Neediness Kills Sales

The number one sales killer is neediness.  You read correctly. Neediness kills sales.

When I purchased my most recent car, the minute I stepped onto the lot a salesman was all over me.

He asked questions.  He followed me around.  He even offered to get me a cup of coffee while he went to get the keys for the test drive of the car.

It was at that point I turned the tables on him.

You see, having developed the sales process for a major car company (as well as a company that sold timeshares and a different company that sold corporate aircraft) I knew what time of the month it was.  The date was the 28th and, by that time, every salesperson on the lot was either struggling to keep his/her job or vying for a prize in a monthly contest.

At the end of the month in a pure sales job (a job with no salary just straight commission) there is no ambiguity.  There are winners, losers and survivors.

So I stepped onto the lot knowing I was going to get a car at dealer invoice (or slightly below) because the salesman and the dealer needed to close deals – lots of them.

The salesman I was working with needed to close the deal to keep his job.  His boss, the owner, needed the deal (and a few others) to earn a “hold back” – a special incentive from the manufacturer given to dealers who sold a certain number of cars by the end of the month.

I sensed this neediness and, like a shark sensing blood in the water, I toyed with my prey and then finally swallowed it whole.

Neediness is the kiss of death for anyone looking to close a deal. Neediness kills sales.

Period.  End of story.

If you need money and the other guy knows you need money, you’re dead.

It’s a fact.

You must not, under any circumstance, wear your neediness on your sleeve.

When times get tough and you are tightening your belt, that’s the time to appear as if everything is under control.

The guy who can walk away from the deal will always be the winner.

This is the first rule I teach my clients.

The minute you negotiate your price down without reducing the value you provide, you are demonstrating your neediness.

When you allow the client to dictate payment terms, you are demonstrating your neediness.

If you find yourself feeling trapped into doing more for the client than you originally agreed to do, you are demonstrating your neediness.

Don’t do this.

Respect yourself.  Offer your clients a fair deal.  Keep your neediness to a minimum.

neediness kills sales.