Lessons from High Tech Hokum, Pt 2.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine02/28/08 Report as spam
  1

  One more thing...

  I was talking about this post with a good friend of mine, who's been in sales for a quarter of a century. He told me that the "profound truth" behind high tech hokum is somewhat more simple than the one I gave in the post. In his view, the profound truth is "there's a sucker born every minute."
  
  Something to say for that, too, I guess.

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  upshift02/28/08 Report as spam
  2

  B2B is not related to Myths

  Usually I agree with everything that Mr. James puts forward.
  
  Not in this case.
  
  In B2B you must create the possibility that your product or service will either satisfy a given need or you must uncover a hidden need.
  
  From there, how does your organization do the following:
  Increase sales and/or profit
  Reduce expenses
  Increase productivity
  
  Y2K may have been a myth but if you recall there was a huge amount of media coverage at the time. Thus one person or organization, by themselves were not responsible for all of the resources that went into Y2K.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine02/28/08 Report as spam
  3

  Myths and Selling

  Y2K may have been a myth but if you recall there was a huge amount of media coverage at the time. Thus one person or organization, by themselves were not responsible for all of the resources that went into Y2K.
  
  I happen to know for a fact that during the Y2K scare, computer hardware and software sales reps pretty much became order-takers because buying new computers was a "no-brainer."
  
  What was fascinating was watching the big vendors (whose executives were well aware that Y2K was largely a hoax) gradually got on board once they figured out Y2K was a great way to goose up their bottom line.
  
  The point of high tech hokum is that if the myth is strong enough and pervasive enough, some customers will be more inclined to buy now and (if you emphasize the right things) from you.

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  bighit02/28/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Lessons from High Tech Hokum, Pt 2.

  This is about as manipulative and dishonest a sales concept as I have come across in my 23 years of B2B sales. It is playing on the fears and misconceptions of people rather than honestly demonstrating real value to them regardless of their preconceived notions.
  
  The American Indians who traded Manhattan for some beads and blankets were "prospects" who certainly fell into this category at the time. Because of the myth: "These settlers can have it. We'll just move to more valuable land anyway and we get to keep these nice trinkets," they traded the most valuable real estate in the world for next to nothing. But hey, someone made a sale. Isn't that all that matters? NO! Honesty and integrity should never be in question just to close a sale.
  
  Chuck Sink
  Big Hit Media

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine02/28/08 Report as spam
  5

  In point of fact

  The indians who were given the trinkets weren't from Manhattan. They were only visiting. So they were the ones who were doing the defrauding. They got their trinkets from selling somebody else's property.

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  danogram02/29/08 Report as spam
  6

  Response To Chuck Sink

  Thank You, Chuck
  
  Integrity sells. It is often much more difficult for the very reasons discussed here.
  
  Nothing of value comes easily, of course. If you're into B2B, as in any endeavor, and you want to truly enjoy what you do ? do not disrespect your customers. Beyond ?you can't fool all of the people all of the time?, and the permanent loss of customer base when your deception is discovered, your personal joy will never be realized without personal integrity.
  
  Dan Anderson
  TriCephas

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine02/29/08 Report as spam
  7

  Not deception

  I'm not sure that this is deception as much as it is being responsible to the perceived needs of the customer. If a customer, for example, is convinced that the world will end within 3 years, then it doesn't make sense to present a 5 year ROI. Conversely, if a customer is convinced that global warming is the greatest threat the world has ever seen, then emphasizing elements of your product set that are "green" is being respectful of that belief.

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  bighit02/29/08 Report as spam
  8

  Global warming as an example

  Geoffrey,
  
  I wasn't aware that the Indians who "sold Manhattan" were only visitors to the island themselves but thanks for the history. Let me use another example.
  
  A real estate agent might convince a homeowner to sell his coastal property short to cut his eventual catastrophic loss when the ice caps melt and the oceans rise, as if that eventuality were fact. The homeowner actually believes everything in Al Gore's movie. The RE Agent believes it's bunk. Meanwhile the value of the real estate skyrockets while the ice is actually advancing. The RE agent makes his commission and the former homeowner forfeits huge future profits in his valuable property.
  
  I don't claim to be clean as the wind-driven snow (of which there is a lot this year!) but I think we salespeople have come a long way from the days of snake oil. I've got to be willing to express the whole truth to prospects as I sincerely see things.
  
  You raise some interesting notions here. Thanks for pushing on of my buttons
  
  Chuck Sink
  Big Hit Media

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine03/02/08 Report as spam
  9

  Arguing with customers...

  ...is a go-out-of-business strategy.
  
  The salesperson's job is not to convince the customer that he's wrong. If the customer is certain that the world is going to end (or whatever) then it's completely useless to argue with him. If the customer's belief system is such that dumping a great piece of property makes sense, the salesperson should have no compunction showing how his or her services can meet that customer's needs.

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  chucksink03/02/08 Report as spam
  10

  No sale is my point

  I agree that the salesperson's job is to make sales, not argue with customers about beliefs. Sometimes, however, no sale is the superior moral position.
  
  If a prospect offered me a windfall to set up a perfectly legal porn Website I would have to decline the business and might feel a duty to recommend he reconsider his initiative.
  
  Each us us should judge for ourselves what to recommend to prospects based what we believe to be the whole truth, not any hokum. That sums up my point.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine03/02/08 Report as spam
  11

  Different issues

  The porn site example has to do with your own moral values. The "end of the world" scenario or "coastal flooding" scenario has to do with what might happen in the future. You could be wrong about global warning and the customer could be right. It's arrogant to think that you know better.
  
  This doesn't mean that you necessarily must pander to a belief that you don't hold but saying something like:
  
  "As long as you realize that, if you're wrong about the end of the world, this property could easily go up in value, I'd be happy to show you how to sell it for a top price...as soon as possible."