Get Real Ditch the tricks and put puffery aside. According to sales expert Jacques Werth, honesty really is the best policy.
By Bill Kelley
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In his 40-plus years of selling everything from fork lifts andcars to machines used in making silicon chips, Jacques Werth hasaccomplished at least two things: He's made a lot of money andlearned a lot about sales--enough, in fact, to write a bookentitled High Probability Selling (Abba Publishing). But it'snot just Werth's experience that makes him noteworthy; it'shis revolutionary view of selling, which downplays aggressiveness,has little use for motivation and disdains even the modest use ofpuffery.
Following is an interview with Werth, who, for the past nineyears, has run High Probability Selling, a sales and marketingconsulting firm in Dresher, Pensylvania.
Bill Kelley: What is the biggest misconception concerningsales?
Jacques Werth: Most people think it's important to beaggressive in sales, but the opposite is true. Aggressivesalespeople don't deal with the world the way it is; they tryto force their way on the world. These salespeople try to convinceothers they want their product, and that whole proposition isflawed.
Kelley: Why? Most salespeople feel convincing prospectsis crucial.
Werth: It's flawed because the vast majority ofpeople resist being persuaded or manipulated. In fact, they resentit. It's far more effective to find consumers who want to buywhat you're selling and do business on the basis of mutualagreement.
Kelley: How do you do that?
Werth: By qualifying your prospects, you can quickly findout who isn't going to buy and move on, instead of trying topersuade them.
Kelley: You feel most salespeople do a poor job ofprospecting. What are they doing wrong?
Werth: They start with the wrong objective: To findpeople who are interested, get appointments and try to turn thatinterest into a need or a want. But prospects who are merelyinterested are the worst ones to have. Having an interest in aproduct is no indication that someone is going to buy it.
Kelley: You mean if I walk into a car dealership and sayI'm interested in a certain car, that's not a goodclue?
Werth: It's a good clue to the salesperson who'sbeen trained to persuade people. To him, you're a hot prospect,yet you haven't said you were going to buy a thing. You justsaid you were interested.
Kelley: In that case, according to your theory ofselling, what should a salesperson do?
Werth: Just flat out ask them if they're going tobuy. I used to own a car dealership. Typically, I'd say,"Hi, I'm Jacques Werth. I'm a salesperson here. If youwant me to show you anything in particular, that's fine. Ifyou'd rather look around and have us leave you alone,that's OK, too."
Interested prospects would say, "We're justlooking." Prospects who wanted to buy would say, "Well, Iwant this or that," and we'd continue.
Kelley: Isn't there any room in sales for persuasionor puffery?
Werth: No. We advocate "radically honestselling." Tell them the truth. Anything else, and you'remanipulating people. It's like telling a prospect you can helpgrow his or her business. That may be an off-shoot of the sale, butthe reason you want someone to buy from you is to [make money].There's nothing wrong with that.
So many sales techniques and tricks turn people off. Forexample, a salesman recently called me and used my name 22 times inabout 10 minutes. In real life, who does that? It's fake.
Kelley: Entrepreneurs are usually pretty aggressivetypes. Are they in danger of hiring the type of aggressivesalespeople you feel aren't as effective?
Werth: Yes, because [people] generally view salespeopleas aggressive or obnoxious, and when it comes time to hire one, ifthey don't know any better, that's the type they look for.Entrepreneurs could be in more danger if they're new to sales.They may feel they have to get those really aggressive typesbecause they're just staring out.
Kelley: So what should an entrepreneur look for in asalesperson?
Werth: Honest, confident people who know how to listen.They may be ebullient or quiet. It doesn't matter, if they knowhow to be truthful.
Bill Kelley is an Arcadia, California, business writer andformer editor of Sales and Marketing Managementmagazine.
Contact Source
High Probability Selling, (215) 657-0770, http://www.highprobsell.com
