It could be a mismatch in core values and you get that from trying to mix selling cultures that just don’t fit. I remember when I was a little girl and had my first sleepover at a friend’s house. I was amazed at how differently her family operated than mine. I had thought everyone was the same, that her parents would be just like my parents; that their family rituals and rules would be just the same as mine. They were nothing like my family. They talked with their mouths full. They put their elbows on the table as they ate. They hugged each other a lot. All vastly different from how things ran at my house.
The same can be said for sales. Many sales training courses in Australia and New Zealand have their basis in American systems. Some of their stuff is very powerful and works extremely well….when you’re selling to Americans. But try using this stuff on Kiwis and Aussies and it’s a huge clash of values. We don’t think like Americans, in fact, we're deeply suspicious of the American tendency to amp things up and use a lot of hyperbole.
Try selling to an Aussie or a Kiwi using these techniques and they’ll first wonder what drugs you’re on and then they’ll run a mile. They simply don’t trust this style of selling and hate the feeling of being “sold” to. They don’t trust in the sincerity of the salesperson when they use overblown sales techniques and they show their displeasure and mistrust by not buying from you.
Keep looking for sales courses, by all means, but take from them only the bits that fit with your own culture of selling. It’s great to inject yourself with a hefty dose of enthusiasm, just be careful how you apply it in your own selling environment. By keeping your customers in mind and always relating your sales pitch back to their needs, you really can’t go wrong.
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Joining the courses on sales or marketing helps to know values and facilitate to understand people views in the corporate world. It can be difficult to promote the product in the market without having the right sales scripts. These scripts are the main tools to ensnare the customer and sell the product.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment Melvin. I'm not sure that 'ensnaring' the customer is what you want to do. This implies trapping them into making a purchase and that's not a good idea at all. Your customer needs to feel listened to and understood then they will make a purchase from you without feeling ensnared or trapped into buying. A much better result, don't you think?
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