Sales Bullies

High pressure sales tactics have been unpopular for several years. Yet, some die hards hold on to the idea that if you can't join them, beat them. They seem to think that if they talk long enough and loud enough they can sell ice to Eskimos, or in our context, paint jobs to anyone.

I've never been a fan of such tactics. I don't like it done to me, so I'm not going to do it to someone else. Seth Godin writes about these sales bullies:

Sales bullies describe their approach as ethical, because, after all, it's in
the best interest of the prospect to say yes. It's okay to be a sales bully when
you're trying to get someone to take their TB medicine, so it must be okay to be
a sales bully to get them to sign this contract.

Personally, I've never had to be a bully to get someone to take their TB medicine. I've never known anyone on TB medicine. Besides, if it takes bullying to get someone to take TB medicine, I would likely find better things to do with my time.

But the real point is that sales bullies try to justify their tactics by claiming to know what is best for the client. In some cases this might be true. For example, I've had customers who insist on using oil on their exterior siding. I know this is wrong and will ultimately create more problems. But rather than attempt to bully them, I simply walk away and refuse to submit a bid.

In general, it is presumptuous to assume that one knows the client's needs better than the client. And it's always wrong to be a bully about it.