Kill the Gatekeeper

As a salesperson you run into some of the most ignorant people on the planet. People that won't even take a meeting. My friends tell me, "Oh they just don't like salespeople. That's all. I don't like salespeople. I don't even know why I'm friends with you anyway."

Fair enough, so they don't like salespeople. What does that have to do with hearing a person out? All I want is to show them my product...am I that great of a salesperson that by some "magic" I will sell them something they don't want? Uh...no. No one is that good, and I repeat NO ONE. You can't sell what they don't want to buy, but on the other hand they can't buy something they've never seen or heard of, so this is a two way street. If you're not willing to see someone then you're just an idiot. That's like trying to by a car and going to just one dealer and looking at just one model. Is ignorance bliss? Or bullshit?

Last week, I was cold calling....yes cold calling; on a lead I received from a pretty reputable source. "Oh you need to go to this agency, they need you're products badly." , so my friend tells me. Meaning they're practicing medicine in the dark ages and get over there before they bleed another patient to death to remove the "bad spirits" from their bodies. I laughed as I headed into the agency and it seemed like it was pretty well kept. I was surprised because usually the appearance of a place can tell you how well they take care of their patients. Usually...but not in this case.

I walked in and introduce myself but did not mention I had been referred to them. I checked my reports and notice that they even had made a few purchases in the last month. So I anticipated this might be a "warm call". I was wrong.

"Hi I'm M. I represent _____________. You're a customer of ours and I was wondering if I could either speak to the Director of Nursing or maybe just get a card to make an appointment.", I handed the young man behind the desk my card.

He seemed terribly annoyed by the intrusion. "You can't see her without an appointment sorry. It's best to CALL ahead of time." And he stressed the word call.

"Is the Director of Nursing here today?", I asked, hoping that she might have a little break in her day to chat for a few minutes.

" Uh yeah. But like I said, it's best to CALL ahead of time for an appointment.", he said again and handed me back my card.

" Yeah I get that I need to CALL ahead of time but someone referred me this agency and advised that I speak directly to the nursing director. So can I get a card to make a phone call so I can make an appointment or is she available now. If she's available now that would be great"

Now he was really annoyed. I guess I had interrupted his "me time" with People Magazine or Facebook. He held out his hand. "Can I have your card back?" I handed him the card and he took it, stood up from behind the desk and walked towards an office with a large window.

Now this is the part that annoys me about being in sales. People always look at you from their offices like you're a rabid dog, or a criminal who's on the loose. Like meeting with you, might place them at risk for rabies or an abduction. It's funny but I don't understand why people aren't more considerate. It's strange, but then again, I hate when people knock on my door selling Christmas wreathes, so I guess it's understandable. I just don't like the way they look at you. So here I am standing in this lobby, being ogled by the Director of Nursing and the "GateKeeper", and I look away trying to be polite. I look at the coffee table full of "OK" magazines and wait for him to come back. It takes a few minutes, and I hear them talking, and finally he returns and hands me back my card.

"She said we don't need any at this time. Thank you.", he said with a forced smile.

I was in shock. I thought for sure she would at least give me her card.

"What? She said we don't need any at this time? I'm sorry what does that mean? I'm not selling cologne door to door or Disney knock off products. These are medical products. "

"I dunno what to tell you. She said she didn't need any. That's what she said.", and I think he snickered a bit.

"Well can I just call her to make an appointment since she doesn't even know what it is she doesn't need?"

"We don't give out that information. SORRY.", he said and then smiled. Not a pleasant or even a fake smile, but the smart ass smile that means "screw you". And at that moment, I knew that I was not gonna take any crap from this little prick.

"I'm sorry. If you don't hand out cards and don't give out information, how does someone CALL ahead to make an appointment to do business with the agency. I'm confused. Is it magic?"

"Yeah I'm not sure exactly. Maybe just leave me some information and I'll give it her and she'll give you a call."

"Oh no problem. Here is a clinical study of how our products improved outcomes in over 1100 patients, and here's my card. Explain to her that I was a referral from Dr. Mengele and he thinks we can help your patients.", now I was completely annoyed, and ready to burn this bridge.

"Okay, no need to get irritated. I'll give her the information. And which doctor recommended your company?", he said, visibly flustered by my attitude, and even more confused that I referred to a doctor.

"Dr. Josef Mengele. I'm not sure he's worked with this agency before. If you could please pass that message along. Thanks.", I said very distinctly and then walked out. As I stood in the hallway waiting for the elevator I said out loud:

"God I've always wanted to do that!"

I wasn't thinking of the repercussions, or the call my boss was about to get in the next couple of hours. I was just happy that I didn't take any shit from that little bastard. Ah....rude.

Have a great day out there!

-M

May I Taser You Please?!

