Avoiding techniques that salespeople use
There are soft sells and hard sells, active sells and passive sells but one thing is sure - if you are buying a consumer durable, financial product or even a bar of chocolate, then you are being sold to.
Fair enough, you say. I want to buy stuff. So what are the advanced sales techniques and dirty sales tricks that salespeople use to close the sale, and to make you buy and spend more. Fore-armed you SHOULD be able to keep more of your cash in your pocket and only buy the things you need. We’re not going to lecture you on the power of advertising - only you can decide where what you ‘want’ blurs into what you ‘need’, but we can clue you in on some of the instore techniques that have been honed to perfection over the last 50 years or so.
First understand that every sale relies on a variation of AIDA. No, it’s not an opera, rather an acronym standing for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. This is the classic sales structure that all salespeople have used on us since the 1950s. The attention bit is usually the advertisement that draws you into the store. The seller then builds interest by telling you how superior this or that car, MP3 player or washing machine is to any other on the market - and how it will change your life! Desire is then stoked up by a test drive, or a demonstration of all its whizzy new features.
This leaves us with ACTION. The close in other words. This is where they get their hands on your money. The close is the heart of the sale - the ability of the salesperson to confidently ask you for your money, knowing that you are so sold on the product that you won’t be able to say ‘no’. This can, in fact, come at ANY point in the sale if the salesperson thinks you’re already hooked. Another abbreviation hammered into these guys is ABC - it stands for always be closing; one of many successful sales techniques. And there are as many closes as brands of washing powder.
The important thing to remember is that you don’t NEED to buy anything. You ALWAYS have the option to walk away from a pitch, no matter how much time you or the salesperson has invested in it. Some of us, having endured a 20-minute demonstration of all the features of a new car feel embarrassed or guilty at saying ‘No thanks’. There are many of us who’ve walked away from a showroom having inked a contract and thinking ‘I didn’t want to do that’. Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault for being polite though we would recommend some assertiveness training. DO REMEMBER that you have a 10-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Credit Act. So WHATEVER credit agreement you’ve signed, look at it in the cool light of day - then cancel it if you wish.
It might be an idea to avoid high-pressure sales environments. You decide you need a new stereo? Go to an online store such as Amazon and research various models. Look at the features, the respective prices, work out what you need and what you don’t. Take time over it. You should get a very solid idea of what you really need. You may even decide you don’t actually NEED it at all, but can get a cheaper model or make do with what you’ve got.
The only sales pitch you’re having to endure online is a list of the features - no pressure involved. Make yourself the boss of the process. Don’t watch TV ads, chuck away junk mail you receive, and terminate sales phone calls before they get into their stride. YOU have to be in control here.
Read consumer reports on the item you’re planning on buying. Online reviews are particularly good here - again I’d point to the peer reviews on Amazon. What you have to remember here is the salesperson’s key tool when getting to the close. It’s called ‘overcoming objections’. Pretty self explanatory really. You’re standing in the electrical showroom giving reasons why you can’t afford it, can’t decide or plain don’t want it. But a good salesperson will smoothly and confidently demolish your objections one at a time.
He’ll show you how much cheaper the item is than the competition. He’ll even show you how it will only cost you pennies a day. This is a common technique for reducing the apparent cost of extended warranties on consumer goods. For instance - a warranty on your £30 MP3 player will only cost you 4p a day. Whip out the calculator and you find that swiftly adds up to £15 a year. Remember it’s the FINAL cost of the debt that matters - not how cheap it is each week. That’s how you end up with debt and credit card problems.
He’ll tell you that the price is going up tomorrow, that it’s the last one in stock. So what? You don’t NEED it anyway. The figures and the sales pitch are designed to bamboozle, to make you feel unsure - this is where forearming yourself with figures is useful. One of my pet hates is the door to door sales techniques from the power companies. They WILL be able to demonstrate that their electricity or gas provider is cheaper than your current one, and you will become unsure of your ground. On the other hand, they COULD persuade you with their figures that black is white and the earth is flat. Just say NO!
If you still resist they may negotiate on price. That’s great - if you’ve already decided how much you wanted to pay. But remember - the automotive sales techniques of the car salesmen usually have a discount pre-decided, which they can toss in to sway tricky customers. If you’ve already been to a website that’s on YOUR SIDE, such as WhatCAR, you’ll have established a target price to pay - not just the headline list price. Remember - it’s your money. Hang onto it! I’ve put some links at walletwatchershow.com, with some of the WORST and most questionable sales tactics and ripoffs. Trust me - you’ll be shocked!
Tags: successful sales techniques, sales techniques, dirty sales tricks, advanced sales techniques
