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Because salespeople are people first, they make mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes cost them sales, but on occasions wonderful recoveries are made that save the sale. If you're in sales or thinking about getting into sales, read these true stories submitted by real salespeople who are willing to share their most traumatic moments with you. You get free training on what not to do -- and they get a free catharsis. These usually aren't the kinds of things you want to talk over with your sales manager.
Speaking Your Mind
Monster.com member Jpmull learned a lesson about saying what's on your mind:
I was in computer sales and working with the CFO of a company. One day I called to follow up on a proposal I had submitted. The CFO asked me to see the newly hired CIO. When I arrived for the appointment with the CIO, we went right to his office. As I took a seat, I said, 'Wow, last time I was here, this room was the storage closet and server room.' The company had more people than space.
The Accidental Salesperson responds: At least the CIO didn't ask you to leave his storage closet.
Great Escapes
Great salespeople should be problem solvers. But Monster.com member Busybucket writes about a problem that he or she created:
I had a new client -- a referral from a past client -- who was looking for a vacation property in a private area. I found a home that fit the bill. It was a bit difficult to find the right road at first, but when we saw it he seemed impressed. I opened the house and showed him around. We went upstairs and stepped out on the balcony to see how quiet it was. The sounds of nature were wonderful.
Unfortunately, the sliding door slid shut automatically behind us and automatically locked. Did I mention that the balcony was 18 feet above the ground? On the balcony were some plastic chairs, a grill, and logs. Jumping wasn't an option. Shouting didn't work.
Finally we noticed a rolled up outdoor rug. An hour later we figured that if we leaned the rolled carpet against the deck, one of us could climb down it. It worked! But he bought a house (from someone else) closer to home.
The Accidental Salesperson comments: You can't make up stuff like that. Who could imagine that real estate sales could be so exciting. Still, it was a very creative escape, even though the sale escaped you as well. Zorro couldn't have done a better job.
The Sailor
Monster.com member "The Sailor" left a very convincing voicemail message:
I ended my message and was working with a new phone headset. I thought I ended the phone call and started to log the call and possible appointment into my computer when it locked up. I began to swear profusely into the headset not knowing that I was still connected and being recorded. I did not sleep through the night wondering what the client's assistant would think of me. I telephoned her the next day and while I was leaving yet another voice mail, she was listening to my initial message. When I finished my message and hung up - my phone rang. There was only laughter at the other end of the line. It was the doctor's assistant who said this would be our secret. She scheduled the appointment and one week later I would go into her office to meet the doctor and his staff - only to be introduced as "The Sailor." No more cussing.
The Accidental Salesperson responds: Persuasive language is a must for sales professionals. Never say anything into a telephone that you wouldn't want recorded. Big Brother is watching -- and listening.
Hacking Projectiles
Monster.com member Davidfrazier42 went to work despite not being at 100 percent. Should he have stayed in bed and taken care of his cold?
I had a scheduled appointment with a new division manager with a major account. The previous week I was suffering with a head cold which had now become a constant tickling cough so I was on constant cough drops to control the hack (and they were working fine). When I walked into her office I was stunned at how incredibly neat it was. There was a desk set and a single document in front of her on the desk.
About halfway through our meeting I had the urge to cough. I had forgotten to remove the cough drop in my mouth, which by now was only a sliver. I excused myself, put my hand over my mouth in the usual way (clenched fist, thumb and index finger on the lips etc.) and then coughed. The sliver shot through my fist and was ejected ONTO her document. We both sat in stunned silence for a moment then she grinned widely. I said, 'I'm not trying to offer you a bribe you know.' She replied still grinning, 'Uh huh. Would you like a tissue?' I took one from the box that she was now offering, picked up the offending piece, and put it in my coat pocket. She gave the document a bit of a wipe and we resumed our conversation. In the long run I did a tremendous amount of business with her division. I guess she liked the way I handled myself under pressure.
The Accidental Salesperson comments: Good manners are rewarded.
Caught Red Handed
Mmichael, a Monster.com member, shows why it pays to hang out in bars:
One great sales day when I was an apprentice salesman with a legal book house, I was tagging along with my mentor. My mentor was a great salesman who loved to drink a lot before the end of the day when sales were good, and more so when sales were bad. The boss knew it, but these were in the days when your boss didn't complain as long as the orders kept rolling in. Our next stop was with a lawyer who my mentor had met twice and had promised to close a large order on his next meeting. 'Watch and listen carefully my friend, I'm going get this guy to order what he wants and then sell some more', he told me.
Anticipating the best sale of the year, my mentor was crushed when we arrived at the client's office and found out that the meeting was canceled on short notice. The day was nearly over and there was a nice bar across the street. My mentor and I went in, sat down, I ordered a tall beer and he ordered a drink. I wanted to talk more about the lost sale and the whole day, but my mentor was already talking to the redhead at the end of the bar. They talked, laughed, flirted and eventually kissed in a booth.
I stayed at the bar and pondered when to take my mentor's car keys when I noticed the lawyer leave his office from across the street and head straight for the bar! I thought of alerting my mentor but then I thought he would make a scene and lose the sale. The lawyer walked in and spotted his wife, the redhead. Then of course he spotted my mentor. Since I wasn't with him, the lawyer didn't spot me. After a brief argument, the drunken wife left with her husband and my mentor left with a spilled drink and NO SALE. I returned to the lawyer's office two weeks later and met the lawyer as if I didn't know him and closed the sale myself. It was the biggest sale of the year for me.
The Accidental Salesperson responds: I have never heard of this kind of prospecting technique. However, a wise man once told me that all sales has an element of improv. You did a good job of staying out of the way and getting the order.
The Blown Order
Camillegoodch writes:
I was selling copiers in Dallas and driving a high performance sports car with a broken air conditioner. I placed an order that had taken a full month to close on the front seat, jumped on the Dallas freeway system and watched the order blow out the window.
The Accidental Salesperson responds: See how many ways there are to blow an order? Keep those horror stories coming. It's good to get them off your chest and onto the Internet where they belong.
