Ever since I began working closely with Nathan Jamail and learning his approach to sales, I’ve looked with new eyes upon every encounter I’ve had with a sales person. Today, for example, I met briefly with someone interested in selling a product to my company. I wasn’t in a position to make a decision on this particular sale, so my conversation with him was brief. Nonetheless, our interaction brought to mind the lessons I’ve learned from Nathan, and I understood exactly why I would not be inclined to purchase anything from this sales person.
Oh, he was friendly and courteous. He smiled and thanked me kindly. He was not, however, professional. He began not by asking me anything about our needs and interests, but instead by assuming that we needed what he had to offer. His assumption wasn’t a shot in the dark, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe we did need the type of product he sold. Maybe we didn’t. He should have begun by building likeability, trust, and influence. He should have asked us about our company, what we do, and what issues we have. He should have asked whether we were in need to the product, not assumed we were.
In short, this sales person made it crystal clear that he wasn’t interested in providing us with the best product for us, and so, despite his friendliness, he didn’t earn my trust and he certainly didn’t present himself as an influence. He gave me little cause to even like him.
I really wanted to explain to him how awful his technique was, but I had other matters demanding my attention. Wish I could have slipped him a copy of one of Nathan’s books, though.
