Spill the beans... on Jedi mind tricks salesmen have played on you

Former_MSE_Andrea

Spill the beans... on Jedi mind tricks salesmen have played on you[IMGRIGHT]http://images.moneysavingexpert.com/images/spillthebeans2.gif[/IMGRIGHT]

We'd like to hear about the patter salesmen have tried to entice you to spend. Whether it's the old "and you'll need xx" or "your neighbour bought one" please share them.

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kwmlondon

There's a book written on this and it is mind-blowing: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It explains the mechanics of decision making. and not in a dull academic way but a really jaw-dropping "blimey, I've done that!" way. Here's a few tricks:
Price ranges. We tend to look for something in a certain price range. Car, house, jumper. It's a quick way of getting a certain quality, but it can serve us better to work out WHAT WE NEED, and then find out how much it costs.
Write it down. If you go somewhere for a quote, say, a car showroom, they'll try to get you to make some kind of notes or put your name to something - this is a mind trick so successful that it's been used by the Japanese on prisoners of war to turn them.
False prices. See a car for sale just 5% cheepers on one forecourt then go through the sales spiel and the salesman will tell you "oh, that was a mistake, but it's just the same price as everywhere else." It's not a rip-off as they are not overcharging you, but they've got your custom. E.g. a TV advertised at £200 - £20 cheaper than other retailers, then you get to the store and they say oh, sorry, it's out of stock, but we've got an alternative for £220. You think you may as well buy it since it's the same and you were going to pay that much anyway, but they've got a sale and not had to discount anything.

READ THE BOOK!

ShakeyStacey

I did door to door sales for a VERY short while (much prefer cosy office work where I'm not selling my soul, please don't hate). I went through a full weeks worth of training and heard tricks like putting a foot literally in the door to stop them shutting it and make them feel like you are already in their home, nodding as you talk, asking guarenteed yes, or assumed yes questions like "which I'm sure you think is a good idea, yeah? *nod**nod**don't wait for a response*" and breaking down a subscription price per day, so instead of £30 a month, it's £1 a day.

Nemesis201077

Well, I've been in sales for some time. I started in door-to-door sales for an energy provider, commission only, which is some of the toughest sales ever (with the exception of selling doors door-to-door I guess). I've also sold advertising, cars, air-conditioning, mobile communications and photo copiers. I now own my own business where sales form a large part of the day to day function. I've always had a consultative approach to sales, I really don't like the push, brash in your face forceful sales and I feel they lead to poor customer satisfaction and little customer retention.
Sales people themselves are not bad folk, there are always a few rotten apples, but those that are good use techniques to ensure they can identify a consumer need, then provide a solution to meet that need.
Some of the techiniques I have used include:
1) Sheep factor/Jones theory - This involves using people desire to keep up with everyone else. When door to door selling using the nae of the neigbour who just signed up, or saying 'I was just talking wth next door...' can help to raise a potential consumers desire to purchase. But don't lie, they probably know their neighbours and will catch you out.
2) The alternative close - This is the method of offering 2 options, either one concludes the sale, for example 'Shall I come in and complete the paperwork, or shall we do it out here?' either option leads to paperwork being completed.
3) Objection handling for door-to-door - This was demonstrated as a cycle. Agree, Need, Re-impulse, close. So a potential customer brings up the objection 'I've already changed suppliers' so the sales person then replies ' Really? that's great! (agreeing really throws a potential customer off guard) so you already know how it all works. The reason your neighbour's changed again (bit of jones factor if you can) is because our rates are even more competitve, we can get you a better price sorted out and I'll even do the paperwork for you, can I come in and complete the paperwork, or shall we do it out here (alternative close as each one is a yes)?
4) Reflective questioning - This is a personal favourite and is used to get to the root of an objection to identify where the sticking point or issue actually is. So a potential customer says 'I've not been impressed with the customer service' this statement tells you nothing about which element of customer service you need to addres so the sales person would respond simply 'Customer service?' at which point the potential customer now has to further explain what elements they were unhappy with. This then provides the experienced salesperson with a need they can then meet with a solution.

The main skill of a good sales person is to identify a prospective customers true needs and provide a solution to meet those needs where both parties are satisfied. They are not there to rip people off, if a prospective customer doesn't have a genuine need for something, using techniques to create a need is, in my opinion, underhanded.

Fulham_Mark

I was on a train from Harrow to London and overheard a man explaining to his mate how he sold door-step loans, He wasn't certified to actually do the loan paperwork so he was just getting referral/introducer fees from loan companies.

