{"id":9428,"date":"2017-04-10T08:43:03","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T06:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/passodue.flywheelsites.com\/2017\/04\/10\/present-the-offer\/"},"modified":"2020-12-09T14:47:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T13:47:03","slug":"present-the-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2017\/04\/10\/present-the-offer\/","title":{"rendered":"Nightmare salespeople: mistakes when presenting the offer"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Alice Alessandri and\u00a0Alberto Aleo<\/a><\/p>\n

\"present<\/a>Having analyzed mistakes in receiving<\/a> and<\/strong> listening<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to customers, the time has come to address the moment when we present the offer<\/strong>. The aim of this phase is to generate the customers\u2019 interest<\/strong>, focusing their attention<\/strong> not only on the material aspects and on price,<\/strong> but also on the value of the entire offer system<\/strong> that will contribute to satisfying\u00a0 their needs<\/strong>. The moment when we present the offer<\/strong> can be delicate and it\u2019s all too easy to make a mistake, in fact we have gathered a range of cases that involve nightmare salespeople<\/strong> whose behavior undermines\u00a0 the successful outcome of even the most\u00a0 tempting offer, forcing customers to decide against a purchase which they had already chosen to make.<\/p>\n

Over-the-top or pushy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is a whole category of nightmare salespeople<\/strong> convinced that,\u00a0 rather than risk not saying enough, it is better to add a bit more when they present the offer<\/strong>. During a course we once came across a salesperson selling web services who reads out all the clauses of the contract before even explaining what he can offer his customers. Basically, he starts by setting out the rules for a relationship whose benefits<\/strong> he has yet to describe! When we suggested he should reflect on whether \u2018it would be to start by illustrating what\u00a0 services you provide?\u2019 our pushy salesperson explained that in his view it was \u2018better to make things clear at the outset to avoid arguments later\u2019. A rather worrying viewpoint\u00a0 that will most likely put the keenest customer off making a purchase<\/strong>. This is the point: quite often salespeople themselves are so concerned about possible objections<\/strong> that they actually anticipate them or believe it is better to overwhelm the customer with technical details, so they will be too bewildered to object.
\nIn addition to those sellers who are so insecure that they then become insistent, there is another category of nightmare salespeople<\/strong> ready to push back the boundaries of reality by inventing non-existent benefits<\/strong>. Our town has a salesperson who\u2019d sell you two shoes of different sizes by arguing that\u00a0 \u2018we all have one foot larger than the other, and you can always add an insole\u2019. It sounds unlikely, but unfortunately it\u2019s true!<\/p>\n

Greedy or lazy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"pigrizia\"<\/a>What about those nightmare salespeople<\/strong> who are so reluctant to present the offer<\/strong> that their customers must wrest the information from them,\u00a0 almost as if it were a state secret?
\nThe real-estate agent who fails to send you the layout of the house you’re interested in buying,\u00a0 the saleswoman selling firewood who had to be convinced by us, her prospective customers<\/strong>, to supply our whole condo for the winter (it would have been easier to go out and chop the wood down ourselves),\u00a0 the waiter who does not inform you in advance of changes to the menu but just says \u2018Sorry, it\u2019s off\u2019 every time you make a choice and without suggesting an alternative. Sometimes it can become quite a feat to buy something!
\nWe should also mention the car salesman who when asked,\u00a0 \u2018Can we check the engine power on the brochure?\u2019 told us that no-one uses brochures nowadays because you can search the internet. When we insisted, saying \u2018So, can we take a look together?\u2019 he waved us off with a rather annoyed: \u2018You can look yourselves when you get home!\u2019 He was clearly telling us to leave, and just as we were about to finalize the details<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Unprepared or distracted<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Being able <\/strong>to sell involves not only having communication skills<\/strong> but also specific competences<\/strong> that emerge when the time comes to present the offer<\/strong>. These competences enable us to respond appropriately to the customers\u2019 needs<\/strong> (that came out earlier in the listening phase<\/strong><\/a>). Many nightmare salespeople<\/strong> think that they only need to smooth-talk their customers and add a winning smile<\/strong> to convince them to buy. A few months ago, while we were at the hairdresser\u2019s, two elegant and rather blas\u00e9 sales reps for hair products entered, and we were amazed to hear the following dialogue:<\/p>\n