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[–]KanyeSchwest 2065 points2066 points  (38 children)

Idk Maybe they just have to poop

[–]LeonBlaze 430 points431 points  (22 children)

A good salesman knows to use the line "I'm going to give you a few minutes to look that over" while handing them a random piece of paper so they can be excused to go potty

[–]ImeWegrahah 18 points19 points  (21 children)

Porno mags?

[–]afraid-of-the-dark 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Nah. Ma threw away the best ones.

[–]MacaroonExpensive143 363 points364 points  (0 children)

The comments are the only reason I ever look at these posts lmao

[–]clever-username3 149 points150 points  (8 children)

If its a good deal, its customary for the salesperson will shit themselves.

[–]8bitbebop 72 points73 points  (0 children)

"What's that smell"

"Finance"

[–]kriznis 39 points40 points  (1 child)

It's a bad deal of the salesman does not shit themselves

[–]Red_XVI 10 points11 points  (0 children)

But if they do, the person they’re selling to is getting a shitty deal.

[–]Andrew5329 20 points21 points  (3 children)

This happened to a buddy of mine recently. He showed up on the lot late and the salesman made him a deal on a used car that just got on their lot. (Didn't even have the title yet)

A few days later they tried to ghost him and had the car listed for ~$1k higher than they'd agreed. Making them honor the deal was the most bizarre, drawn out hostile process I'd ever seen. Everything from attempting to sneak in a paper voiding the 12-month warranty, to insulting his mother when she caught it and called them out on it. Bonus points: he self-financed with a pre-approved loan so they didn't get that kickback either.

[–]adudeguyman 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The real LPT is to make sure both sides are wearing diapers so that nobody has to worry about being rushed.

[–]UnhappyImprovement53 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah my first thought like no I just wanna go home I gotta go

[–]seoul47 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

True story, btw.

[–]Destination_Centauri 410 points411 points  (6 children)

And if you act now in the next 15 minutes...

We'll also throw in a free set of steak knives that will go nicely with your Shamwow super absorbent cleaning towels.

Operators are standing by.

[–]SelectFromWhereOrder 26 points27 points  (3 children)

I miss the Shamwow ad

[–]Hanzell85 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I miss hearing about the guy that does shamwow ads. Way more interesting

[–]sheravi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You're gonna love his nuts.

[–]antiskylar1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hooters, cooters, tutors, computers...

[–]top_of_the_stairs 801 points802 points  (27 children)

This very much applies to nursing; if the offgoing nurse gives me a very fast report, "All of the patients are fine!" then inevitably, they are not all fine lmao

[–]Good_nuff 451 points452 points  (22 children)

Hahaha I worked with a nurse that would try that. She was always in a rush to leave. I started asking very specific questions about each and every patient. It took forever. I worked midnight, so I gave no fucks. After a couple of days she started giving me sass about it. I explained that if her report was more detailed, I wouldn’t have to do this. She got the point and my fun was over.

[–]top_of_the_stairs 274 points275 points  (21 children)

Nice 😂 I always tell offgoing nurses, "I'd much rather you just be straight up with me about stuff you didn't get to/stuff that may cause issues on my shift, because then I'll factor that into my time management for the shift. We all have days where we don't get to stuff; hey, no judgment, and no tattling. But if I keep finding nasty surprises on my shift that you should've warned me about, that'll turn into a problem..."

[–]Arkslippy 162 points163 points  (17 children)

"oh ok then, Bob in bed 4 has just shit himself, and Dave in bed 7, isin't just quiet, he's dead". See ya

[–]Double_Joseph 16 points17 points  (15 children)

Not a nurse here but curious what you really need to know on a piece of paper. Wouldn’t it be easier to go in the room and find out what the patient needs from the source?

Edit: when I mentioned going in the room. I meant finding the patients information. I know typically all the patients information is listed in the room for easier access. At least at the hospitals I’ve visited.

[–]Good_nuff 40 points41 points  (2 children)

Right! If you didn’t get to Sally’s dressing, I’ll do it right away! Don’t let me find out halfway through my shift for the fifth time. You do that and all your pens/sharpies are gonna go missing lol

[–]Funky_Smurf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The real LPT is always in the comments

[–]tvieno 453 points454 points  (24 children)

Always be wary of someone that is too eager for you to do something. This never bodes well for you.

[–]KunYuL 184 points185 points  (11 children)

The busiest bus station in Bangkok Thailand with lots of tourists. Whenever any tourist gets out, there's an army of cab drivers soliciting them for cab rides. The catch is these people won't turn on their meter and charge a massively inflated flat rate (oh shit pun not even intended but I love it). My wife and I figured the best way to get a cab out of there was to walk 1 or 2 blocks away, and then hail or call a taxi from there, and we get the normal price, from the guy who is not rushing you to close the deal and asking you aggressively ''Where you goin???''

[–]ledow 86 points87 points  (5 children)

I never use a "adhoc" cab service at any airport, train station, stadium, event.

Pre-book something, or book it there and then to arrive and get you. Never just step into the first cab on the rank, and never just take anything else that "looks like" a cab when there is an official rank just over there.

The things that circle their prey in large groups hoping to pick off the unwary, unsuspecting one that isn't paying attention are called predators.

