The Conversion Chronicles - Parts 1 & 2
This will be my first installment in a series I will call The Conversion Chronicles. Over the next few weeks I will offer insight into internet marketing conversion ratios from the perspective of a person who would have starved to death in the real world had they had to survive on a 4% conversion rate.
In 1963 at the age of 9, I was being raised by a single mother working two jobs and earning about half as much as any man working one job would have earned. I'll never forget the day I overheard my Mom discussing how unfair it was to pay women less than men for the same jobs only to have her own mother say to her, "yes but those men have families to support". Pretty much summed up the sentiment of the day.
So, needless to say, there was little money for the really important things in a 9 year old's life. You know, the 26inch bicycle with the basket and the headlight. The Duke Snider fielders glove. Fort Apache the 200 piece cowboy and Indian toy. The Davy Crockett musket with the coonskin cap included. The 25 cent admission price to the Saturday movies with the cartoon, the news reels and the cliff hanger. And of course the never-get-enough, 5 cent Slow Poke, Sugar Daddy and a Chocolate Soldier, (Yahoo, the soft drink and not the search engine was another must. Actually the name of the chocolate drink was Yoohoo. We just all called it Yahoo).
Even a second grader could see that if I was going to get those things, I was going to have to make my own money. Motivation can be a wonderful thing. Too bad there wasn't anything like Ms. Peter's second grade class for me. http://www.myschoolonline.com/folder/0,1872,2445-184912-2-46022,00.html
So, left to my own devices, all I could think of was getting a job. After about my third rejection I decided that self-employment was going to be my best bet as no one seemed to want to hire me. A sentiment that has remained with me throughout most of my life.
I noticed a classmate one day out mowing his Dad's lawn and thought if he could do that so could I. I talked my uncle into loaning me his lawnmower and started ringing doorbells. I was very lucky because the first doorbell was a very picky middle aged woman who said IF she allowed me to mow her lawn, she wanted the edges of her sidewalk and the curb trimmed, (back then that meant hand and knees with a pair of nasty looking scissor thingees), the weeds behind her garage cut, (I had no sickle so again it was going to be the old hands and knees thing), and move a pile of debris to the curb. She said IF I did a really good job, and she would be watching, she would pay me 50 cents.
50 CENTS !!!!! CHA-CHING! That was a movie and 5 sugar daddys. YOU GOT A DEAL LADY
About 5 hours later, it was becoming glaringly obvious that the lady thought she was taking advantage of me, but truth be told, I was the one getting the real bargain. You see, after my 5 hours, she paid me and I spent the remainder of the day sucking back chicken sticks, zag nuts and sugar daddys with my buddy, but the next day I was broke and wanted another 50 cents.
I knocked on the door of a lady across the street from the first lady and she said she wanted her yard to look as good as the lady's across the street but that she didn't want to pay more than $1.50 Maybe the smartest thing I have ever done in my life was not to say another word that day except OK.
I ran to my buddies house and asked him if he and his brother would like to make their own 50 cents each. They jumped at it. I showed them what to do and while they were working went knocking on more doors and telling everyone about the trimming, the hedging and the edging for only $1.50. Soon people were calling me and the price started going up.
That was about the 1st of May and by the time school was starting back I had two crews of 9 and 10 year old boys doing up to 4 lawns each 5 and 6 days a week. I had a new bike, new clothes, (to this day I'm probably the only lawn maintainance guy who wore dress slacks to work), and an average weekly income that was the envy of my peers. For all of that, I actually mowed one lawn.
This experience taught me about perceived value and the concept that desires are more valuable than needs and it also taught me the internet golden rule but I didn't know that was what it was until almost 40 years later. The Internet Golden Rule is:
THE MORE YOU GIVE -- THE MORE YOU GET
Then we moved to Turlock California before the next summer and in California I got into the door-to-door fruit delivery business which made the lawn care business look like waiting on food stamps! The secret to success with selling fruit door-to-door when just about everyone had a fruit tree in the backyard was taking the order for NEXT week instead of just worrying about the sale today and then actually showing up on the day you said you would show up. When they weren't home, I would leave the fruit on the doorstep with a note saying how important their business was to me and that I would be back by in the next day or so to get the money.
