The other day I received a nice little diary through the post “How Quaint” I thought before reading the letter that came with it.

Turns out it was a sample from the company that makes them with the hope that I’d place an order with them.

I gave it to my partner who occasionally still hand writes things (though I got her a tablet for her birthday last week so she probably won’t use it anyway) 

Anyway I got a follow up call a day later as I was getting in my car to go somewhere. When I explained that to the sales guy and suggested he try another time he just wouldn’t get the message. 

Instead of agreeing to call back he started asking about my business. I had to firmly repeat that It wasn’t a convenient time for the call and hang up. 

He called again next day but, recognising the number, I ignored it.

Yesterday when I was in a local garden centre with my partner he called again. Stupidly I took the call. 

I explained my business to him and why diaries are not really something I could use and that I provide value to my customers in different (more modern) ways. 

I suggested he try the company I used to work for as I know they send diaries and other cheesy gifts to their top clients at Christmas (although they probably don’t any more) 

But no he kept pushing me to place an order.

He was ignoring what I was saying, he clearly didn’t understand how an internet business works despite my explanation.

He was becoming increasingly aggressive and rude as he saw the imagined sale slip away.

Eventually I just hung up on him.

This a great example of how these ancient sales methods just don’t work any more - if they ever did. 

Mistakes:

1. He should have looked in to my company or called me before sending the diary. 

2. He was completely focussed on getting a sale right there. 

3. He didn’t listen to me. If he had he would have quickly realised that there was no sale - but maybe he could have got a referral….

4. He talked too much and annoyed me. 

5. Company image: I’m left with the mental picture of a A filthy old brick building from Victorian England where a wildly out of date business, desperately tries to badger sales out of people. 

I’m imagining ruthless overseers standing behind desperate salespeople - like something from a Dickens novel. I imagine whiteboards with crap like “ABC = ALWAYS BE CLOSING!” on them. 

A lot of these mistakes are caused by awful, out of date sales training - I know because I’ve suffered through it in the past. 

This is why an Internet business is so great - it completely removes the need for this type of nonsense. 

We don’t have to guess where our customers are or what they want.

We don’t have to randomly approach all and sundry THEN try to badger sales out of them by chasing and persuading. 

P.S - Psssst - wanna buy a diary? LOL !

Cheers!