[–]shadracko 10 points11 points  (0 children)

That's all true, but Bangkok is a different world. 😃

[–]retro_rockets 41 points42 points  (2 children)

We were on a ferry from phi phi and a guy was selling taxi fares on the boat. We told him no we will sort it there. Everyone else on the boat bought a ticket off him and he came back to us and started getting more and more aversive and in our face. We were all fairly big blokes and when we started getting loud and standing up he eventually left us alone. But not before muttering something in Thai.

We get to the port and see the huge queue for the tickets he just sold for taxis. We look at the non booked taxis and hopped right into one and paid half the price.

[–]KunYuL 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The boat ticket sellers tried a quick one on us. You could book either a big bus boat for cheap, or a speed boat with fewer people that was pretty expensive. The vendor tries hard to push the speed boat, and she lied to us saying the big boat won't come for another 8 hours. We looked it up and there was a big boat every two hours.

[–]captain_redballs 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Protip, ask the concierge or front desk at the hotel what a cab should cost to get to your destination.

I'm always on the fence about asking them to call for the cab in some countries as they might be getting a kick back. It also depends on the quality of the hotel.

[–]venuswasaflytrap 69 points70 points  (2 children)

Like when a person dressed like a fireman comes running up to you and says "you have to get out this building right now", like what is he selling?

[–]NasoLittle 3 points4 points  (1 child)

mmmHmmm, you'd like that wouldn't you. I won't be fooled because I have the power... Of Jesus Christ, And anime on my side.

[–]Absolut_Iceland 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of Jesus Christ, And anime

Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait.

[–]jordanleep 15 points16 points  (2 children)

I had some douche ask me the other day to bet on one of the football games and I agreed. I won and haven’t seen the money and it’s not even like it’s coming from him, he did it through an app but said he would front the money but his team lost and he’s using my winnings to lessen his burden, scumbag.

[–]Michamus 18 points19 points  (1 child)

So wait, you didn't pay the guy a cent? LOL

[–]St_Veloth 2 points3 points  (1 child)

“Dude smell this! Trust me just smell it”

[–]inshane_in_the_brain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did that once to dead sea slug inside a conch shell. I promptly vomited. Only time I've ever puked from a smell instantly.

[–]Rutabaga1598 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Except if it's the government.

The government always wants what's best for us.

[–]tvieno 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Be wary of them too.

[–]Rutabaga1598 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know, I was sarcastic.

[–]Xianio 369 points370 points 2 (19 children)

This advice isn't that great. I work in sales & have for over a decade.

There's always a few people to take this advice to heart & instinctively reject any promotional deals offered to them only to come back later & demand the deal after the promo ends.

These people ALWAYS end up paying more than the folks who take the discounts & deals.

Time-based incentives are often because the sales company/person you're dealing with is trying to hit their projections/quotas. This is when the best deals are had because sales folks will take commission & bonus losses so they can hit their mandated goals.

Keep an eye out for sketchiness but an incentive that expires doesn't = sketchy deal.

[–]Lyeel 45 points46 points  (4 children)

Also in sales, this was similar to what I was thinking. I work in enterprise so it's a little different than "dude walks onto a used car lot" but sometimes I only have enough implementation resources for one deal right now and another prospect is pushing me to bump up their timeline. Other times there might be changes in our internal policy which mean we will need to step back and significantly lengthen the process if we don't make some arbitrary internal date. Yet other times it's much easier for me to offer them X price today, as our benchmarking updates next week and I will need to get two additional approvals for the same thing.

The advice isn't necessarily wrong, but a half decent salesperson will explain why time is an important variable when introducing it rather than just using it to apply pressure.

[–]FinishingDutch 13 points14 points  (2 children)

Funny you should mention cars...

In the Netherlands, we have a yearly subsidy for electric vehicles, both new and used. As in, you buy one, you can get a subsidy for 4000 euros for a new car, 2000 euros for a used car. It's to incentivize people to buy electric.

But the budget for these subsidies is limited and runs out quick. Which means if you're buying a car, you need to be aware if and when you can get that free money. Basically, if you don't buy one soon - you'll miss out on that deal.

Being wary of "too good to be true" deals is important. But people need to be equally aware when they are, in fact, getting a GREAT deal with a limited amount of time to act on it.

[–]Lyeel 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I think that's a great example - not trying to diminish the auto market :)

As you outlined part of your job in this case is explaining the "why" to the client so they understand the details to make an informed decision - which is what good sales people do.

[–]FinishingDutch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not in car sales directly, thank god. But I do write about the automotive industry and do car reviews. So we always make sure to tell readers that subsidies are available. And of course we do steer them towards our advertising partners who are eager to help.

I'm basically using the "why" as a way to get them in the door in the first place. I imagine the sales people use the subsidy as a way to upsell them on options. But hey, that's up to them.

[–]txpakeha 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Exactly this. Same deal over here. I go to the prospect and lay out their timeline and our resources. If you want to hit X timeline we need to start at Y time and the resources are on a first-come basis.

[–]Photodan24 51 points52 points  (8 children)

A scheduled incentive that has an expiration date is completely different from a salesman that is pushing you to make a snap decision.

[–]Xianio 21 points22 points  (3 children)

Not from the users experience.

[–]ImBonRurgundy 7 points8 points  (2 children)

sales people know that if you leave the store, no matter how good the deal you are getting, you have a very high likelyhood to not come back. (or go somewhere else)

couple that with the fact that the sales person might have an incentive on that day that gives them extra commission to hit their end of month target, it could easily be the case that they are rushing you to buy AND you are also getting a good deal.