It taught me the concepts of being where I said I would be when I said I would be there. I am a stickler for making sure the door is open and the phone gets answered between 9am and 5 pm everyday because that is what it says on the front door.
SIDENOTE:One of my biggest pet peeves is getting those stupid answering machine messages that say:
"we are either away from our desk or assisting other customers".
Bull S***! You either don't have an office, are hiding out from bill collectors or just don't care about your business as much as you care about working in your underwear. I don't have a problem with people who want to work in their underwear. I have a problem with people who think I'm stupid enough to actually believe they are too busy to answer their phone. If you're that busy, you should be able to afford to hire someone to answer the phone.
******************
It also taught me that the vast majority of people will act honestly and honorably if simply given the chance. I know being on the net, we tend to see "people" as spammers and liars and not to be trusted. Some people steal. Some people lie. But when you start to focus on those people, who do you serve? Focus on the people that DO pay you and not the ones that don't.
After several years of selling everything from fruit to magazines to vacuum cleaners, I became what I am today. A salesman. I spent many years before the web hit me doing inside sales, (retail), and outside sales<(wholesale). With inside sales when you pull up in front of my store, with my first glance I start doing something. Anyone know what that something is?
It is qualifying the prospect. I can see the car you drive, the clothes you wear. Whether you are alone or with a spouse , a friend or a significant other. As you step through the front door, I can tell about how much money you make, if you are married or divorced. Your sexual preference. Often I can also tell your education and your religion. I can tell where you are from and I can tell the mood you are in.
With outside sales, I can see the condition of your delivery truck. How your employees dress. The neighborhood the store is in. Then how the owner looks, speaks and acts.
The next step is to speak. The one thing I would NEVER EVER do was say:
can I help you?
It never ceases to amaze me how many so-called sales people still say that day-after-day. And you know what? They get the same answer almost every time. "No, thank you. I'm just looking." There is no good reply to this.
What I would do is speak first and say, "hi folks. Listen we have some really nice floor mats,(the product mentioned here is an example and could just have easily been fly eggs), you want just one or maybe two so you can give one as a gift? This gets them to do one of two things
#1. buy one or more of the floor mats. You'd be surprised how many floor mats I sold when we had those things.
#2. Say: "no thanks I was looking for ----------
Gotcha! now I know what you want. I know about how much you can afford. I know whether you are making the decision alone or you and someone else is making the decision. I can tell if you are the kind of person who is motivated most by upward mobility, safety, security. Is it your family that is most important to you or impressing your friends? I know whether to show the one that costs the most or the one that is on sale and then show you the benefits of an upgrade. How could I know what is really a benefit to you if I did not know those other things?
I learn what your needs or desires are and then based on those qualifying assumptions, I offer feature, benefit and call to action.
FOR THE FAMILY MAN OR MOTHER
The kitchen table and chairs you are asking about is solid oak with a resitovar finish. That means you can let your kids be kids and you don't have to worry about them harming the finish. If they spill something, it wipes right up without stains. This table will look just as good when you pass it on to your own kids as it does today. There is just something about the warmth of solid oak that makes people WANT to sit at the table and talk about their day. Remember sitting at your own grandmas table when you were a kid? You just don't get that same feeling with formica do you? I want to deliver the set that YOU think will bring the most value to your family. Would you prefer the chairs with the high back or the shorter ones?
FOR THE 32 YEAR OLD SINGLE ATTORNEY
I can tell just from how you dress you are a man who values quality. This is a solid oak table in a dark cherry finish. Very stylish. This is the kind of table all your friends are going to want to know where you got it. It also gives an image of stability and that is important to a man of your stature. I would imagine you want guests in your home seeing you as someone who is looking to be influential for a long time to come. Nothing makes that kind of statement like solid oak. If we can get this deal done today, I can deliver on Monday or Tuesday morning. Which would be better for you?
