vendors, too. (You have to have a good reason, but still, they meet with potential vendors once in a while.)

    Want to know how to NOT get a sale, and to get a phone slammed in your ear?

    Call here asking for someone, saying you had lunch with him last week.

    And this guy passed away 5 years ago.

    Moral of the story:

    1. Make sure your info is correct. Don't just grab a name from a website. 2 minutes' worth of looking at the site would show the guy isn't listed as active in the business anymore. (He's mentioned in a testimonial.)

    2. Don't lie.

    We are actually looking for a new vendor for one of our supplies, but this vendor has blown any chance they'd ever give him the time of day.

    And I put $30,000, but over the course of a year it's probably a lot more.

    We get at least 5 contacts a week (calls, emails, stopping in) asking for this guy. It's unreal.

    Actually, that's not losing a sale, it's just losing the chance for an appointment...to make a sale.

    You know what's really painful? Having someone filling out a contract...that took you hours to get them to sign...(The sale is agreed to) and then you say some incredibly stupid thing, like insult someone they know...or remind them of a reason they can't go ahead. And now, there is no way they will go through with the deal...that they just agreed to.....hell on Earth.

    I've killed dozens of sales that way. And you know whats even worse than that? When you realize...in the middle of a sentence...that you are killing the sale..by saying that sentence...but your brain isn't fast enough, and you say it anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robscom
      Thanks for the feedback. I suppose I could have worded my title better, but it's what came to mind on the fly, and I really do believe he lost a sale, had he not botched the opening so badly. His other info looked promising.

      Live and learn, though. I'll try to do better next time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kunle Olomofe
      For me I thought that headline by the OP was really misleading... Though I get the intention of the post so that kind of makes up for being "tricked" into reading the post, though that may not have been intentional it's still one sure way to get people to ignore your future posts if they think you do that a lot or all the time or whatever... Anyway moving on...

      Claude, now that's an ideal example of killing a sale, $30K or whatever size contract it is... lol... I did this just a couple weeks ago and actually have made several mistakes this way a few times by getting too emotional before a deal is finalized. You win some, you lose some. But it can bite when you lose it cos your head didn't move as fast as your heart or mouth lol...
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      • Profile picture of the author Robscom
        I changed the title.

        As I have said before, I'll try to do better next time.
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    • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      Actually, that's not losing a sale, it's just losing the chance for an appointment...to make a sale.

      You know what's really painful? Having someone filling out a contract...that took you hours to get them to sign...(The sale is agreed to) and then you say some incredibly stupid thing, like insult someone they know...or remind them of a reason they can't go ahead. And now, there is no way they will go through with the deal...that they just agreed to.....hell on Earth.

      I've killed dozens of sales that way. And you know whats even worse than that? When you realize...in the middle of a sentence...that you are killing the sale..by saying that sentence...but your brain isn't fast enough, and you say it anyway.
      I have absolutely done this. Because of it, I implemented a personal rule to stay on topic with the sale. The only person who should move the topic away from the "Straight Line" is the customer. My job is to agree/laugh/identify with their rabbit trail...then bring it back to the straight line that closes the deal.

      I have been teaching my people this way but it is one of things that is hard to communicate.
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  • Profile picture of the author eccj
    Eh, not a lost sale.

    The moral of the story is don't lie. Sometimes the info is bad and if you are marketing to lots of people you are going to get it wrong sometimes.

    Unless the company is in your Dream 100, it probably isn't worth the time to triple check the info. If the database and the website says the guy owns the place then by golly go with that. It's less than a one in a hundred chance that the guy is dead so it's just part of the game.

    Also the moral of the story is find a better B2B list. I've had some wildly inaccurate lists before and it is no fun.
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  • Profile picture of the author umc
    Man, don't worry about it. I can't believe people are beating up the new guy over his title. The point made was obvious to anyone that cared more about that than picking someone apart over minutia. Thanks for trying to share something of worth. I enjoyed the story and somehow deciphered the point without everyone here clarifying that one detail.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by umc View Post

      Man, don't worry about it. I can't believe people are beating up the new guy over his title. The point made was obvious to anyone that cared more about that than picking someone apart over minutia. Thanks for trying to share something of worth. I enjoyed the story and somehow deciphered the point without everyone here clarifying that one detail.
      I can't imagine anyone thought it was a big deal. You're right. The difference in title is minutia. I'm glad the OP shared his story.
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      • Profile picture of the author Robscom
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        I can't imagine anyone thought it was a big deal. You're right. The difference in title is minutia. I'm glad the OP shared his story.
        I just wanted to share a real-life issue that is surprisingly common.

