Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 9, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 21 TALKING POINTS Sales pitches that turn away customers By John Graham S ales pitches are shortcuts that save time and don't require thinking. They're the stock-in-trade of salespeople, rolling off the tongue easily and un- consciously. They once worked well with customers, but not so much today. Here are some of them: "How can I help you?" This one gets top bill- ing on the list, and deservedly so. It's leftover from the last century, when customers needed assistance and relied on salespeople and mar- keters, as well as the iconic Sears catalog, to point them in the right direction, followed by the ubiquitous shopping mall. While the for- mer is long gone, the latter is fast going dark. When you think about it, "How can I help you?" is insulting, a turn off and a crutch, as if customers lack the ability to identify what they want and then to find it. A more adult approach would be, "Let's talk about what you have in mind." The role of salespeople and marketers is no longer that of a guide, directing customers to what they want to sell them. Those who make sales are coach- es, who take the time to figure out what's in the customer's best interest. "We are the competition." While it may work for Ferrari, this one is nothing more than a self-serving attempt to raise the "look no further" flag. A company that believes it's out in front of the pack can back up the claim by comparing their product or service so custom- ers can make that judgment for themselves. There are no secrets today so attempts at obfuscation or pulling the wool over the customer's eyes is self-defeating. "I have just what you're looking for." This might be described as the "presumptive opening" or, more accurately, as the "This is what I'm going to sell you, so save time by getting your wallet out now" strategy. Rather than attempting to engage customers, it's more akin to browbeating than anything else. "We've been in business for 37 years." There was a time when longevity made a compelling statement for customers, sending a message of stability and that somebody was doing some- thing right. Not now. In fact, it may be just the opposite in the customer's mind, as companies merge, fail, and, more likely, fall behind. Old is out. Today, customers flock to startups, the new, and the innovative. "You're going to love this." Whether it's a house, an engagement ring, or a refrigerator, telling customers what to think can mean trouble. It's demean- ing, particularly when a stranger, such as a salesper- son, does it. And it can come back to bite you. Even though customers make a purchase, they can come to resent being told how they should think about what they buy. "You'll never do better than this price." Sure, everyone in marketing and sales is justifiably concerned with price, more so ev- ery day. But that's no excuse for arrogantly announcing to customers that they're, in effect, stupid not to buy from you. Today's customers want the evidence and they feel capable of their own research, even as they're talking to a salesperson. "Time is running out. Once they're gone, they're gone." Yes, and you might want to throw in "Order now. Only 11 in stock." Scarcity gets attention, as psychologists tell us. We balk at losing something we already have for the possibility of greater gain. This can help explain the appeal of mutual funds vs. buying individual stocks. Yet, we also don't want to lose something we don't have, particularly if it's in scarce sup- ply. While there are takers, the more thought- ful and better-informed buyers say, "Thanks, but no thanks." "I can see you know what you like." Customers want to be treated with respect, but today's customers avoid manipulation by fake praise that's designed to create a "bond" with the salesperson. Instead of dwelling on ways to get the sale, it's far better to focus on lis - tening thoughtfully to what a customer says and the questions they ask. "I don't know how long that's going to be available." An upscale retailer had a one- day furniture sale and the place was jumping. Months later, there was a two-day sale event for customers. Much of the same merchan- dise was shown at the original "special price." Playing games with customers destroys buyer confidence and can have long-term negative consequences. John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of "Magnet Marketing," and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, "No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas." Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULT: John Graham NEXT WEEK'S POLL: Should the state more tightly regulate hospital-health insurer contracts? To vote, go online to hartfordbusiness.com BIZ BOOKS Tips for achieving life/career outcomes you yearn for By Jim Pawlak "The Decision Make- over — An Intentional Approach to Living the Life You Want" by Mike Whitaker (Greenleaf Book Group Press, $21.95). When evaluating where you are and where you want to be, you must realize that outcomes are the result of your choices. While there are many situations over which you have no direct control, there's one thing you can control — your what-do-I-do-now reaction. Whitaker divides his decision-making advice into the three zones: prep zone (before age 16, recommended reading for your teenagers); critical zone (ages 16-40, which profoundly af - fects career, worklife and family choices); and consequence zone (over 40 where a retrospec- tive can turn "woulda, coulda, shoulda" into "do things differently" going forward). Here's some advice from Whitaker's "Toolkit" about making decisions in the criti- cal and consequences zones: Tool 1. Define your primary goals for career, relationships, lifelong learning, bucket list and retirement. Recognizing that decisions in one area will have an impact on the others, choose "five prime goals" from your list. Tool 2. "There's only one No. 1." Rank your five in order of im- portance. Make deci- sions that support achievement of No. 1. This will require some trade-offs with the other four. As you make progress, the trade-offs dimin- ish and you'll find that there's a new No. 1. Tool 3. When it comes to trade-offs, the long term trumps the short term. Ex- ample: If career is No. 1, you may face a choice with altering family vacation plans because project priorities and deadlines suddenly change. Absence at a critical time at work can have a lasting impact on your career goal. Postponing a vacation (even though there may be cold shoulders at home and money in cancellation fees) will have a short-term, negative impact on another goal. Tool 4. Measure progress. At work, this can be easily achieved by crossing things of your prioritized to-do list. Look back at the end of the workday at all you've done to move you closer to your goal. Taking small steps toward a goal creates an "I'm doing it" mindset. If progress hasn't been made, shift the mindset to "recalculating" to get back on track. The Bottom Line: "If it is to be, it's up to me." Jim Pawlak Book Review Should XL Center renovation funding be part of the state budget agreement? 65% No 35% Yes READER COMMENTS: "The majority of Connecticut residents will never go to the XL Center and should not have to pay higher taxes to support the venue." "Sell the arena to a private company." "If the budget agreement does not include the XL Center, causing the structure to close, there will be no reason to go to downtown Hartford. I can`t believe how Hartford and the state of Connecticut has screwed themselves time after time." "Whether it's a house, an engagement ring, or a refrigerator, telling customers what to think can mean trouble. It's demeaning, particularly when a stranger, such as a salesperson, does it."

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