See what I mean? Feature, benefit and call to action without ever asking a single question that could be answered with a no. Do you think I was getting only a 4% close ratio when I was involved in sales in the real world
This brings us to the overcoming objections part. This is where you get the,
I need to go home and measure to make sure it will fit
I will have to ask my husband/wife
I'm just shopping
I have to think about it
etc
This is no big deal. For every desire there is at least one objection. We all have to deal with the problem that if we buy this we can't have that. No big deal . You just have to overcome the objection. Often the prospect has already dealt with their own objections and are simply ready to buy, but more often than not, your job is to understand the motivations for the objections in the first place and find ways to satisfy the prospects doubts.
Now, how do we duplicate that entire process in cyberworld? THAT is the question that has become my main hobby. A hobby that I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about, talking about and developing theories and then testing those theories. In this blog, I want to share those things that I have found with you. I'm interested in doing this in a blog because I'm looking forward to the comments and responses from other people who believe as I do that the web is way too full of garbage that doesn't need to be there.
In net marketing, there are far too many content publishers who seem to think that if 1 is good, then 10 million must be better. I think this perception has come about for the simple fact that a majority of webmasters just haven't spent much time thinking about or learning the basic concepts of sales. They don't see themselves as being responsible for sales, only for good design or for search engine traffic when the fact is, those things are only supposed to exist to support the sale, not replace it. My hope is that if we could increase conversion rates by 2%, we could decrease the number of auto generated, keyword stuffed, hidden link pages that resemble a third graders ransom note by the same 2%. That would be about 20 million pages and that would be a good thing.
So in the coming weeks I will be discussing, in no particular order
the first step to making a sale online
the importance of branding
how to get customers to love you
feature-benefit-close
overcoming objections
how to read body language online
stopping the 3 second back button boogie
how to deal with the encrypted referrer
I will also start keeping a watch for others who I believe can add value to the discussion and providing you with links to said value. I'll start by mentioning a book I read in 1979. It changed my life and got me started on learning how to read body language. Knowing how to tell when someone was responding to me positively or negatively, regardless of how subtle, has served me well. Granted that is not the focus of this particular book, it just opened my eyes to it. What it did teach me directly was how to better deal with employees, clients, suppliers, bankers and above all, customers. It is called Power, How to Get It and How to Use It by Michael Korda. It is so old it is probably not readily available at local bookstores but you can find it online here http://www.fetchbook.info/search_Michael_Korda/searchBy_Author.html or here for only $2.95 USD http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Korda,%20Michael
Even though it is a little dated, It really will teach you how to win more today than you did yesterday.
I know I have a tendency to make these long posts but I'm not going to apologize. I have something I feel is important and I want to say it in a way I'm comfortable with and a way that I think gives the most value to the person who would be interested. You don't have to read it but if you do, I will try to make it worth the investment.
Now, you kids come on in the house and get washed up for supper.
The Conversion Chronicles Part 2
With inside sales when you pull up in front of my store, with my first glance I start doing something. Anyone know what that something is?
It is qualifying the prospect. I can see the car you drive, the clothes you wear. Whether you are alone or with a spouse , a friend or a significant other. As you step through the front door, I can tell about how much money you make, if you are married or divorced. Your sexual preference. Often I can also tell your education and your religion. I can tell where you are from and I can tell the mood you are in.
With outside sales, I can see the condition of your delivery truck. How your employees dress. The neighborhood the store is in. Then how the owner looks, speaks and acts.
The next step is to speak. The one thing I would NEVER EVER do was say:
can I help you?
It never ceases to amaze me how many so-called sales people still say that day-after-day. And you know what? They get the same answer almost every time. "No, thank you. I'm just looking." There is no good reply to this.
