How to be a Professional Salesperson.©
Free Sales Training Video Series – Bluffing
Bluffing
Nothing diminishes your prospect’s trust in you more than using a bluff which has no merit. A while back we were looking at upgrading one of our software applications, as we were on a hiring spree. I went back and forth emailing with my vendor’s sales rep going over how many accounts we needed and what the pricing would be. I knew she had the ability to flip a few switches after the deal was done to make available what we needed. However, she sent me the following email:
Louie,
Have you made a decision yet? Please let me know as soon as you do – I need to update my teams.
Jen
This email really rubbed me the wrong way. I knew she didn’t have to let anybody know anything. She was bluffing in hopes of getting me to take action. I’m guessing she thought I believed there would be a delay after we placed our order. This is amateurish and does nothing to build relationships. Or, all-important trust.
If you have legitimate leverage that can help move your prospect’s buying cycle along, I’m all for using it. But, the key word here is legitimate; a time-based offer, limited inventory, etc. My need with Jen was real, but not an emergency. Acting admittedly immature, I waited as long as could before ordering from her.
