Thursday, November 29, 2012

An Experience with a Bad Sales Rep


I have belonged to the same gym for over five years.  It’s very basic and fairly close to home.  I’m making a change to my membership so I decided to look around to see what other gyms have to offer.  There is a new facility that friends and neighbors have been talking about so I decided to check it out over lunch. 

What I saw was very impressive; much more space than my old gym, many more cardio machines, higher ceilings, more weight lifting options, nicer locker room, quieter and just more my style.  The only problem with the place was the general manager is also their sales rep.

Blog continued below

Here’s an example of how and email from my book worked yet again. I was conducting a pipeline call with a rep.  He was frustrated that a prospect had gone dark.  After a few great meetings his contact was not returning calls or emails.  I suggested that the rep send an “Are You?” email right then, during our call.  He did and guess what happened?  The prospect emailed him back while we were still on the phone.  This, after weeks of ignoring repeated calls and emails.  That’s why I wrote the book.  The emails work – all the time!  If you have prospects that have “gone dark” – and who hasn’t – the book is for you.  There is also an email for following up on leads, and another for planning killer sales calls.  What are you waiting for?  Those deals won’t wake up on their own!

The book, Click “Send” and Sell!  Three Unconventional Emails with Extraordinary Sales Success  is available at just about every electronic outlet, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and Kobo. It’s also available for your iPad at the iTunes store.

No eReader? No problem! Click HERE to download and print the book in any format you want.

He gave me a tour of the facility and then we sat down in his office to chat.  I knew that there would be a sales pitch, so I was relaxed and prepared to discuss the pros and cons of this new facility.  It was a bad experience – a very one-sided conversation that did nothing to help me decide whether or not to join the facility.  What made the experience unpleasant was that this guy just started talking and wouldn’t stop.  And, the discussion was all about him.
Here’s what I learned:
  • ·         He grew up a fat Greek kid in an Irish catholic neighborhood and was frequently bullied.
  • ·         He has lost 70 lbs since joining this gym.
  • ·         He is the number one sales rep nationally.
  • ·         He was Mr. Illinois for two years.
  • ·         He is a UFC fighter.
  • ·         He played high school and college football.
  • ·         He has multiple injuries that prevent him from lifting free weights.
  • ·         He was promoted to general manager and was given the choice of working in any facility nationally and chose this one.
  • ·         He is a certified personal trainer.
·         There is much, much more.

Here’s what he learned about me:
  • ·         I have been a member of another gym since 2007.
  • ·         I work out three to five times per week.
  • ·         My wife likes to work out too.
  • ·         I travel frequently.
Hopefully you can see how lopsided this conversation was.  It was all about him, the seller, and very little time was spent on me, the buyer.   Here are some things that I think he should have asked about me:

  • ·             What are my fitness goals?  Is my current gym helping me to reach those goals?
  • ·         What am I looking for in a fitness facility?
  • ·         What about my gym do I like?  Not like?
  • ·         How does this gym compare in proximity to my home?  Is it closer than my current gym?
  • ·         Does my gym have a national footprint so I can work out on the road?
  • ·         What about the clientele in each location?  Where do I feel more comfortable working out?
  • ·         How do the facilities compare in size?  Do I normally have to wait for cardio machines or weights?
  • ·         How new is the equipment in my current gym?
With information like this we could have had an interesting discussion and he could have sold me on the advantages of his facility.  Instead, at one point in our conversation, I gave him the universal sign for time-out, and said, “Stop, stop, stop.  If you say another word I’m walking out.”  He finally got the picture.  I had to grab a workout and get back to the office, not listen to him yammer on and on about himself and his wonderful gym.   He offered me a free workout and I got busy.  It was a very nice experience, using brand new equipment with no wait in a very comfortable atmosphere.

He didn’t close the deal with me because after my workout he was busy with another prospective member.  He insisted that I stay, even stating , “I can’t let you walk out.”  But I was running late and had to get back to the office.  I’ll join this gym but it will be in spite of the sales rep, not because of him.  Instead of offering me a free workout,  showing me a simple price plan, and closing the deal in ten minutes,  he’ll get to wait a couple of days while I muster up the patience to go back and deal with this pushy sales rep.

Learn a lesson from my experience.  Talk less, ask more, and understand what the prospect is trying to achieve by purchasing something from you.  If you walk away from a prospect with them knowing more about you than you know about them, you have gone about it all wrong.  Yes, build personal and professional credibility, but understand why the prospect is interested in buying from you.  Understand their goals and pain points.  Chances are that your product or service can meet their needs and you can make the closing process simple and painless.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

10 Reasons Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

Here are ten reasons why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday:

1. No gift pressure.
2. No religious obligation.
3. Having a cocktail at noon (or before) is perfectly acceptable.
4. Eating all you want as often as you want.
5. Watching football for hours.
6. Napping is encouraged.
7. Two days off of work.
8. You can say "Happy Thanksgiving" without offending anyone.
9. The kids come home.
10. Getting some good use out of the dining room table.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!