What I would do is speak first and say, "hi folks. Listen we have some really nice floor mats,(the product mentioned here is an example and could just have easily been fly eggs), you want just one or maybe two so you can give one as a gift? This gets them to do one of two things
#1. buy one or more of the floor mats. You'd be surprised how many floor mats I sold when we had those things.
#2. Say: "no thanks I was looking for ----------
Gotcha! now I know what you want. I know about how much you can afford. I know whether you are making the decision alone or you and someone else is making the decision. I can tell if you are the kind of person who is motivated most by upward mobility, safety, security. Is it your family that is most important to you or impressing your friends? I know whether to show the one that costs the most or the one that is on sale and then show you the benefits of an upgrade. How could I know what is really a benefit to you if I did not know those other things?
I learn what your needs or desires are and then based on those qualifying assumptions, I offer feature, benefit and call to action.
FOR THE FAMILY MAN OR MOTHER
The kitchen table and chairs you are asking about is solid oak with a resitovar finish. That means you can let your kids be kids and you don't have to worry about them harming the finish. If they spill something, it wipes right up without stains. This table will look just as good when you pass it on to your own kids as it does today. There is just something about the warmth of solid oak that makes people WANT to sit at the table and talk about their day. Remember sitting at your own grandmas table when you were a kid? You just don't get that same feeling with formica do you? I want to deliver the set that YOU think will bring the most value to your family. Would you prefer the chairs with the high back or the shorter ones?
FOR THE 32 YEAR OLD SINGLE ATTORNEY
I can tell just from how you dress you are a man who values quality. This is a solid oak table in a dark cherry finish. Very stylish. This is the kind of table all your friends are going to want to know where you got it. It also gives an image of stability and that is important to a man of your stature. I would imagine you want guests in your home seeing you as someone who is looking to be influential for a long time to come. Nothing makes that kind of statement like solid oak. If we can get this deal done today, I can deliver on Monday or Tuesday morning. Which would be better for you?
See what I mean? Feature, benefit and call to action without ever asking a single question that could be answered with a no. Do you think I was getting only a 4% close ratio when I was involved in sales in the real world
This brings us to the overcoming objections part. This is where you get the,
I need to go home and measure to make sure it will fit
I will have to ask my husband/wife
I'm just shopping
I have to think about it
etc
This is no big deal. For every desire there is at least one objection. We all have to deal with the problem that if we buy this we can't have that. No big deal . You just have to overcome the objection. Often the prospect has already dealt with their own objections and are simply ready to buy, but more often than not, your job is to understand the motivations for the objections in the first place and find ways to satisfy the prospects doubts.
Now, how do we duplicate that entire process in cyberworld? THAT is the question that has become my main hobby. A hobby that I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about, talking about and developing theories and then testing those theories. In this blog, I want to share those things that I have found with you. I'm interested in doing this in a blog because I'm looking forward to the comments and responses from other people who believe as I do that the web is way too full of garbage that doesn't need to be there.
In net marketing, there are far too many content publishers who seem to think that if 1 is good, then 10 million must be better. I think this perception has come about for the simple fact that a majority of webmasters just haven't spent much time thinking about or learning the basic concepts of sales. They don't see themselves as being responsible for sales, only for good design or for search engine traffic when the fact is, those things are only supposed to exist to support the sale, not replace it. My hope is that if we could increase conversion rates by 2%, we could decrease the number of auto generated, keyword stuffed, hidden link pages that resemble a third graders ransom note by the same 2%. That would be about 20 million pages and that would be a good thing.
So in the coming weeks I will be discussing, in no particular order
the first step to making a sale online
the importance of branding
how to get customers to love you
feature-benefit-close
overcoming objections
how to read body language online
stopping the 3 second back button boogie
how to deal with the encrypted referrer
I will also start keeping a watch for others who I believe can add value to the discussion and providing you with links to said value. I'll start by mentioning a book I read in 1979. It changed my life and got me started on learning how to read body language. Knowing how to tell when someone was responding to me positively or negatively, regardless of how subtle, has served me well. Granted that is not the focus of this particular book, it just opened my eyes to it. What it did teach me directly was how to better deal with employees, clients, suppliers, bankers and above all, customers. It is called Power, How to Get It and How to Use It by Michael Korda. It is so old it is probably not readily available at local bookstores but you can find it online here http://www.fetchbook.info/search_Michael_Korda/searchBy_Author.html or here for only $2.95 USD http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Korda,%20Michael
Even though it is a little dated, It really will teach you how to win more today than you did yesterday.