        I don't see what the big deal was, but I changed the title because people were focusing on the title and not the example. Plus I don't want to start off on the wrong foot.

        Thanks for appreciating the story.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kunle Olomofe
    Originally Posted by Robscom View Post

    I changed the title.

    As I have said before, I'll try to do better next time.
    Originally Posted by umc View Post

    Man, don't worry about it. I can't believe people are beating up the new guy over his title. The point made was obvious to anyone that cared more about that than picking someone apart over minutia. Thanks for trying to share something of worth. I enjoyed the story and somehow deciphered the point without everyone here clarifying that one detail.
    Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

    I can't imagine anyone thought it was a big deal. You're right. The difference in title is minutia. I'm glad the OP shared his story.
    Originally Posted by Robscom View Post

    I just wanted to share a real-life issue that is surprisingly common.

    I don't see what the big deal was, but I changed the title because people were focusing on the title and not the example. Plus I don't want to start off on the wrong foot.

    Thanks for appreciating the story.
    My response to all of the above...

    First off not sure if I'm the only one who felt the title was more than minutiae. Either way...

    Let's be frank...

    When you browse the forum or in fact anywhere online, the titles, headlines and such are a KEY REASON you click to read more. And when you click, you're LOOKING for what the TITLE or HEADLINE promised, not something that may have been a mistake in any way. So that's by far very important and not at all trivial.

    To expand on that thought...

    We're all marketers here and we KNOW the value of a good or bad headline. This was a lesson for the OP and I speak for myself when I say I wasn't trying to beat him up about it.

    We're all here to share and learn, I shared and learned, not sure why anyone would make the point that sharing my views (especially in this case) is focusing on triviality, not nice in my view.

    Anyway very important is this...

    I didn't even realize the OP is new here, I often miss THOSE kinds of details LOL, yes I know silly me, but knowing that now I would have actually made the extra effort to explain WHY I thought making the headline better was important, the OP is HERE to LEARN and SHARE, what's the point ignoring something I feel is vital just so he doesn't feel like I'm picking on him? Which I wasn't by the way, truth is I had made my post before I saw the OP's response explaining himself, if I had seen it I would have referred to it in my post.

    Bottom line...

    Very big of the OP to correct his error (some people post misleading titles ON PURPOSE just to get clicks it happens right here on the forum I've seen it and it's off-putting) The OP clearly made a mistake, was corrected and took the correction... that shows class.

    To the OP: As for titles please don't think they are minutiae, they are NOT, the title could make or break your post as the headline could make or break your sales letter and results you get from it.

    In a forum if I feel you are being misleading on purpose I will tag you as such and avoid you, so it matters, maybe not to everyone, but to folks like me, and last I checked we have a right to have those feelings by the way

    Anyways good on you for sharing that experience it was very worthwhile to read that and thanks for owning the mistake and making the correction to me that shows me you truly intend to add value here and I give you my 5 star welcome for that
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  • Profile picture of the author Robscom
    An update on my OP.

    FINALLY someone has handled this situation professionally.

    Upon learning the person she called for has passed, she apologized, somewhat flustered, explaining she was working from a list she was provided.

    She said she was sorry to hear about our loss, and then asked who is handling the tasks now.

    After learning the name, she thanked me, and then said she would try back another time, then apologized about the error in asking for the wrong person.

    Very courteous, very professional.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Upon learning the person she called for has passed, she apologized, somewhat flustered, explaining she was working from a list she was provided.

    She said she was sorry to hear about our loss, and then asked who is handling the tasks now.

    After learning the name, she thanked me, and then said she would try back another time, then apologized about the error in asking for the wrong person.

    SHE sounds like a sale rep worth talking to.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robscom
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      SHE sounds like a sale rep worth talking to.
      Definitely. I have no doubt she'll wait a day or so and call back. I hope she does.
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