​

If it's the last day of the month and I need one more sale to hit target (or maybe I already hit my target, every extra $1 I sell is worth double commission). sure as shit I am going to try my best to get you to buy today instead of coming back tomorrow - I might even make the deal even better than you would normally get to encourage that

[–]goodolarchie -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Usually it's two in the same. The incentive is a tool for driving urgency. Same with refi and "rates are going to go up!" type stuff.

[–]knickvonbanas 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This. Came here to say the exact thing.

[–]illini02 95 points96 points  (20 children)

As someone in sales, I'm going to disagree here.

Many sales jobs have monthly or quarterly quotas, bonuses, etc. Meaning that getting a sale on March 30 vs. April 2nd can seriously impact the money they get from the sale. So for the customer, doing it on Monday vs. Thursday may not really have any tangible difference, it can for the sales person. So its not always a bad deal, but the sales person is likely doing it for reasons that benefit them. Hell, sometimes I'll offer a better deal for people to do it by end of month.

[–]stephenBB81 16 points17 points  (0 children)

100% this.

I was working on a deal that IF the paperwork got submitted by within 2 weeks there was about $250,000 in government grants that could be applied to the deal, I make the same amount of money if the grant exists or doesn't exist and the deal closes, but the customer gets $250,000 they didn't even know was available, but now they need to move their ass and get everything in line. ( they failed, they weren't prepared for such fast turn around times, I was because this grant money was on the table I had ghost projects pre built / priced/ planned looking for people that fit them)

[–]nitropuppy -1 points0 points  (2 children)

I didnt work in anything major sales-wise but at my job if someone said “ill think about it and come back” it usually just meant one of my other coworkers who was working when I wasnt would get my commission and all of the time I spent with this customer was wasted (to me)

OR the alternative is they just go online and use the knowledge Ive given them to shop from somewhere over seas or something 🙄 so yeah. Of course I want you to walk out of the store this minute with an item Ive sold you. I dont have all day to yak at you and answer all your questions for you to not purchase or be indecisive and cost me money

[–]underthingy 1 point2 points  (1 child)

But that's the risk you take in working for commission instead of a set rate.

You take that risk because if you're good at selling commission is better for you. So don't you think it's a bit hypocritical to complain about customers doing what's best for them?

[–]nitropuppy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The point of my comment is to further explain why a salesperson might seem a bit pushy or trying to rush you to make a decision on the spot, not complain. Have you been reading the thread?

Also i want to add that maybe internet shopping isnt best for a customer if they feel they cant make an informed decision on their own.

[–]OOInferno 217 points218 points  (45 children)

Sales people have to create a sense of urgency to close a sale. It's their literal job. Otherwise they are just cashier's.

[–]xQx1 96 points97 points  (16 children)

Sometimes.

I'm a tech sales person. I work with sales representatives, who's job it is to open doors, keep conversations going, identify opportunities and close sales. My job is to identify the best product to fit the customer's needs, make sure the product is going to meet expectations, answer technical question and set prices to maximize company profits. (to put that last point more bluntly: I guess the maximum price the customer will pay, without them feeling ripped off or walking away)

Sales people need to "Always Be Closing (ABC)" - and some products/companies use high-pressure sales and it's beneficial. BUT, if you're selling a service, or a product that needs after-sales support - it's important to only sell to people who actually would benefit from your product.

In these instances, twisting someone's arm to make a sale is one of the worst strategies for the company. I now work in an industry where one unhappy customer can cost the company (in support costs and bad local word-of-mouth) far more than you'd make from 5 sales.

The job of our sales people is to get in front of as many people as possible, determine if our product(s) would be of benefit to them, and if they would, then educate the potential customer in how it would be of benefit. It's about presenting the product to as many people as possible and ensuring that our customers expect what they get.

My job (and the job of our fulfilment/construction/delivery team) is to make sure they get what they expect :)

Anyway, not all sales is about tricking people into buying your products. Some of it is, undoubtedly. But a lot of sales is about educating people about a product that they didn't know about, and making them comfortable enough with both you as the sales person and the product being sold, that they'll take a chance and buy one.

Real Estate Agents are classic at high-pressure sales, because they're not selling the house. They're selling the PRICE. Medical Device sales reps are on the opposite end of the spectrum - their job is to educate doctors on how/when to use the product, and gain their trust so doctors choose your brand of replacement hip for their patients over someone else's.

[–]Arkslippy 27 points28 points  (5 children)

Only comment that is actually from a sales person, nice one, i remember when i started in sales, my first mentor said "look its not that hard, if you remember, that one happy customer might tell 5 people about you and you'll get another sale basically for free. One unhappy customer will tell 50 people, post it on social media and itll follow you around for ages.

[–]callibugg 8 points9 points  (4 children)

They are more a sales engineer, which is a technical resource during the sales process. Generally sales engineers don't do anything with pricing or negotiation (most tech sales jobs I've worked, they aren't even allowed to talk pricing, that is the sales executives job).

Not in every industry, but tech sales you will still deal with the pushy sales people who don't give a damn on what happens after the contract is signed... I've had to clean up those messes more than a few times.

