May 09 2008

Buyers are Liars?

Published by Corey Smith at 9:27 am under Marketing, Sales & Leadership

image I don’t know if you have heard this or said it before. But I have heard a number of people over the last few years use this idiom.

If you have this attitude about your customers, then you shouldn’t be in business. Your customers are what make it possible for you to stay in business. Even if you aren’t in a position that works directly with customers, you should respect them.

Your customer isn’t always right, but your customer deserves your respect and your gratitude. Considering your customer a liar won’t get your more business… in fact, it will likely do just the opposite.

Corey Smith is the Chief Web Architect for Dealer Marketing Systems and maintains a news service for the copier, printer and document management industry.

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2 Responses to “Buyers are Liars?”

  1. # Gregon 10 May 2008 at 1:41 pm

    I have a list.

    The list is “The World According to Greg”

    Currently, the list consists of 27 “Truths of Life”. Professional and personal.

    Number 1. on my list, “Buyers are Liars, Trained by Salespeople”

    In my life, I allow people to prove themselves to me directly. For example, if a colleague tells me that so and so is “high maintenance” I do not take the suggestion as truth - until the person actually acts this way to me directly. So I do not go into a relationship expecting the person on the other side of the table to be a liar. I am just not as surprised as I use to be when they do end up lying to me.

    The point of “Buyers are Liars, TRAINED BY SALESPEOPLE” is that “buyers” have been conditioned by previous sales people to lie because most sales people have lied to them. And the goal of any selling professional should be to overcome this pre destined belief by first recognizing it and second, never, ever lying.

    A lie is a symptom of insecurity based on the belief that you (the sales person or prospect) can never be or appear to be wrong. This is incorrect. Everyone is wrong sometime. Yes, even customers. But by having the ability to overcome the “fear of being wrong”, the fear of not being able to say, ”I don’t know” negates the rationalization to lie – for both the sales person AND the prospect.

    So, although the idiom is gruff and direct – let not your heart be troubled. By acknowledging the source, we (selling professionals) can better serve our clients as partners. The relationship will be built on trust, respect and truth.

    http://sellinghigh.blogspot.com/2008/02/list.html

  2. # GWalterson 14 Jun 2008 at 5:46 pm

    I ran across this, I had seen it before and I wanted to post it here…it’s good…

    http://caskeyone.com/blog/2007/06/13/sorry-i-lied-to-you-but-you-made-me-do-it/

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