Tuesday, August 18, 2015

5 Types of Technology Salesmen




This post is a little light hearted, but I hope it helps you too.

I have met many technology salesmen in my time, and can group their techniques into five categories, namely:

1. Selling by Sex
These are the good lookers who would try to seduce you with sex, or at least let you think that you are going to 'get it'. Sex sells and this works for many people, both men and women.

2. Selling by Bossing Around
These are the motherly/fatherly types, who curiously close sales by bossing their client around. It works for clients who are short of confidence or  paternal/maternal love.

3. Selling by Fighting for the Customer
These ones are fiercely loyal to their customer. They will fight for the customer rights, until they win, even if it means that they lose their job.  Consequently, they have a loyal following and customers follow them when they change jobs.

4. Selling by Fear (and Dropping Names)
These are the ones that give a strong show of dutch courage, threatening the client that their project will fail without buying his product. He will further strengthen his claim by dropping some of his (purported) big name clients. It works for buyers who need big names to cover their ass.

5. Selling by Technical Know-how
Of the five, these ones are the most honest. They know their technology inside out and so hide behind their strengths to go into monumental details of the product, unaware that the buyer may be looking for something else. This works for clients who already know what they want and are delighted to hear direct from the seller's mouth.

You may have met other types of salesmen. Tell us about them. :)