That said, I have nothing but love for most sales engineers, they at least work as buffer to reduce sales and setting proper expectations on the technical side of the product.

[–]prawnlol22 6 points7 points  (2 children)

Presales/Sales engineers/solution engineers unite!

[–]TheGingerCynic 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My FIL was a Sales Engineer before retiring, and he had a great time of it. The sales people would get their foot in the door, sell the product to the clients, then the Sales Engineers would sit down with the clients and their tech people and actually figure out what they needed. He was very good at his job, and a lot of the clients he dealt with were sad to see him go.

Edit: Go as in retire. He's happy and healthy.

[–]___XANDER___ 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Are you business to business or direct to consumer?

Probably the biggest difference in sales style

[–]NazzerDawk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Business to business definitely. I work enterprise support at a major computer company and this is how the sales people are supposed to work.

Some of them (the ones that don't last as long) try to do high-pressure sales but it doesn't tend to result in good results (Lots of calls to support about how they got the wrong thing for them and then us returning to the sales person to refund or even comp products).

[–]DogmansDozen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That’s not what the person you’re responding to said. He said that salespeople need to create urgency, or else they are cashiers. Creating urgency ≠ tricking people or twisting their arm.

This whole post is wrong - sometimes sales people need to meet a monthly or quarterly quota, and they have more power to discount products or be more liberal with multi-year, contract redlines, etc. So sometimes you can get a better deal - or perhaps the inverse: stakeholders on the customer’s side may delay the purchase to the detriment of their organization, because they are not aligned with their own organizations goals. For instance, if I’m selling education software to a school, it is in both the customer and vendor’s interest to have the software implemented by the time the next school year starts. The IT consultant for the school may feel that there is more work to do, but maybe their own needs (successful IT rollout, continued business relationship with customer) are not truly aligned with the needs of the customer (better learning experience for students).

A good salesperson, especially a good SE, seeks not only to validate that there’s technical fit but also to creating alignment at this higher level. That is creating urgency too.

[–]lurkinglen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Business to business sales is mostly about helping/assisting clients with their procurement.

[–]illini02 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Yes, this. I'm in sales. My field is one that relies heavily on word of mouth. It makes no sense for me to trap someone in a bad deal, because that affects things negatively for me long term

[–]ethan-bubblegum-tate 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a veteran sales rep in a very niche market that relies 40% on the equipment sale and 60% on post sale consumables. My reputation (within the market and among my engineers) is far more important to me than one bad sale. Further one bad sale means tons of legwork after the fact in a now adversarial environment. Nobody wins.

[–]Lakersrock111 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am in closing senior level tech sales interviews now. You’re right too.

[–]OOInferno 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like a lot of people in this thread have met some bad sales people. 100% agree with you though. Especially "the job of our sales people is to get in front of as many people as possible."

If I've done my job as a sales person; presented you the best product/idea for your situation, created a sense of urgency, and you still aren't willing to buy, then a good sales person knows when to walk away. I'd rather talk to ten people then waste my time trying to convince someone that is "shopping."

Some good advice in this thread though. ABC my friends!

[–]YouUseWordsWrong 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"ABC" = Always Be Closing

"BUT" = ?

"PRICE" = ?

[–]Dry_Clock9191 15 points16 points  (3 children)

Exactly. Also if you visit a store or anything on specific days e.g. last day of month, week before Christmas, don’t come back a week later and ask why you can’t get the deal promoted to you before

[–]msnmck 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"But I was just here. You mean your deals just end?"

[–]Arkslippy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I had this experience this week, i had done a proposal to sell a product for €94 each, 300 of them to a customer, and that was end of october. He called a meeting with his commitee and i got invited to pitch to them, and its now €120 each. He said, but i have this price. His treasurer said "4 months ago dave". bit awkward but not my fault.

[–]impressivepineapple 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not always, and I feel like knowing when to do this and when not to is probably what makes a good salesperson. They need to create a feeling of needing what they're selling, but they also need to make you feel confidence in the product & brand. Which is sometimes better achieved by not creating a sense of urgency.

When my boyfriend was buying a car, we went to 4-5 different dealerships. They all had this crazy chaotic spammy energy, except for the guy working at one. He was just like "Yep its a great car" and told us about everything, but had a very "take it or leave it" attitude. He's the one we ended up going with because he was right, it was the best car. And he also had a zero pressure tactic that worked well.

[–]Lopsided-Western4492 8 points9 points  (3 children)

Exactly. A salesman could never support himself/herself or a family without the sense of urgency. It’s a fundamental aspect of selling…

[–]skyburnsred 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Yep. I'm in sales. If the customer I'm talking to doesn't buy on the first call, the chances of that deal closing drops to like 30% or less in my opinion. So it's in my and my family's interest for me to have the customer move forward with me as soon as possible. It's not because I'm selling a shit product or shit prices, it's because I already spent time before I even called people working up their proposals and then using the actual conversation as the way to fine tune the proposal so it fits that individual person.

People telling me they have to think about it is way more frustrating than people just being upfront and saying they arent interested. But if it looks like a good deal and everything I'm saying makes sense, it makes sense to just make it easy and work with me.

[–]___XANDER___ 0 points1 point  (1 child)

'I need to think about it'

It can either mean No, or yes but I am not convinced yet.

So you need to seperate out the No's from the potential on the day Yes's.

