The bathroom scale manufacturer was very proud of the new model
being introduced at the trade fair. "Listen to these features: it's
calibrated to one one-hundredth of a pound; it can measure your height
as well, in feet or in meters; it gives you a read-out via an LED or
human-voice simulator; and that's not all..."
"Very impressive," interrupted a none-too-slender sales rep for a food chain of home furnishing stores, but before I place an order, I'll have to try it out."
"Be my guest," said the manufacturer graciously.
But no sooner had the sales rep taken his place on the scale than a loud, very human-sounding voice issued forth: "One at a time please, one at a time!"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that provocative statements and questions are often used to make a prospect feel uncomfortable to the point of wanting to make a change. However, if mishandled, provocative questions or statements could lead to embarrassment on behalf of the prospect. This is overkill and will kill your chances of making any sale to this account in the future. Remember, when it comes to provocation, don't push the envelope too far, or your pay envelope could end up being a lot lighter in the near future.
"One of the tragedies of modern times is that people have come to believe that something said by someone in the past, perhaps for illustrative or provocation purposes, actually represents that person's beliefs at the time." - Idries Shah
"Very impressive," interrupted a none-too-slender sales rep for a food chain of home furnishing stores, but before I place an order, I'll have to try it out."
"Be my guest," said the manufacturer graciously.
But no sooner had the sales rep taken his place on the scale than a loud, very human-sounding voice issued forth: "One at a time please, one at a time!"
Moral of the story. True sales professionals know that provocative statements and questions are often used to make a prospect feel uncomfortable to the point of wanting to make a change. However, if mishandled, provocative questions or statements could lead to embarrassment on behalf of the prospect. This is overkill and will kill your chances of making any sale to this account in the future. Remember, when it comes to provocation, don't push the envelope too far, or your pay envelope could end up being a lot lighter in the near future.
"One of the tragedies of modern times is that people have come to believe that something said by someone in the past, perhaps for illustrative or provocation purposes, actually represents that person's beliefs at the time." - Idries Shah