I know I have a tendency to make these long posts but I'm not going to apologize. I have something I feel is important and I want to say it in a way I'm comfortable with and a way that I think gives the most value to the person who would be interested. You don't have to read it but if you do, I will try to make it worth the investment.
Now, you kids come on in the house and get washed up for supper.
I’m looking forward to
I’m looking forward to read your next posts!
Apologize?
No way, Bob. You're a breath of fresh air to read after all the mumbo-jumbo dished out by the "I've been selling on the net since 2003 and I know all the secrets" folks.
Tailor real world selling principles to the web? Wow, why didn't anybody else think of that? I'm really looking forward to your next articles.
[aside]We didn't have too many lawns back in Brooklyn, so had to hope for very heavy snows in the winter. A quarter for a short walkway, half a buck for a long one -- to be split among each of the kids doing the shoveling. Boy, you could buy a heck of a lot of penny candy after four or five sidewalks.[/aside]
Body language online...
I am looking forward to THAT discussion.
Agreed Jim, real world sales
Agreed Jim, real world sales translated to web is something that'll have me riveted.
I don't do face to face, but i can get an extraordinary amount of information out of voice, and working out how to put some of the basic sales skills into web would be wonderful!
long posts
hehe, no worries there. However, first thing in the morning, im going to send you an email with some "formatting tips" :)
Good to see someone else
Good to see someone else championing the development of a professional "sales process" analysis. It is one of the most important areas in ecommerce, and yet is also the most ignored and under-developed ecommerce technique.
I was trying to get many of the same ideas across when I wrote the article "Landing Paths: Reinventing Landing Pages" for Peter Da Vanzo's Search Engine Blog. Ways to get those subtle clues about interest, desire, and angles from your online sales prospects, and then use that knowledge.
long posts? nah...
Being verbose myself at times I can say so with confidence; you're not.
Man, you don't even post, you write. It's very nice to read something that's actually written, not just posted.
LOL @ "Can I help you" - that's an old pet peeve of mine... Christ, if I wanted help I'd be talking to a doctor, but I'm not am I? I'm in a shop for chrissake and if I'm not buying today I might be buying tomorrow, so say anything you like just don't stand in my way, confuse me, or annoy me when I'm about to buy, because that way I'll probably decide I've got better things to do.
Also, you nailed it perfectly with the "if one is good then ten million must be better" - that's simply a classic. ROFL.
This should be a good read
I have always tried to used the ABC approach to the web as similiarly helped me sell in person. I agree there are many ways to adapt the two - and am looking forward to learning a bunch more from you.
Great stuff
But .. My one complaint
Bullshit.
Maybe if you are Derren Brown (and even he doesn't really). I hate it when salespeople try to do this.
I remember a couple of years
I remember a couple of years back John Scott commented that most SEO's didn't know the first thing about marketing theory, and I was deeply embarrassed to realise I was one of them.
I've since been chasng up marketing books on recommendations, from Godin to Kotler, and it's a definite learning experience.
Always glad to hear more on real-world sales targeting, especially when sales can so often sound like a dirty word, when in fact it's the essential platform of good business.
Will be looking forward to reading more of this blog...
Another Conversion Chronicles
Bob, there's a site out there already called the Conversion Chronicles. You may wish to retitle these...