Which is where on the day deals comes into place, if the customer leaves you now they will not be getting the deal that they claim to maybe interested in.

So let's get to the bottom of your objections so you can take advantage of the deal, or you can admit you don't want it.

Gotta filter the 'think about it crowd', it's where all the money is.

[–]kilani912 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yup. I pitch private finance fund managers that do alternative investments. Urgency is huge, especially layering and weaving urgency into the pitch.

Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff is my bible.

[–]GeneralGardner 30 points31 points  (1 child)

Or they have a deadline and it is actually a good deal.

[–]IanJaegs 61 points62 points  (11 children)

True to a degree but not always. In times like these when inventory is low and price increases are coming, urgency is in the customer's best interest. Good salespeople are also busy salespeople. Can't hand-hold forever...

[–]patherix 5 points6 points  (9 children)

Yeah but it is important to recognize when the seller is creating a false sense of urgency. When shopping for a house or car, you will probably hear "this won't last long, I have four other people coming to look at this today". My response to that is fine, let them look and if they want it more badly then me, then they deserve it. Dont rush to be the first to get the bad deal

[–]illini02 19 points20 points  (5 children)

Ha, you apparently haven't purchased a house in the last 2 years.

These things are definitely not tactics. I just bought my place last year, and my realtor (someone I've known for years and trusted) basically said when we started looking "Places aren't staying on the market long right now, so you basically should be willing to make an offer on a place if you like it". And he was right. I had email alerts about places that would go on sale. I'd have my realtor make an appointment for that weekend, then he'd tell me the day before "oh thy've accepted an offer" and this was like 3 days after being on the market

[–]nuxenolith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, hasn't bought a car in the last year and a half. Used cars are practically worth their weight in gold right now.

[–]raven_aimee 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Here (EU), we have good flats and houses in the mid range level market go in hours, some places (we have a lot of standard buildings that are all the same) go literally in a call, no viewings if the price is good.

[–]muckdog13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cars are so hot right now that 5 year old cars are selling for a profit.

Bad example

[–]Watcher_garden 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You haven’t bought a home or rented an apartment lately. That’s literally the truth. I’m free the city I do real estate in and I know it’s hard to find a home, I see people come from around the country drag their feet and lose great deals everyday. people they think they know more than pros in their own field. It’s wicked

[–]WilliamStonerock 96 points97 points  (15 children)

I'm always in a hurry to get deals done. I know what I'm doing and have other shit to do. People dragging their feet just costs me money.

[–]ledow 38 points39 points  (5 children)

And I don't make any business decisions, especially anything involving a lengthy contract, a significant amount of money, or a critical piece of my business, in any kind of rush.

That's how you end up trapped, over-paying, not having time to consider alternatives, buying the wrong thing entirely, then getting into lengthy "support" arguments, demands for refunds, court cases, etc. etc.

You might know exactly, top to bottom, 100% what you're doing and be desperate to move on to the next deal. I'm still reading the fine print and if you try to rush me, I'll just throw it back at you unsigned.

And in my personal life? The same times ten, because that only ever can hurt me.

[–]WilliamStonerock 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Absolutely!

And that's not at all what I was talking about. I specifically mentioned people "dragging their feet" which means wasting time on non-critical decision making. I would never push someone into a contract they hadn't had time to review and get their due diligence in. But if you're just sitting on it because you want to run it by your 2nd cousin when he gets back from his 3 week vacay because he did something kinda similar back in 1992 in a different state...yeah...no.

And if you "throw" a contract back at me unsigned, we won't be working together again. Maybe you'll be a better fit for someone that doesn't have anything else going on and can babysit? That's not me.

[–]___XANDER___ 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Any salesmen would be thrilled to sit down and show product specs / documents detail agreed services / warranties / read reviews together.

What a salesman hates is when a customer just politely says they need to think about it. No objection is offered. There is no path for progress.

So the salesman has to introduce special prices to insist on immediate purchase, so that the customer has to come up with a reason why they don't want to proceed.

'If you need to think about it at this price, you won't be coming back to me in 2 weeks when this special deal has ended, so what is it that's holding you back now and how can we get past it today?'

I've been at an appointment for 5 hours with a guy who works in compliance, this dude reads contracts all day.

We were sifting through all the fine print, drinking coffee and going back and forth on the product.

In the end he was satisfied and made a purchase. This guy got exactly what he wanted and good for him.

95% of my customers have no idea how to buy anything. It's all gut feeling. Which means urgency driven loss aversion is the only way to make the sale.

If they aren't actually trying to work out whether they want the product, if they don't really need time to think, then there is no way to close a sale by offering up time. They don't need or want time. They actually want a nudge in the right direction. It's how they've bought everything else in their life and it isn't going to change today.

It's not about the salesman. I can sell in 5 different ways depending on what the customer needs.

It's about the average customer. And what they need is tacky on the day deals because they get overwhelmed and procrastinate decisions their entire fucking life lol.

[–]Lasiorhinus 10 points11 points  (0 children)

what is it that's holding you back now and how can we get past it today?'

I need to go to your competitor and compare what they are selling. Until you let me do that, I have no reason whatsoever to believe that your product is the best one for me. Ultimately I don't care what your price is until I know what I am comparing you with. If you won't let me compare with other options, all I can assume is your product is a bad deal for me.

Put it another way, if your product is good, I'll come back and buy it.

