Sell to the need
I work for a bank, selling loans to customers. Yep, I'm one of those annoying people that calls you as you sit down for dinner trying to convince you that a 35%APR loan is just what you need. No shame there, believe it or not.

The shame I have is that, when we are being preached to at work about the best ways to sell, we are told to "sell to the need".

For example, if I call you and offer you £5,000, the chances are that you won't want it. However, if I engage in conversation with you, lead you on with various open questions and you tell me how you've always longed to go on a world cruise, I can sell a £5,000 loan easier to you by offering it as the payment for the cruise you've always wanted. Easy, see?

So my shame comes from someone who I'd called in the middle of the day. They spoke politely, but weren't really opening up to anything.

"I'm sorry," said the customer, "but I need to go. I found out this morning that my mother had a heart attack and passed away last night."

My response? In hindsight it should have been words of comfort, or even regret. It should most definitely NOT have been what it was:

"Have you considered how you're going to pay for the funeral yet?".

Makes me shiver even thinking about it.
( SeasonTicketless is too often the statue, and rarely the pigeon., Thu 1 Dec 2005, 21:25, Reply)