Pyat and the Hard-Soft-Water-Sale

[pyat]

The interaction was as follows:

The sales rep ("Kathi") tried to get velvetpage to sign a purchase agreement tonight, saying that we will forfeit $4000 in special soap that she can give us, but ONLY IF WE BUY NOW. velvetpage asks to think about it till Friday. Fine, says Kathi, but you won't get the $4000 of soap.

I was putting the girls to bed when this was being said, but came down when I heard Kathi talking about signing. I'd also been in the living room for most of the pitch. I ducked out as soon as I'd seen the product samples, about 2 minutes in. Anyway, I stomped into the conversation like a surly dinosaur and told Kathi we would not be buying tonight.

I should note that my hair was disarranged and standing up, and I was generally wrinkled and untucked from wrangling the girls. Kathi didn't seem impressed by me. I should have been wearing an undershirt, carrying a beer bottle and smoking a stub of a cigar, to complete the picture of clumping male Archie Bunker stereotype.

(I should have growled, "I hear soft water is for homos and commies!")

Kathi objected that I'd not heard her sales pitch, or seen the demonstration. What she didn't know is that I'd been busily googling and doing price research in the living room while listening to her spiel in the kitchen. The bulk of reviews that struck me as detailed and informed were along the lines of "It works fine, but it very overpriced." And, I'd been turned off by her patronizing sales pitch, which was also rather misleading, as we shall see.

I told Kathi that we'd been told she was coming to test our water on behalf of a "community service organization." I told her that velvetpage had asked the appointment setter, point blank, if they were selling anything, and was told they were not.

Said Kathi, "Oh, I'm not selling anything. I'm here to demonstrate the problem with your water, and show you a solution that we have."

That comment made me very mad, and the following interaction was rather terse.

Sez I: "How much is it?"

Kathi: "$37 a month." (This is an outright lie - it is actually $97 a month. She knocked off $60 a month to represent the "savings" we'd realize from not using as much soap or skin lotion.)

Me: "For how long?"

Kathi: "120 months."

Me: "And we don't get the soap if we don't sign tonight?"

Kathi: *pause* "No."

Me: "Then we aren't getting the soap."

Kathi: "Do you know our warranty?"

Me: "Is it on the Internet?"

Kathi: "It's a lifetime warranty."

Me: (I mumbled something generally non-committal.)

Kathi: "You didn't see the demonstration and..."

Me: "I know we need a water softener, but I don't think we need a Rainsoft one."

Then I stumped along back upstairs, wishing I'd told her to leave as soon as the pitch started.

As she was leaving, Kathi privately told velvetpage that we could "probably" get the free soap if we referred someone.

Comments

[bandersnitch.livejournal.com]

This is a fine example of door to door sales rule #1.

Always have the decision makers present. The fact that she was presenting to your wife and not both of you.. I would have predicted the outcome instantly even if she was selling tickets to the second coming.

Your wife was never going to buy with you not present. Kathi would have been wise to have saved her time and insisted you take part in the presentation. Then at very least she would have stood a chance to convince you of her routine.

Granted you can count, so convincing you of what she was presenting seemed relatively unlikely anyways.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

I'm intrigued that your experience suggests couples don't act independently of each other; my experience suggests the opposite is more common. Partners may trust each other to independently make certain decisions with mutual/household consequences or, someone may not even consider that they owe it to their household to inform and allow input on such decisions. The outcome could be good or bad depending on the skill set of the person as applied to the situation, their susceptibility to sales pitches, etc. -- and there could be financial, legal, or relationship consequences.

[bandersnitch.livejournal.com]

With years of sales experience, the "I have to talk to my wife" is the easiest out in the presentation. Valid or otherwise.

This goes two ways.

When all the decision makers are present, they can ask questions the other didn't think of. Being the decision maker you may not have considered something the other would have. Its not a matter of disrespecting or not trusting, just that your other half may have a different concern you won't address. If you are sold and the other isn't then you have an ally in the opposing camp. They start doing your job for you. Negotiations go smoother. This is the primary reason salespeople like to have both present.

The other side is that the solo decision maker may have no objection but is just not convinced but they don't know what else to say in the awkward pressure of this sales pitch vaguely disguised as a presentation. One primary strategy in sales is to overcome all objections. Excuses count as objections. If you are prepared and staged properly, the sale goes smooth.

The one objection that Kathi overcame before she even started was convincing them that she was performing a service (testing their water) and would offer a solution in a presentation. But in reality it was a sales call. You would be less likely to invite her into your home if you thought it was a sales call. She then distracts you with the promise of an offer of free product that you forfeit if you do not deal today (and floundered on later hoping to retain their business)

There is an art to sales. Sales in its purest form is the Transfer of Belief. Which is why salespeople who do not believe in their product, or attempting a scam often fail.

Kathi was not honest up front and in reality I am sure she struggles to close deals, but had she insisted on involving Piet upfront she might have stood a better chance, however her entire approach was flawed so this was only one aspect of why it all came apart.

[anidada.livejournal.com]

Sure, but your perspective is that of an honest salesperson. People who are attempting a scam should fail, but often they succeed, and it's likely easier having only one person to convince. Dishonesty is probably the only way Kathi could get anyone to sign on, because the product's cost is unreasonable and its actual function is, at best, unnecessary.

[bandersnitch.livejournal.com]

Oh sure, no debating that.

There are sales people that succeed because they are simply good liars or spin doctors.

I personally succeed at sales because I believe in the products and services I sell (computers). But in years of doing sales I have learned there are techniques and psychologies that are of great assistance that don't have to be deceptive.

I often tell people I am not really in sales, I am in education. You come into my store to buy something, I dont have to convince you of that part. What I do have to help you with is finding the RIGHT one. My intent, honesty and ability to educate is what makes my sales work right.