Instead of asking people if they needed a loan (fact-finding?) he pretended that he was carrying out a survey on how banks treated people. So he collected some basic details and started asking some general questions about bank services then would sneak in "have you recently been declined for a loan?".
What he had learned (from trying to sell loans the normal way) is that almost everyone who has been declined a loan will say yes to being offered one anytime afterwards. So he would simply pass on the details to a loan company who would call up the person and say that they had a £xxx loan ready for them. Nearly all the time the person would be interested and not ask why they had been called up out of the blue! Once they signed-up then £150 would be paid as a referral/introducer fee.

The other thing he would do was ask a few leading questions at the end of the "survey" such as "are you aware that you can write off debts that you can't afford to repay" and "are you aware that banks are making extra efforts to treat customers better and help them if they get into difficulties repaying loans". so when the surprise call came about the loan the person would feel better taking it out.

Ok so this is this guy evil or just exploiting the fact that debt is perfectly acceptable and the people are fed endless messages about how they can not re-pay loans and write them off?

His mate was pretty unhappy about what the guy was doing and his response was "I'm not lying, these people just want the money. The just take it even if they can't afford it. It's like an addiction, they would do it anyway even if it wasn't me doing it".

Feels pointless regulating companies if individuals out there are clever and motivated and can ignore all the rules and trick people like this,

david39

I was in selling for most of my working life and the most effective way of getting someone to agree to buy an article is to put it into his/her hands.

This is called "The Puppy Dog Sale Method" based on the fact that once a child has picked up a puppy, it's difficult to get it back from them.

In shops this works particularly well, as usually the customer has come inside expecting to buy something anyway. "Which engagement ring would you think would suit your fiancee, then, sir?" - "Oh, that one - would Madam like to try it on her finger to see how if it fits?"

But it works for larger articles, too. "Buy this 3-d television now, if you don't like it at the end of 7 days we'll take it back and refund your money!" - does the customer ever take that option up? Seldom - because he's brought all his mates round and showed off his new bit of hi-tech, so he can't lose face by returning it and going back to 2-d.

Works on cars. too. "Borrow this demonstration model for a day, see how you get on with it." - "I knew you'd like it - sign here!"

In fact, most "free trials" or subsidised trial periods work out well because either the customer decides he can't live without the product or he is too lazy to cancel or return it.

belgrano

There is another superb book along these lines called "Everything is negotiable" by Gavin Kennedy. Its been out for years, but still relevant - I got mine from the local Library.
Used the techniques for many years while working in the NHS, very useful

chrisjw37

Citroen Aylesbury, salesman promised all sorts of things would be done when we bought a used C4 Picasso.
He lied - none were actually done and I had to force them to be done at pick-up and come back three times, only small things, so didn't affect the cars worth - I love it; but these should have been done for customer confidence and loyalty.
Verdict: Failed


Sales trick: lie through your eye teeth for a sale. (Nothing new for salesmen then?)

housesitter

Never have nor will understand why people fall such easy prey to salesmen.

Having done my stint many years ago in a few places, for example a well known PC shop.
That people would be coming in and trusting some spotty youth to sell them £700+ worth of PC's and probably on credit too (do you need a printer with that, what about a warranty?), without questioning once what is in it for the salesmen.

It made me laugh all the way to the bank then and still does.

I think many people are just frightened to say no to people. Energy sales people in the high street are a good example. Just walk on!!
Some people think it's rude to just ignore them & their prying personal questions.
Why ?!?!

Nile

housesitter wrote: »

Never have nor will understand why people fall such easy prey to salesmen.

Having done my stint many years ago in a few places, for example a well known PC shop.
That people would be coming in and trusting some spotty youth to sell them £700+ worth of PC's and probably on credit too (do you need a printer with that, what about a warranty?), without questioning once what is in it for the salesmen.

It made me laugh all the way to the bank then and still does.

I think many people are just frightened to say no to people. Energy sales people in the high street are a good example. Just walk on!!
Some people think it's rude to just ignore them & their prying personal questions.
Why ?!?!

I had a persistent salesman at my front door, trying to get me to switch energy supplier. After I'd politely said "No, thank you" a couple of times...........he told me that if I switched supplier I would save lots of money.

His final comment to me was "Don't you want to save money?"

To which I replied, "I'm not interested in saving money". He gave up and continued his sales patter down the street.:cool:

As a member of MSE and a moneysaver at heart, it was very hard for me to say "I'm not interested in saving money":o...............but it had the desired effect and got rid of the salesman.

I_Love_Shoes

What's worse when you open your front door- a salesman, a chugger (charity mugger) or a jehovahs witness?