The Great “Top Sales Techniques” Hunt: What tricks are used to sell to us?

abjem21

Womaniser wrote: »

As you ask.....

House in the country value £800K, paid for.
Flat in Regents Park, London value £550K, paid for.
Condo in Singapore value £450K, paid for.
Ferrari 360 value £70K, paid for.
Audi A4 value £23K, paid for.
Savings of £80K for a rainy day............

*Puts willy away*

The tears are still falling down my face just the same as they are for everyone that has read this reply.

O.k. I believe you.;)

I can't vouch for everyone else though.:rotfl:

colmil

At some point in our lives, we all have to sell ourselves, at an interview for example, those people who decry sales people are quite simply ignorant and stupid.

sig_ma

I saved money on my car breakdown cover by applying as a new customer even after my "10% no claims discount" quoted after being a member for a year.

Taffybiker

I am not a sales person, but I have learned how to deal with them. First, I NEVER buy or agree to anything over the phone, even if it is something I need.
If I want or need something I will look for it myself. This way I can choose from a number of products from a number of suppliers and can evaluate the various costings. I also learn everything I can about the product before I buy it.
As an example, about 10 years ago I was looking for a new video recorder. I went to my chosen supplier and surveyed the various models available. A sales person approached and I decided to make use of the knowledge the sales person could offer. She tried to sell me an "own brand" model. Some of these cheap own brand models are built by top manfacturers and are really good bargains. I asked who manufactures it and she replied "We do." I knew then the sales person had no idea what she was selling. I asked another question which I already knew the answer to: "What's the difference between 4 and 6 heads?" Clearly this was too much for the poor girl and she offered to find someone else to help me, which I accepted. The person who came to help was not another sales person but an engineer from the repairs department. I ended up spending £20 more than I had intended but now 10 years later I still have the machine and it has never needed attention. It works as well as it did on the day I brought it home.

The message? Not all sales people know what they are selling, so research the product yourself and know what you are buying before making a commitment.

harryhound

"Talk to the engineer not the grease rag"

digitig

youngmoney wrote: »

The reason I use these techniques is two fold. Any salesperson who says they don't use the techniques to make a commission is a liar, HOWEVER it is absolutely ESSENTIAL for most people to take life insurance and PHI when they take a mortgage.

I'd say that it's absolutely ESSENTIAL for most people to find out what death-in-service benefits and medical retirement schemes their employer/pension provider has already in place, so they don't end up giving way to hard sell when they already have adequate cover.

digitig

mervous wrote: »

As a cynical 48 year old bloke, the cold calls that really bug me, not least because I HAVE activated the TPS bar

My response to cold-callers (I have activated the TPS bar too) is "Are you cowboys who don't care about the regulations governing the business, or incompetents who don't even know them?"

Never mind the fact that the correct answer would usually be "neither; we are exploiting a loophole in the regulations and are calling from another country", it's always got rid of the callers pretty quickly for me, and I hardly get any cold calls nowadays.

digitig

Steve1981 wrote: »

I've worked in sales for a number of years and I find that rude - everyone does a job, its sounds to me that there might have been a few instances where you have been 'sold' to as opposed to 'buying' and now your bitter

I am happy to be rude about people who are trying to con me out of my money. I suppose hired assassins are just doing their job too. I don't think anybody in this discussion has any problem with sales people who, when asked, honestly explain what's on offer and then let the customers make up their own minds whether and what to buy. In fact, I for one would love to deal with such a salesperson. I think I've encountered such salespeople a couple of times, a long while ago, working in corner shops.

nostromo_2

Can somebody please explain the following sales "technique" to me. Personally I find it silly and counterproductive, but apparently it's very effective - or so I conclude - because every single car salesman uses it. (Or, at least, every car salesperson I met two years ago was using it at the time...)

Like I said, I bought my car two years ago, usual approach - did my homework, searched internet, shortlisted some cars, picked an experienced friend and started visiting local car sales. I took my time, started with big places size of a small town with aggressive young salesmen, then eventually bought the car in a small familly-run garrage in a little village in the middle of nowhere. I met a lot different people trying to sell me different cars using different approaches. (including back-stabbing their own colleagues)

Everything was different, apart from one "technique": at a certain point in the negotiations, all of them would disappear somewhere to "Talk to the boss". I hated it! :mad: Not only it didn't help them sell me the car, but on couple of occasions I simply walked out. They kept me wait for ages. To make things worse, I could see them through the glass door talking to someone endlessly... "I bet they are talking about the football game last night", said my friend. I couldn't agree more.

Even the one who sold me the car, a nice man with good manners (tough on haggling, though!), in his 50's, had to "go and see the boss, maybe he'll be able to convince him". A month later I get a circular letter from them, signed by the Sales Manager, and that's the same man! What kind of sales manager has to ask his boss for every single car he sells?

shakka

Womaniser wrote: »

As you ask.....

House in the country value £800K, paid for.
Flat in Regents Park, London value £550K, paid for.
Condo in Singapore value £450K, paid for.
Ferrari 360 value £70K, paid for.
Audi A4 value £23K, paid for.
Savings of £80K for a rainy day............

*Puts willy away*

Sorry, you forgot to mention how much your penis extension cost and if it's paid for. Oh no, my mistake- it was £70k!