The Sales Pitch, Take 1

September 24, 2009 by Ed McLaughlin 

I listen to sales pitches all the time. This one, though, was a bit different.

“Do you speak English?”

The man who approached me looked familiar, but I couldn’t place his face. “Do I speak English?” I asked. I didn’t try to hide the fact that I was annoyed.

He threw up his hands. “I’m sorry sir, I meant no disrespect.”

This display triggered my memory. I not only knew him, I knew his routine as well. He was going to ask me for money.

“What do you want? I’m in a hurry.”

He pointed down the street. “My car broke down a few blocks from here. Could I borrow the money for public transportation?”

I looked at him and laughed. “Sorry, I can’t help you. Besides, we’ve had this conversation already.”

“Huh?”

I pointed in the other direction. “It was down that way – four blocks from here. Different day, same sales pitch.”

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “Oh – well, have a nice day.” And off he went, presumably in search of another prospect.

What does this have to do with you and your business? Everything. In reality, this man’s approach isn’t much different than what most companies do today. From cold calls to networking events, salespeople spend most of their time “pitching” others on their products and services. And if they are willing to do this 150 – 200 times, chances are that they’ll make a sale or two.

What a waste. There are two problems here:

  1. If you sell one person out of 150, you’ve alienated the other 149 people forever. Not good.
  2. The people you most want to do business with won’t respond to this approach.

If pitching people is the only sales tool you’ve got, it’s time get some new tools.

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Comments

2 Responses to “The Sales Pitch, Take 1”

  1. Mike on September 24th, 2009 8:52 am

    Great analogy and so true. Curious to see how you’d “qualify” those cold calls…

  2. Jefferson on January 12th, 2010 4:35 pm

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    I dont agree with these 2 premises, but I understand that you are simplifying.

    If I make a cold call to a company or person that is not interested…how am I ‘allienating them forever?’ If the prospect is not a viable prosepct, I dont WANT to call them again (hardly alienating) and if the prospect IS a viable prospect, then I’ll be back in touch with an offer more geared to their specific needs.

    The people I most want to do business with may or may not respond to this approach. No matter what your marketing methods are, it starts with the candidate not knowing anything about you and you trying to get them interested. Be it a call, a postcard, a TV ad whatever…you have to make the first move.

    No one RELISHES making 150 cold calls a day (well…I’m sure someone, somewhere does…) but in my career I HAVE formed successful, profitable business relationships from them. And in some other cases I did not close a sale but I gained important information I needed for calling elsewhere in the market.

    Sorry..I enjoy concise blog posts, but this one was so concise that it over simplified and therefore didnt make the mark. (Just my opinion)

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