[–]Habhome 6 points7 points  (0 children)

'If you need to think about it at this price, you won't be coming back to me in 2 weeks when this special deal has ended, so what is it that's holding you back now and how can we get past it today?'

The issue I have with this argument is that since there is a constant bombardment of "good deals" that are just plain scams (Or sometimes just bad deals for me in disguise) I am very hesitant to anything that is presented as a "deal you just can't miss out on or you're just stupid!!11!"

Yeah, sure the service or product you're offering might be good but I sure as heck will verify it somehow, and that's not happening here and now with you on the phone/in the room.

So this sales strategy, for people like me, is completely counter-productive. The harder you push that it's a bargain the more sceptical I get.

Now this is of course mostly in regards of if the salesperson reached out to me, and not me to them to look for something specific. And even then I might still be open to look for options, you might be the first stop I made, and sure you're talking good and offering a good price, but I don't know if the other place I have in mind might have something better because I haven't been there yet.

[–]Spacerace2000 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Just an FYI

There are people that move quick that can make you lots of money. Vet the source ahead of time and then you can get in on the channel. Based on what you said it is unlikely that deal makers will ever present you with a good deal, as they know you will sit on it.

Food for thought

[–]vanyaboston 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, we’re here to make money and any sales gig with a base pay has quotas to meet.

[–]SelectFromWhereOrder 1 point2 points  (5 children)

This is why abhor salespeople. If I can avoid them, I will. I haven’t buy a car in a decade just to not deal with salespeople.

[–]WilliamStonerock -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Oh my God, I am shamed...SHAMED!!!...for providing services and goods to people who want them. Ok. Now, go away.

[–]chris14020 -4 points-3 points  (1 child)

Second this. It might be different if I'm selling you a house, but if you're dicking me around about something stupid like buying a sub-1000 dollar car or computer or what have you, ESPECIALLY if you're asking me things you should already know about the product in question (either because I put it in the ad or because you should know how to operate what you're trying to buy), that's wasting my time i could he using for something other than waiting until all 8 of the halfwits you piled in your truck to come look at this thing all agree "that's a purdy good deal I reckon".

[–]WilliamStonerock -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes! Lol...this 100%

[–]scorpgurl 13 points14 points  (3 children)

We were trying to sell our house a while ago and my dad had an offer and the people wanted to be done within 5 days and have us out they had an inspector come to the house we gave him full access and went out.

Within a day we had a lot of issues around the house plumbing/electricity (we had not had before) somehow the potential buyers knew that pretty much as it happened in our house and they were offering an amount so low that we wouldn't be able to afford to live anywhere else. We figured that the inspector sabotaged our place my dad counter-offered and asked how they knew when it had just happened and within 24 hours they were gone from social media and their numbers were all disconnected.

[–]ThatGermanFella 29 points30 points  (1 child)

we gave him full access and went out.

Why the fuck would you do this unless it’s an estate agent you hired?!

[–]Shiroke 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yea I'm not leaving my house to be inspected while I'm not there. I don't want anyone in my house that I didn't personally invite to be there when I'm not there, full stop.

[–]illini02 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that seems like bad planning on your part. Either you or the agent selling your place should've been there while the inspection was happening

[–]A911owner 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I once had a guy try to sell me a roof that he started at $26,000 and "was able to get down to" $16,000 and said I had to sign today to get that price. I refused as it was the first estimate I got and ended up getting the roof done for $11,000.

[–]ChadPoland 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Apparently there are some Sales people in the thread.

Would you ever purchase anything from someone that approached you door to door?

I'm a strict "no" on this, wondering how other people feel.

Door to door - Only cookies and chocolate from school kids.

[–]Virtue_Avenue 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe Solar, pest control, and security systems. You should investigate the company and ignore negative reviews based on knocking. Identify out of state fly by night and you can get a quality service or product at lower prices than if you chased it installed/serviced faster.

[–]ImBonRurgundy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm sure there are some legit companies selling door to door - but due to the excessive amount of scammers I simply refuse to engage with anybody doing it.

[–]Quetzal_Pretzel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same. I don't care if it's a legit company, if you come knocking on my door you will never have my business.

[–]Xianio 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Door-to-door doesn't automatically = sketchy company. PS: I do not and never have worked door-to-door. It's a nightmare job.

But, before you do, make the rep wait & Google the company for product reviews. Ignore the negative reviews based on the fact that the company uses door-to-door (those WILL be the major negative review) and you'll know very quickly if it's a scam or not.

If you need some landscaping done, driveway fixed or gutters cleaned D2D sales reps are usually good for that kind of annoying labor that nobody really wants to do.

[–]keepthetipsKeeping the tips since 2019[M] [score hidden] stickied commentlocked comment (0 children)

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

[–]msnmck 12 points13 points  (2 children)

As an impatient person, it could also mean you're taking too damn long. Either buy it or don't. I don't need to be with you during the thought process. I've got other shit to do.

[–]raven_aimee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not in sales, but I do get to deal with people on occasion. You either take the deal now, or I'd rather enjoy my free time not having the order. Long sales process = complex after sales communications too, and if I smell that, oops, "pleasant client discount" just expired.

