My company sells supplemental insurance products, and our customers range from entrepreneurs to professional corporate buyers. So after months and months of calling on a Joliet, IL hospital prospect, I was shocked to receive a call asking me to come immediately if I wanted to make a sale.
So finally, I got to see the inside of this buyer's office.
She pulled out an order form on one of my competitor's letterhead and handed it to me -- pricing and all. Then, the story came out.
"My husband just called me from Al's Steakhouse. He happened to be having lunch at a table next to the rep who just left my office. The rep was bragging to his manager about how he pretended to be so distraught when he gave me a price concession, but that he was also planning to switch out some of the cheaper products on our order to make more money on the discount."
I shook my head at this rep's stupidity. But then she continued.
"Since baiting and switching is a despicable practice, we won't be doing business with this rep's company. In fact, I'll be sharing this story with other the buyers I know in this hospital association, as well as members of our local community.
Would you like to handle this sale for me?"
I'd somehow gotten around all the gatekeepers and mailing literature and phone techniques -- nothing could beat the way I'd landed this new client. I was in! And I've been in ever since, for 10-plus years.
The Moral: When you've completed your pitch and the discussion with your client is finished, sometimes your reputation is all you have. Decide now that honesty and integrity are more important than commissions. In a day when ethical practices can be hard to come by, you don't want to follow the lead of the bragging rep at the restaurant. Be honest, and you will have successful sales for a long time.
Sales from the Dark Side is compiled by speaker and trainer Dan Seidman. For more tales, visit www.salesautopsy.com.
