I’ve Just Won the Lottery, and I Don’t Need the Business

Problem: How many times have you run into a salesperson who pushes too hard, who epitomizes the pushy, aggressive stereotype that we’ve come to loathe? These folks can’t accept a “no” from a prospect and think their solution is the right thing for everybody. They generally appear desperate to make a sale and usually are. This aggressive approach works okay in a very simple transactional type of sale since we’ll sometimes buy just to avoid an argument or to get rid of the jerk (oops, I mean salesperson). But in a more complex sale, this approach is fatal.

Analysis: The real world, however, is that often we are under tremendous pressure to make the sale. And although we may hate to admit it, we are desperate occasionally. The little voice inside is saying to us things like, “C’mon, you need this sale to make your quota this month. You’d better push a little harder; be more enthusiastic. Sell, sell, sell.” As you listen to this self-talk, something changes in your approach to the prospect. You start to come across as needy, pushy and aggressive. You also begin to notice a change in your prospect. No longer is he open and agreeable. Instead, he’s become defensive and aloof. Your behavior has had just the opposite effect that you wanted. And often this is where the sale is lost.

Solution: Well, traditionalists won’t like this advice very much, but then most of those folks aren’t very open to new ideas. Let’s pretend for a moment that just before you had gone on that sales call you’d stopped at a convenience store and picked up a lottery ticket…and it was a winner. A million bucks! You had finally achieved financial security!

With the winning ticket in your pocket do you think your attitude on that sales call would change much? Yeah, I know. You wouldn’t go on the sales call. But if you did, would your attitude be different? You bet it would. Think you’d come across as desperate for the sale? Not hardly. Instead you’d be able to exude a quiet confidence that only a financially secure person would have. Your prospective buyer would notice that attitude and be more comfortable with you and the call would probably have a better result. Try adopting a new attitude (“I’ve just won the lottery and I don’t have to make this sale today.”) and watch your fortunes change. I promise, they will!