The End of the Sales Pitch
Do you like it when a salesperson gives you his “pitch?”
Is your likelihood of buying based on how well he pitches you … or how well he converses with you?
Ditch the pitch!
Today’s newsletter, The End of the Sales Pitch, discusses how the best selling isn’t about convincing, it’s about engaging and diagnosing through conversation. It’s about the end of the sales pitch, and a focus on the sales conversation.
Share your comments below!
(Please see a related post from me on tompeters.com)
Read
Couldn’t agree more Steve, great piece. The ability to ask great questions and listen well is so crucial to success in sales, but I think the way you do it is equally important. If it’s done clumsily it sounds like an interrogation, but if done conversationally it sounds natural and makes your prospect warm to you.
Can I give you a quick story about engagement and conversation? My local paper reported an incident at Manchester Airport. A lady was stopped by customs officers for a routine search. She had some golf clubs and the officer started chatting to her, asking her what handicap was. The lady looked bemused, examining her arms and legs as if to say, “I’m perfectly able-bodied thank you.” The officer got suspicious, and further questions revealed a total lack of golfing knowledge and a hidden cache of drugs!
Great story, Andy!
Also, a very important point about not sounding like an interrogator.
Thanks Andy – You’re so right about the interrogation vs. conversation point. Sales conversations should sound as normal as a non-business discussion. If you go through a list of interrogatory questions, it’s really just a stiff script and won’t engage the customer. On the other hand, if you’re looking for drug smugglers …
After shopping last week for new living room furniture, I can definitely be a staunch advocate for everyone to “Ditch the pitch.” My husband and I found ourselves sneaking into furniture stores, trying to remain undetected so we could sit on couches without harassment. Once the well-meaning salespeople found us, it was a barrage of feature dumps and advice that we mostly didn’t care about. That led to conversations like the following:
“Oh so your couch has 8-way hand-tied springs, does it? Oh it’s a very popular model, eh? It’s imported from Spain (alternately, made right here in the USA)? You strongly suggest we get a neutral color and ‘spice it up’ with ‘exciting’ pillows?
“Could you just leave me alone so I can lay on this couch and pretend I’m watching TV? Neutrals are for the faint-of-heart. Also, I hate couch pillows. They’re always in the way.”
Great timing on this newsletter, Steve. It truly resonated with me, and I’m even more dedicated to developing great relationships with my clients.
20 years ago when I was in the vacation business we hired a sales trainer. So much of the training we’d given our people was on product knowledge, e.g. hotel amenities, beaches in Hawaii, airline rules. The trainer said that product knowledge was dangerous. At first I didn’t get it, but then I understood. Your couch examples show why …
The great thing about this approach is that it frees people who are not sales to become sales!
I have spent quite a lot of time around management and life coaches – this is often a 1 person show. The constant refrain I hear is I can’t do the selling side. The image is of used car saleman.
My response is what do you do as a coach? – create rapport, ask probing questions, get below the superficial, really understand the other person’s motivation and desires, employ masterclass level listening skills, connect with people at so many different levels, move the engagement from problems to action. etc. etc. In summary expert sales methods!
Probably the only piece left, which can be a bit of gulp, is closing the deal.
Paul – I couldn’t agree more. When people say “I can’t sell” it’s because they are thinking of a salesperson as a certain archetype. They can sell, if they think of selling as relationship-building.
Steve,
Great essay today! You nailed it. I have been pitching (so to speak) “Ditch the Pitch” to architects for years in my presentation skills seminar. Your analysis of why pitches don’t work is right on! Great job!
Great to hear from you David. I think this is especially true in professional services, such as with architects. It’s easy to start pitching when you have lots of technical information and expertise, but that can lead to a huge understanding/connection gap with clients. Lawyers and doctors fall into this trap all the time. Conversation ensures that you and the client are understanding issues in the same way.
great post Steve,
the scenario really hit home your point.
the conversationo-meter is a nice touch.
rgs
leong
Thanks, Leong. Have you experienced scenarios like this lately?
Big response on this topic Steve, touched a nerve I think!
Have you heard the story about the rather self-centered actor? He’d read through the script but was puzzled by something. “What shall I do during the gaps?” he asked the director. “What gaps?” came the reply. “I mean the bits between when I’m speaking!”
Andy … a similar story … years ago, my boss and I left a meeting with a sales guy with an airline, and my boss said, “He’s the kind of salesman who thinks his job is done once he’s finished talking.”
I was discussing this with our team the other day as part of the need to put price on the table much quicker in the conversation. Even though the organization has variable pricing based on job traits the desire to know ballpark pricing is interfering with the conversation prior to a quote. The fear, as a high added value supplier, is that this may pull price only shoppers out of our sales funnel. Funny thing is, we suddenly realized that might not be a bad thing…
Price is an interesting subject. As a customer it infuriates me when suppliers won’t tell you this straight away. Especially if you are not even sure what the ball park figure is. You can waste a lot of everyones time on pitches that won’t go anywhere.