How Salespeople Trick You

Which types of sellers make you buy?

• Choice A: the confident one
• Choice B: the expert one

"I'd buy from the expert! OH YEAH I WOULD!" you might scream.

But, a study by a Carnegie Mellon University researcher shows you'll probably do the opposite:

1. Confident people influence prospects more than experts do.
2. Therefore, people buy more from confident people.

What does that mean?

1. You're probably buying things because Person X's confidence tricks you.
2. Therefore, you're draining cash on the wrong investments.

For example:

Take Business Owner Teddy

Business Owner Teddy needs to hire a team member.

• Slick Willy comes in for an interview.
• He's cool; he's confident; he's charismatic.
• His answers are superficially weeeeeeeak; but, Slick Willy's confidence masks his true skills.

Teddy -- swayed by his confidence -- hires Willy over timid Billy (who he saw as one socially awkward mofro).

Billy?

That socially awkward Billy, however, might just:

• suck at interviews
• focused his skills on doing -- not talking (having better skills as a result)

Teddy, blinded by perception, hires Slick Willy -- who:

1. can't get stuff done
2. always asks 'for another week'
3. and somehow, keeps talking his way out of things

Cash drainage.

Growth drainage.

Business Owner Billy experiences The Suck.

BOOOO. DON'T SUCK

When you have a sales pitch:

• Do not let confidence fool you.
• Do not let timidity fool you.

Here's one tip:

1. Avoid in-person/over-the-phone sales pitches as-much-as-%^@^$^^^^-possible.
2. Instead, let peeps do their pitches over email/paper.

That leaves you with a more objective outlook among your pitches.

(And if you hafta, schedule the in-person stuff in the final rounds.)

Therefore, you make a wiser choice on choosing the better/best investments to rock your company.

• Save money: check.
• Invest wiser: check.
• Get better vendors/suppliers/employees/etc.: check.

No slick.

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