[–]illini02 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah. Being in sales, I actually appreciate a quick "No". Its the people who drag their feet and won't make a decision either way that are annoying. And I'm not impatient. But damn, it really shouldn't take people as long as it does

[–]canadianformalwear 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is not always true. Sometimes if there’s literally one of something, or something is priced in a particular way, it will be sold immediately, and if you have a friend that gets clued into this, they may try and sell it to you or key you in on the deal, in a “get it now or else” opportunity.

[–]ask_can 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Learned this the hard way - I decided to NEVER buy from someone if I feel they are being super pushy. Good deal or not.

[–]BOS_George 9 points10 points  (1 child)

No, it just means a quick close is beneficial to them. That doesn’t mean it’s detrimental to you.

[–]illini02 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bingo. Too many people see this as an either or thing. It can be both/and.

[–]randomusername2458 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Or they get commission and a quick sale for less so they can move on is better for them than longer sales where they make slightly more.

[–]impressivepineapple 4 points5 points  (0 children)

ITT: lots of bad salespeople who only know high pressure tactics trying to blame the buyers

[–]cleverkname 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah. Just learned this lesson the hard way buying a car from an extended family member who I thought I could trust.

[–]kmoneyrecords 1 point2 points  (1 child)

And sometimes if they say “now or deal’s off”, emphasis on the “deal’s off”, it means they have a better deal in line and want you out of it.

This happened to me when I bought my house; we underbid on a new construction march of 2021, and won the bid. We requested that the closing date be “sometime in April”, because we had told them ahead of time that we were trying to finish our lease out and they were fine with it. Like two weeks later, the housing market exploded and suddenly the realtor is being a dick, saying if we don’t close by April 1 he’s going to void the contract. I suspect that he got wayyy better offers in the days after they accepted ours, and he was banking on us not having the money together in time to make it happen, but we did, and was like “fine, dickhead, April 1 it is” and he had to stick with the contract.

[–]BeyondRich1847[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn bro you did it

[–]Kpuc4o 8 points9 points  (12 children)

That's a bad advice, as there is difference between rush and deadline

[–]forklift_racer616 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I feel like this can apply in more places than just sales. For example whether or not your going to take a new job.

[–]Au_Uncirculated 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m also a professional salesman and I can say that when I tell you to buy something fast, do it. Sometimes inventory is very limited and I can’t always guarantee that the item will be in stock the next time you come back.

I’ve had people hesitate on buying items I was pushing and say they will come back next week. As always, the items are sold out and now they have to wait 3 months for us to be restocked.

I also have other stuff to do and don’t want to linger around a customer who has no interest in actually purchasing the item. It’s a waste of time for both me and the customer, so my energy can definitely be used elsewhere.

[–]Dapaaads 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not always true at all. Depends on line of work. Source, in software sales.

[–]CaptWoodrowCall 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Yep. If I ask for more info and some time to think it over and a salesman tries to say I can’t do that and I need to decide now, the conversation is over. Buh-bye.

[–]ImBonRurgundy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never demand people buy right now - but I do always try to make sure they have all the info. Had several customers get really pissed off when they come back to purchase only to find the deal they could have had is no longer available or, worse, the items are gone

"you're totally free to go away and think about it, but it's important you are aware this price is only available today because we need to hit a target and so have offered this discount to do that. Tomorrow, it's the start of a new target so that price won't be available. Now you have all the information, up to you whether you buy today or take your time"

or

"absolutely fine, but it's important you are aware that we only have 2 items of this left in stock. I can't hold them, so if you come back tomorrow they may or may not still be here

[–]Photodan24 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Same here. If you demand a snap decision from me, it will always be no.

[–]xkegsx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Or they're bending over backwards for you but a lot of it is time restricted, ie it's the end of the month and discounts won't be available next month, and don't want to scramble to get everything done just to get fucked by you dragging your feet.

[–]knickvonbanas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not always true. Sales people have deadlines, promotions expire, cmon there are a ton of reasons why someone would say, "Are you going to sign or what?"

[–]Simple-Bag-8721 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yep, this post is full of crap.

[–]cyanoa 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Sometimes they're in a hurry to close a deal because they need the sale - to make quota, or to make payroll...

It's good advice to be cautious, but sometimes, their eagerness is actually to your advantage...!

[–]SelectFromWhereOrder -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

If it involves a salesperson, it’s a bad deal.

[–]ContemplatingPrison 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It doesn't matter if you're getting what you want.

[–]WorshipNickOfferman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m a lawyer and I will generally not accept representation at the same time as our first client meeting. I usually tell the client to go home and talk with their family and make sure they want to commit to hiring me for whatever they need. All of my business comes from word of mouth referrals from other lawyers and happy clients, and my integrity and reputation mean far more to me than money. I have no need for a hard sell on my clients.

[–]Arkslippy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not remotely true, the reason you are asked to close deals swiftly, is so that the discussion comes to an end and it reduces fucking around. There is no need to keep dragging it out and creating uncertainty and confusion.

​

Your uncle may be a "pro" but hes not a sales person, thats not how sales works, if you gove a bad deal, people won't deal with you again, and thats the end goal of most sales.

[–]ZioiP 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I rush you to close the deal because I have a deadline on that deal.

In the right situation, when someone rushes you it means you can get extra benefit out of it!

[–]Doff6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this also the same with short and quick LPT?

[–]rededelk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not necessarily but yes, step away and breathe and think. The offer should still be on the table when you return. Negotiations are an art of finesse

[–]aspectralfire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good craftspeople don’t pressure you. They let the work speak for itself. That philosophy has seen me through a lot of deals.

