Nothing bothers me more than hearing how a sales person pitched a client. What does that mean? That you pitched them what you believe are the most important features and functions in your products and services? That you could care less what the buyer is trying to achieve? That your focus is purely to serve yourself and not your client? Do you think the buyer feels “pitch slapped?”
Sales people need to stop pitching. Obviously they do it because it is easier than having to do quality research on what their customer wants. You can look around a little on the web, or not, and just spout what you believe is really cool about what you sell. Ugh. And, then you wonder why you never can get the second meeting!
When we pitch, we start to sound like those people who call you on the phone. I never know what they are selling. They are reading a script and typically never come up for air until they ask if you are interested. Honestly, I usually stay on the phone since I am in awe that they believe this technique works. At the end, when they finally stop talking/reading, I ask them questions such as:
- How often do people hang up on you?
- How often do people interrupt you and when?
- How do you read without breathing?
- How successful are you in selling whatever the heck it is you are selling?
Not a surprise – they say that most people just hang up. Others are too polite and will wait for the “seller” to stop talking, then thank them for their time and ask to be taken off the call list.
Everyone has experienced this type of water torture “selling.” That’s how your customer feels when you’ve pitch slapped them into boredom. They know it is all about you and little to nothing about them. They are probably thinking about what they are going to do that weekend, or plans they have for that evening – anything except truly listening to what you are saying.
So it should not be a shocker that I hate to be pitched and that always – after listening to a pitch – I either critique them (I mean, I am a sales consultant, after all) or ask to be taken off their calling list. What do you do?
Janice Mars, principal and founder of SalesLatitude, is a senior business and sales executive with more than 30 years of experience helping companies build successful sales teams. She has parlayed that experience to help her clients to improve their sales processes, accurately forecast revenues, ensure focus on winnable opportunities, and attain consistent results. View my LinkedIn profile | Twitter
