EVOLUTION OF THE SALE

Years ago I was married to a man who sold home based business start-up packages. This was during the rich-dad, poor-dad bandwagon where there was a new businesses sprouting up every time someone found a new angle at screwing people over. What they would do is get people to spend roughly three thousand dollars, send them a kit, build them a website and then leave them to the same devices that kept them from starting a business in the first place. Unfortunately, I’d hear stories about some of the sales agents feeling like they personally scored if they got someone on social security, military personnel or disability on the other side of the phone. I know, I know, it’s terrible. Three days would go by, the recision time frame and then it would be done deal. No returns.

I don’t remember how I got into sales. Oh yeah, I do now. Money. I applied and got a job making thirteen an hour plus commission. I was going for the base pay and didn’t expect to make much else. The company I was with sold storage space which people need anyway so I figured it wouldn’t be too hard and then the MoNeY would roll in. It did. I was actually good at it.

It is semi-interesting to me how sales tactics have changed over the years. Consumers catch on to a sales pitch and when things don’t turn out they turn around and tell their friends. Then before you know it people know where you’re calling from before you’ve even said your name and you’re finished. When my ex husband was in sales it was an aggressive sales pitch. It wasn’t uncommon to swear and yell at the husband “Do you wear the pants in the family or do you wait for your wife to make all the decision?” (Side note, don’t ever F with wives, that has never changed). Then it became popular to slow down the pitch, become friends, build trust and then pitch them to the moon. Now most sales agents read directly from a computer and anything you could possibly refute they have a rebuttal button for and as long as they read slowly, conversationally and confidently it works on who it’s supposed to work on. I’ve noticed current pitches contain a lot of meta statements, almost as if to acknowledge the previous sales tactics, but then slap the consumer with them anyway. As an example, we might say “I know in the past you had experiences where people over promised and under delivered” and then simply because we are acknowledging the past problem they trust us. From there most agents go right back into over promising and under delivering. It’s a really interesting psychology. And I’m NOT saying that all companies do this OR even if they do that there product is bad, I’m just saying I see the trend.

I like to analyze things and analyze things to a pulp. Love to hear any sales stories or anything of that nature so I can fill in the evolutionary blanks. Do tell!