“Part of my job involves purchasing. That means I have to deal with salespeople. I hate the song-and-dance that goes on. They act like they’re your friend, but they’re just there to sell you something, right?
“And if you don’t watch out, you’ll end up buying too much, the wrong thing, or something that’s priced too high. I think it’s best not to show your hand too much, or they’ll take advantage.
“So, don’t take it personally that when you show up at my office, I may keep you waiting. And if I do talk with you, I’m going to be skeptical, because I don’t think our goals are the same. I may need something from you, but you have an agenda of what your company is pushing to sell, and you’re trying to meet your quota. Me? I’m just trying to make the best deal. That will make my boss happy. Since you and I are at cross purposes, I’m pretty doubtful about the outcome. But hey, take your best shot.”
How to Respond?
Remind you of someone? Yet, there is hope. Your knowledge of Q4 relationship selling should make it easy to recognize this prospect’s behavior. Once you size-up the prospect, what can you do to work with this person’s skeptical behavior and resistance to get somewhere?
