Having recorded over 100 episodes of the Salesman Podcast I generally have a chat with the guest after we finish up the recording.
I’ll often ask if they’ve any good stories of when sales meetings have gone wrong. I find it’s empowering to know that even with the best coaching things can still go tits up.
Here is a rundown of the worst they had come across.
- Seller: “I’m deeply sorry about that, but who is the decision maker now?” After finding out on the flight over that the prospect had died
- Buyer: “What’s your title again? Ah, we only ever deal with people above your pay grade”
- Seller: “Your assistant is smoking’ hot!” It wasn’t his assistant it was the managing partner of the company
- Seller: “I’ll give you a 20% discount if you sign the deal today as I’ve not hit target and my rent is due”
- Buyer: “XYZ are our competitors, why does your slide show have their logo all over it?” After the rep forgot to clean up his slides after pitching the competitor the week before
- Seller: “You’re southern? I thought only intelligent people got into the c-suite”
- Seller: “You remind me of Will Smith” Said to a black purchasing manager who was 60+ and looked nothing like Will Smith.
- Buyer: “I’ll give you 20% less than what is on your quote as my wife’s leaving me and I’m pulling out equity from the business for the court battle”
- Buyer: “Did you cut me up in coming into the car park?!” The rep was late arriving for the meeting and had also given the managing director the finger.
- Seller: “So how many wives you got?” Asked of an Indian man (who is Irish Catholic)
- Seller: “When is your boss getting here” Asked by a young man to a room of female C-suite executives.
- Seller: “You’re not going to mind if I have the last donut would you? I’ll be doing you a favour!” Said to an overweight CEO as the rep ate his company’s food.
- Seller: “I prefer coke” Said by a Redbull regional sales manager at a meeting with a supermarket as he sipped a diet coke.