Have you ever been in a conversation or presentation, and the person your directing all your energy towards is ignoring you?! As a rep, we can be spit on, yelled at, threatened physically, and even beaten, but WE DO NOT LIKE TO BE IGNORED. It's just rude! Hey we're people too.

Today, I was with a potential customer and he was too busy looking at his computer to answer any of my questions with enthusiasm. I think I was putting him to sleep, which normally is the affect I have on people. But this guy would stare at his computer the whole time, and he wasn't listening to a word I was saying. The needs analysis, rapport building, and Q&A went something like this:

Me: This is quite an amazing facility you have here. How long have you been working for ___________(insert company name here)?

Sleeping Beauty: Huh? How long have I what? (Typing away on his computer)

Me: How long have you worked here?

Sleeping Beauty: Oh, me? About ten years.

Me: Really? That's a long time. What drew you to this line of work? Was it something you always wanted to do?

Sleeping Beauty: Huh? Oh me. A friend brought me in one day and I liked it. What does this have to do with your products? (Still looking at his screen and typing)

Me: I'm just trying to get a sense of who you are and what you're looking for in a company, out products are really irrelevent. We want to establish a business partnership with you and _________.

Sleeping Beauty: What? Can you repeat what you just said? (Not even looking at me now)

Me: I said we'd like to establish a business partnership with your company first. We know our products work, but we want to work with you.

Sleeping Beauty: Oh yeah right, right. I got ya.

He was so engrossed in what he was doing, he was now leaning closer to his monitor and typing furiously. I knew that he was not listening to a word I was saying at this point.

Me: Do you mind if I tasered you now?

Sleeping Beauty: Huh. If you what now? (unaware of what I just said)

Me: Do you mind if I tapered this conversation. Maybe we can meet at a time that's more convenient for you.

Sleeping Beauty: Uh what? Why would you want to tape the conversation? That's strange. (Still not looking at me, but too busy updating his FaceBook profile).

Me: No I said tapered. In other words cut it short and rescheduled.

Sleeping Beauty: What? What? Why?

Me: To be honest, I think I'm boring you, and it would be better if I came back when you have more time.

Sleeping Beauty: What? Okay sure, sure. You're not boring me. Sorry I just have to get this done now and I don't have any time. I really was listening.

Me: Oh no. I completely understand, and thanks for your time. How bout we do this again next week on the same day in the morning. Like 9 am?

Sleeping Beauty: Huh? Yeah that works. Sorry again, but we'll get into it next time. (Shaking my hand but barely looking away from his computer monitor)

Me: Thanks.

I shook his hand and left, but I would like to have shaken his whole body! I hate when people meet with you but your eyes never meet. If they don't have time, I wish they'd just tell me. So if someone is ignoring you, just throw something out there. What do you have to lose? You don't even have their attention! Say something to make them sit up and listen....or taser them, whichever works.

Have a great day selling!

-M

Are you getting this?

When you're selling a product like cars, bikes, shoes, clothes, and hats, everyone has an idea of what your product is and what it does for them. A car gives them status, or gets them simply from one place to the other. Clothes can give them a good feeling about how they look, or clothes can be a status symbol too. These products and their benefits are easy to understand.

Medical products however is a whole different story. They're are times when I think I'm speaking Greek to these people. Even the doctors! (No wonder there are so many medical malpractice lawsuits).I was speaking to a group of nurses and one doctor today, and I was asking them basic questions about how to treat certain conditions. Then I asked them if they understood the basic cellular functions of a certain organ and they looked at me with blank stares.

You know the kind of stare you have when you're in a store trying to pick out something to drink and there's 200 different options on the shelf and that's just for energy drinks. So you kinda just stare at the overwhelming choices and think, "What happened to just Coke, 7-Up and Pepsi? And do I really need beer with caffeine in it. WTF?"

When I tossed out a couple of advance terms again they stared blankly: so finally I just said,

"Are any of you getting what I'm talking about? There's nothing wrong with that, but would you like me to go through the basic stuff first so it's easier to understand how the product works?" They looked around at each other, and finally the doctor said,

"Yes, yes why don't you go over it so you can refresh our memories. I understand it perfectly but not everyone does I'm sure"

He was so full of it. He looked as dumbfounded as the rest of them. Mind you ,this was a doctor that when using one of my products sewed it into the patient thinking it would work better that way, even though I had helped him place the product about 10 times or more.

"Certainly doctor. I'll give all of you some refreshers on the basics of this type of care. Then I'll explain just how our products work on the cellular level. "

So I guess the lesson here for me was that not everyone knows what you're talking about when you're selling certain products. And it doesn't hurt to go back and "refresh" their memories of the basics. In fact, it can erase any bad influences they've received from your competitors!

Be sure you know your audience and cater to their needs. Have a great day selling!

-M