Is it just me, or is there an irritating new trend among sales people to go for the pre-emptive close before they've even actually spoken to you?
I've just received an email entitled "Your lunch reservation" which goes on to say:
"I haven't heard back from you regarding your lunch reservation and want to make sure we can give an accurate head count to our venue partners in London. If you are unable to make it to any of our lunch seminars, please click here to cancel your complimentary reservation (or forward to others in your organisation)."
I've never spoken to anyone at this organisation, nor have I shown any interest, as far as I'm aware, in what they're selling - events management, since you ask. The irony.
I find it presumptious in the extreme that they are expecting me to get back to them if I don't want to go. Still further, if I can't make it they'd rather like it if I could do their job for them and get a colleague to attend instead. This can't be an effective tactic.
It's second only in rudeness to another alarming new approach which we experienced the other day when the entire KMUK marketing department, past and present, received a direct outlook meeting request as a first point of contact from an organisation trying to sell us marketing services. They received short shrift when they finally bothered to pick up the phone.
I find these sorts of approaches highly discourteous, and more than likely to create a negative impression of the organisation and people using them, which, when they're trying to sell me marketing services, is counterproductive on more than one level.
Anyone else experienced this sort of approach? Does it make you reet furious?
Tch.
ReplyDeleteOnly today I received a cold all from a robotic lady trying to sell me cheaper land line calls.
Swear at her as I did, she just wouldn't get shirty and slam the phone down on me.
What's the point.
You could add to the list the people who cold call and open by asking if I can talk them through our marketing strategy. And the ones who, when told that actually I don't make decisions about the service they are selling and that they should speak to a colleague, decide that they'd like to talk me through their entire sales pitch anyway. Oh, and the ones who send everybody in the team a hard-back, perfect bound portfolio of their work without having first checked that we're interested in receiving it - what a waste of resources!
ReplyDeleteSo, what would I prefer? Sales people who have done their homework and established that whatever they have to sell is relevant before they call, check they've got through to the right person before they launch into their sales spiel, and listen at least as much as they talk.
If this doesn't work then they will soon stop. Sadly, it might be a bit like direct mail. Clearly it does work, or they'd stop it.
ReplyDeleteCurse those sales types.
YHE
I got the same one. Thought it was a fantastic presumptive close, and made a note to apply to all my future clients' work.
ReplyDeleteComing to an email near you....