The Bag Dive

Problem: Recently I was speaking with Fred, a salesperson who told a story that I could well relate to. He was lamenting that on his last trip to New York to meet with some prospects for the first time, the airline lost his luggage. Now we all know what a pain that can be, but Fred was mostly concerned that his big black bag containing all his collateral sales material had been lost. Quite frankly, he was uncomfortable on a sales call without it. After all, he was accustomed to doing the “bag dive” when the prospect baited him with this innocent, yet misleading question, “tell me about your company.” Of course, the “bag dive” was the move he made toward his briefcase to haul out the company and product brochures when this request was made. Fred figured that this was a good thing since the company had invested heavily in lots of sales collateral for him and the rest of the sales department so they could tell their story. Marketing departments like to do this.

Analysis: Salespeople rely far too heavily on their literature. The moment the prospect asks them a question about their company or products and they have some slick glossies to help them with the answer, the long, slow slide toward “unpaid consulting” has begun.

Solution: The answer is quite simple. Don’t take any literature with you. None, nada. If that makes you just a little bit uncomfortable, it’s understandable. But it’s quite easy to say early on in the conversation, “You know, I didn’t bring literature with me today. I wasn’t sure what to bring since I really don’t have a good understanding of your issues. Maybe we could spend some time just talking about what you’re looking for. Does that make sense?” Typically the prospect sees this as his invitation to start discussing his issues.

Remember, the moment you start diving into the bag and breaking out the brochures, your presentation has begun; the info dump has started. After that, it’s too late to go back and start qualifying. They have your information. The only thing left to do is ask for the business. When you’ve failed to qualify thoroughly, your chances of getting the business are poor. So, leave the literature at home and learn how to ask questions instead.