Been thinking about this for a while now and it can be a controversial take, but I'm now of the opinion that you should take every sales call that comes your way.
Why?
Here's a few reasons:
1) Opportunity to learn a new sales tactic
I was recently impressed by a certain phrase a salesperson made to me the other day. It was probably the result of a whole heap of trial and error on his part. He said something to the effect of, "Can I count on you to help the foundation do XYZ?". Even though it didn't work on me, I was somewhat amused by it, and may even adopt it in my own sales process. A new tactic I learned (for free) that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
2) Opportunity to hire talent
If you constantly come into contact with skilled, persistent and friendly salespeople, you are essentially able to find the ideal employee without doing any rigorous recruiting. Getting them to join you may be the hard part, but if you can incentivize them correctly, you're effectively building the optimal sales army that you've been vetting for a prolonged period of time without even realizing it.
3) Opportunity to learn about competition
Yelp seems to do this quite often. In an attempt to make a sale, sometimes sales guys let some competitive information slip out. This may be intentional in an attempt to have you jump on the bandwagon or capitalize on F.O.M.O. (if your competitors are indeed using their solution), but this free data can help you get a leg up on the competition or devise a strategy against such action. If you were to wait to find out such information on the open marketplace, it may already be too late to respond to.
4) Opportunity to make money
When I was running a few retail stores, salespeople would always call with an offer of value - whether it be a software solution, an industry-specific product, or something of that nature. As an expert in your field, you should be able to weigh up the pros, cons, and what impact it could have on your business. Sometimes, the product is inferior. In other instances, it could be a gamechanger, providing the opportunity to boost revenue and gain market share as an early adopter and first mover of the product. However, you’d never know unless you entertain the call in the first place.
Hope that helps.
Rant over.
Why?
Here's a few reasons:
1) Opportunity to learn a new sales tactic
I was recently impressed by a certain phrase a salesperson made to me the other day. It was probably the result of a whole heap of trial and error on his part. He said something to the effect of, "Can I count on you to help the foundation do XYZ?". Even though it didn't work on me, I was somewhat amused by it, and may even adopt it in my own sales process. A new tactic I learned (for free) that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
2) Opportunity to hire talent
If you constantly come into contact with skilled, persistent and friendly salespeople, you are essentially able to find the ideal employee without doing any rigorous recruiting. Getting them to join you may be the hard part, but if you can incentivize them correctly, you're effectively building the optimal sales army that you've been vetting for a prolonged period of time without even realizing it.
3) Opportunity to learn about competition
Yelp seems to do this quite often. In an attempt to make a sale, sometimes sales guys let some competitive information slip out. This may be intentional in an attempt to have you jump on the bandwagon or capitalize on F.O.M.O. (if your competitors are indeed using their solution), but this free data can help you get a leg up on the competition or devise a strategy against such action. If you were to wait to find out such information on the open marketplace, it may already be too late to respond to.
4) Opportunity to make money
When I was running a few retail stores, salespeople would always call with an offer of value - whether it be a software solution, an industry-specific product, or something of that nature. As an expert in your field, you should be able to weigh up the pros, cons, and what impact it could have on your business. Sometimes, the product is inferior. In other instances, it could be a gamechanger, providing the opportunity to boost revenue and gain market share as an early adopter and first mover of the product. However, you’d never know unless you entertain the call in the first place.
Hope that helps.
Rant over.
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