>there's a site out there
there's a site out there already called the Conversion Chronicles<
Thanks for the heads up but yes, I did know. I have no affiliation with the folks there whatsoever, BUT, they do seem to kind of be singing my song, if you catch my drift. I chose to call this series the Conversion Chronicles because
#1. I think it's a cool title and I wish I had thought of it first
#2. I like http://www.conversionchronicles.com and if someone would find that site from something I had done or said, I don't see that as a bad thing
#3. If they let me know they did not appreciate it, naturally, I would make whatever retraction or apology needed
#4. If they sued, we could both use the publicity
I had considered asking their permission before I made the post but
#1. They own the website not the two words
#2. There is a philosophy that has served me well over the years. It is sometimes better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.
It's a good site. Simple and direct. I don't know them but I get the feeling they are genuinely concerned with increasing conversion rates on the net.
I don't intend to get too
I don't intend to get too involved in the discussions around the blog entries I make because I just don't have the time and I don't want to start any arguments. I will say right up front that each of us is completely free to believe what we want to believe and the wonderful thing is, if I believe I'm right and you believe I'm wrong, we're both right!
But, I do care a lot about reading the comments in the hopes of learning something too. Today I see a reply that I feel compelled to respond to because it is VERY important. Not to just web site sales but in our everyday lives as well.
chrisgarrett said:
>Bullshit.
Maybe if you are Derren Brown (and even he doesn't really). I hate it when salespeople try to do this.<
I completely understand this sentiment Chris and I don't blame you at all for feeling this way.
When I said:
>I can tell about how much money you make, if you are married or divorced. Your sexual preference.<
Perhaps a better phrase to use would have been that I can MAKE ASSUMPTIONS about how much money you make.
You see, if you hate it when salespeople do this, what about when you do it yourself?
I'm not trying to make it look like I possess some paranormal ability to read your mind. I'm trying to get everyone to see that we all make the same kind of assumptions.
One of my little things is I look at a persons shoes when I first meet them. It tells me, (again, it doesn't REALLY tell me anything. It simply allows me to make assumptions), how you take care of your personal possessions. Are the shoes clean or unkempt? Are they sports shoes or dress shoes? Are they Wal Mart or designer. See what I mean?
If I meet a man who is wearing shoes by Dr. Scholl but has a watch that says Robex, I know this person is probably not upfront about some things. He is trying to present himself as something he is not. If that same man had on the Wal Mart shoes AND a cheap watch but is over 40, then here is a man who is probably honest but lacks financial resources. This is likely due to a divorce or a bankruptcy.
See how all of those things could be a factor in my relationship with this person? I'm not saying it is good or bad. It just is.
Now, let's get back to you.
Ever come home only to ask your spouse, " all right, something is wrong, what is it?" Was that you knowing what mood she was in or were you doing the exact same thing I was describing doing in a sales presentation? Making assumptions that you use to determine how you wish to proceed in this instance to attain an objective. Even if that objective is honestly just wanting to know what is wrong.
Ever meet someone and think to yourself, "geez, what an asshole?" In fact, you may be experiencing this as we speak.
You are making the assumptions about the person that will determine how you will approach any kind of interaction. That is not something to hate or like. It is not even something that all salespeople do. It is just something that human beings do.
The reason I wanted to address this one concern is that accepting this concept is crucial to increasing conversions. I won't get into the technicalities of how to do this online right now as I plan to discuss that at length a little later, but the important thing for now is to accept that if we do not KNOW something about the humans we encounter, the chances of saying what that person will respond to in a positive way, (positive way being the way we want them to respond), are greatly reduced. Reduced to the point in fact that our odds of success would be better playing the lottery. At least with the lottery, acquisition costs, (the cost for a ticket giving you the shot at success), is a set figure you can budget and plan for regardless of click thrus.
NVC
I am pleased you responded and altered it from "know" to "assumption", thanks :O) It is not so much that you are making assumptions based on appearances, some people believe the majority of communication is non-verbal and it is part of a field I am very interested in (NLP). Maybe I am completely wrong about this (judging by Blink people are a lot better at snap judgements than I thought) but I think this is risky. It is the *innacurate* assumptions that salespeople make that upset me.
