Tribute to Sales and Marketing

I suck at sales. I've had several sales related jobs over the years, but I always end up getting "promoted" to a behind the scenes  position to deal with details and paperwork and as a result, I make less than the slick salesmen. Maybe it's a case of bitter grapes, but I am sometimes annoyed by salesmen. I'm not trying to bash the entire industry. I know many talented and hard working people who do well in sales.

It just bothers me when they are too aggressive or are selling worthless stuff or things you don't need. I also don't care for many of the over used sales techniques. When I hear a phrase like "what would it take for me to put you in this car today" it just drives me crazy.  Below I have listed some of the over used sales tactics I'm sure you've seen on TV or the Internet:

The shocking headline ploy- "How I earned $35,000 in just one week starting with only a bag of paperclips" or "Denver mom makes medical doctors angry with her new discovery"

If they change the font color, maybe that will get our attention. I've noticed this is a favorite tactic of e-book offers.

Maybe font size will catch your attention if the color doesn't.

Wait there's more...- I think Ginsu knives invented this add on technique. Offering two or three widgets for the price of one sometimes backfires and makes me realize how cheap the merchandise really is.

The most insulting is the assumptive close. "Would you like two sets of encyclopedias or just one?" (Gee, when you put it that way, buying one isn't as expensive after all.... I'll guess I'll take one at half the price)

"Act fast, operators are standing by." Some ads feature a count down timer indicating valuable time slipping away. Note: this exact same commercial has been playing for years yet the twenty minute timer has never run out. This technique is a close cousin to the bogus "If you're one of the first 50 callers...."

"Previously only available in Europe." I love this one. It insinuates how slow Americans are to finally catch onto new trends and technology from overseas. Aren't Members Only jackets still in style in Europe?

I'm not advocating that everything should be sold in brown paper bags. I actually find the psychology of marketing to be very fascinating, I just tire of seeing so many of the same old techniques. I know there are some sales associates who have mastered their art and don't have to rely on the above mentioned techniques to close a sale. Instead they use Jedi mind tricks. You are screwed if you come up against one of them.

In case you weren't aware, Chaka's World has a Pay Pal donation button on the side bar. Operators are standing by...