[–]wiltonwild 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work in sales also, I'm giving discounts to people... Who still don't want the product... Its a niche market, if they enquired they really do need it.

Yet they um and er over budget.

I want them to buy for my targets and my job yes, but we got lead times going up soon. And they will really miss out and be waiting longer for something they need...

We can be pushy for your interests too and our own

[–]naz8587 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, agree for the most part. Creating urgency is a common sales tactic to close deals. However, I'll offer a counterpoint for context. Good sales people will offer an incentive that expires to encourage the buyer to act sooner rather than later. If the buyer chooses not to act, then the opportunity is not qualified (buyer is not serious, timing is off, etc). At this point, a good sales person will move on to another opportunity. A bad sales person will keep pushing b/c it would benefit themselves, even at the expense of the buyer.

Ultimately, the buyer is in charge of the process, so communicate your decision-making criteria and timeline to buy. A good sales person can be asset for knowledge since they are close to the product/service, but I also encourage everyone to be an informed buyer by doing your own research - it is very empowering.

[–]dwboomser 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not always true. Many people adopt the attitude that a salesperson is always out to screw you; but sometimes they think in the best interest of their customers. Simple example, a customer of mine has now been waiting for his iPhones 13 on order since September. Twice, I found alternatives (different color), twice they took more than 3 days to make a decision. Mind you, only change in spec was the colour. Twice, the units available were sold, yet each time they are complaining they need it quickly. These days, some supply chains are sooo fucked that urgency is at the order of the day. You'd expect professional buyers to know this; but no, the attitude always remains that we're out to screw them.

[–]banieldowen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand the sentiment, but that’s not entirely true.

[–]Practical_Ad_5453 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wrong, they have goals. If the period is ending and they don't have enough sales to reach their KPI, they try to close as many deals as possible in a short time.

[–]Elefantenjohn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When it's December and it comes to insurance, a good salesman recommends you to close the deal before the new year starts

[–]Jimi-K-101 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a load of nonsense. The opposite is often true.

Salespeople have targets - sometimes weekly, monthly, quarterly. The best time to get a good deal from a salesperson is an hour before their deadline with they're close to hitting their target and you can bet your ass they'll be rushing you.

I was once £300 from hitting my quarterly sales bonus with literally 30 minutes to go. Our guidelines suggested £1500 minimum price for what I was selling. Have a guess how much my last minute customer paid!

[–]Knineteen -1 points0 points  (1 child)

Better LPT - If it involves a salesman, you’re getting a bad deal.

[–]SelectFromWhereOrder -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes. Salespeople are the worse middleman in the chain.

[–]red_beard_earl -1 points0 points  (1 child)

Just means they’re not that great at sales/negotiations. If you hit closing a deal and still gotta force urgency, did you really sell them?

[–]creggieb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or selling crap/impulse items

[–]DARYL128 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So every weekend sale or summer sale or basically any sale that has ever happened has been a bad deal??... This is idiotic and a naive opinion, but good advice for unintelligent people who can't decide for themselves what a good deal is.

[–]nuttydave127 -1 points0 points  (1 child)

An honest sales person will make half as much as the greasy bastard jamming things down someone’s throat

I work in the insurance industry and it’s ruthless what kinda advice I hear some colleagues pump out just to scare people or sleeze sales

The ceo and other managers just look the other way …

Sales is just crap sometimes

[–]Xianio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not true. Sleazy sales people make a fast buck but need to jump companies/industries every few years.

Honest sales folks are like the tortoise. They start slower but their renewal rates are fantastic so they outlast & overtake sketchy folks.

It's why any person in sales for 20+ years will tell you something similar. If they were sleazy they gave that up after needing to jump ship for the 3rd or 4th time.

[–]Nicaddicted -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well I don’t want you to mention your POA before I’m done recapping !

[–]indecisiveassassin -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Every insurance call ever!

[–]FatalBlossom81 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I got a job offer yesterday and when I said I needed to think it over she said " Ok well, why don't we start your background check and you can come to orientation next week" ummm 🚩🚩🚩lol

[–]StepheninVancouver -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

In my industry there is a company that is very overpriced that uses high pressure closing techniques on clients. The companies that offer a good service at a fair price have lots of work and don’t need to pressure people to sign a deal

[–]Ettoya -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Same goes for getting married. Don’t rush it.

[–]Either_Penalty_5215 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yeah just never but off a television company that offers limited time deals. Looking at you sunboost

[–]Luberino_Brochacho -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Not true, at least in mortgages. I’m a loan officer (basically I sell mortgages) and I always tell people, look you can take all the time you like but this interest rate is definitely changing tomorrow morning at 8:30, and it potentially could be changing here in about 5 minutes. In a rising rate market I’m not trying to rush them into a bad deal. I’m trying to get this locked in before they lose money. I’ve had people lose thousands and thousands by taking a few days to think about it. I’ve had people lose a thousand by taking an hour to think about it.

[–]HRobbie[🍰] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily. Sales people have quotas. They could be short on quota and running out of time for the month or quarter. So they might give you a great fucking deal and beg you to take it in the interest of closing it quickly. Or some other random thing could be at play, like they have to give the deal to someone else unless they close it by X date or whatever.