It's
not like I tried to keep it a secret for 40 years. You won't believe it till you try it a few
times, but it works!
I
learned this secret from a mission buddy, Kent Lambert, the best life insurance
salesman for "the quiet company" (not so quiet now.) It has consistently worked to simplify my life. Through 40 years of using it
without fail (except maybe once, out of compassion), I revealed it to only a
few close friends. Now I am sharing my secret with the world (I estimate three or four lucky enough to see this:)
When a salesperson attempts to start
or close a sale,
you say, "I prefer not to."
When he/she asks why,
you reply, "I prefer not to say."
Salesperson is left speechless; a
friendly farewell ensues.
Operate
on a need-to-know basis; a sales rep doesn't need to know that you're broke,
afraid, repulsed by him/her, or whatever.
If you say the usual "not interested", that means you don't
yet have enough information to appreciate the incredible value of the product
or service being offered; so it easily proceeds from there, following the manual. The “prefer not” words may need to be kindly repeated
for salespeople who are hard of hearing, forgetful or unbelieving, so be nice
and repetitive (no extra words) as you make your answer perfectly clear and
concise. Try the secret next time you’re in a luxury-car showroom, for practice; (be honest – you ARE interested in the Ferrari.) Incidentally, if you want to buy, just say yes. No fear.
The
language is fast. It is food for thought if you do sales
training; (trust me – "it ain't in the manual" – I’ve never
met a salesperson who has a prepared response for it.) You will have total confidence as you
fearlessly meet salespeople and answer telemarketing calls, knowing YOU are in
control. By the way, since learning the secret, I have generally loved to be a
part of good salesmanship at work, and have gained a wealth of knowledge from
those professionals, whom I respect. For
their fine companies and shareholders, it is value-added work. For me, it’s free education without
trepidation.
There
you have it. Of course, always follow
the Scout Law (seriously):
“A
Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, COURTEOUS, kind, obedient,
CHEERFUL, THRIFTY, BRAVE, clean, and reverent.”
– scouting.org (all-caps for my
emphasis)