Quite often my external appearance is shabby. This is not because of anything concious, and neither is it because I can not afford the luxury of "nice" clothing. It is because the majority of the time my external appearance is not a priority. I am an "internal" person. Actually if you are really good at this stuff you would be able to work this out from the way I glance while talking to you but not as I walk in. Also sometimes I physically arrange myself in certain ways to give an impression of a confident, outgoing, approachable guy while inside I am a neurotic freak (heh). This has happened quite a lot over the years, for example say I walk into your house builder sales office or car showroom, following the above you would walk over to the guy with the shiny shoes and the rolex.
Online you see more *behaviour* to judge people, as someone walks in all you can see is certain visual cues.
Not dissing the approach or your ability, I just hate it when on first appearance a salesperson goes over to the guy in the expensive suit and posh haircut and ignores the guy in the shabby clothes and DIY hearcut without asking any questions :O)
Cheers
That's what I like about you Bob -- the ability to turn lemons into lemonade! :)
You may be a neurotic freak
You may be a neurotic freak as you claim, (who ain't????), but you're highly intelligent and well spoken. That bodes VERY well for me in this particular instance. You are 100% correct and justified in your feelings. The scenario you described does happen far too often.
NOW we're communicating you and I. Point illustrated.
Thank you very much Chris. My assumption is you are a person of character.
My assumption
This is going to be a blog to watch :O)
This is going to be a blog
Ditto.
Massa you have my full attention and there hasn't been much out there that's been doin it for me lately.
Thank you and keep goin! ;)
Other Side of the Coin
Sorry I'm late to the party. Let me say I enjoyed looking at things from the other perspective but gosh I disagree an awful lot.
Unless it's a client meeting I'm very likely to be wearing grass stained 3 year old ripped up Nike's, jeans, and a novelty t-shirt. Why, pesky sales people leave me alone and I can get in and out without being negotiated to death, upsold, or just plain bothered. Has nothing to do with how much I make, my marital status, or personal hygenie.
I hate talking to pesky sales people who call to sell me something I didn't ask for or want. If I wanted to talk to you I'd call you. I use my voice mail/answering machine to screen my calls. Unless I recognize your number from caller ID I won't pick up the phone. Yes I will call you back, and I'm very upfront about that, and after the first or second time, everyone I deal with "gets it".
So while I disagree with your approach, I'm still enjoying reading about it, so please carry on.
Profiling
On the issue of customer profiling - my experience is that the best sales people not simply allow their profiling to be dynamic, but also invite a certain open-endedness, to allow themselves to be pleasantly surprised.
After all, being too literal with cues could lead to wrong presumptions.
And I agree - qualifying the original piece with "assumptions" was definitely a good addendum.
I apologize for belaboring a
I apologize for belaboring a point, but it is NOT about profiling or pesky salesmen. It is about illustrating how we all make judgements very quickly. It is about, if we intend to sell from our webpages, how are we AS SALESPEOPLE, going to make those same assumptions with only what the net has to offer us.
The intent is not to make anyone defensive. I will say though that wearing old jeans says as much about a person as wearing anything else. Also, I'm certianly not suggesting that if a man has a watch, the job is done. Making assumptions is only the very first step in increasing conversions.
That said, I hate spam phone calls as much as the next guy but after looking at the site in your profile Graywolf, I'm absolutely sure you too are a salesman. I only want to help you make more money at it if I can.
salesman
I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm much of a salesman, but I will say when I worked in retail I was exposed on a daily basis to people who were much, much better than I could ever hope to be, and I did learn just a little bit from watching them in action. The whole prequailifing issue is wierd. Management was constantly drumming it into the salespeople's heads not to do it. The sales people did it anyway. It's impossible to be right all the time but the really good sales people knew exactly what to say to push the customers emotional buttons.
Most sales people lacked the ability to quantify what/why/how they were doing the things they were doing. So while I may disagree with some of what you say, I relaize learning from someone who has more experience and is better at something than I am is a good thing.