Sales reps hear a lot of hype from their marketing departments. In the end, it's the reps who have to get face-to-face with customers and persuade them to buy. That's a lot tougher than it sounds to the product manager sitting in head office. Product managers don't make it any easier when they try to B.S. the sales force. Here are a few of their favorite lines and what they really mean for the sales professional:
- "The product sells itself" — Okay, let's just set up a display in the customer's lobby and write up the orders. Unless you're selling water in the middle of Death Valley, chances are the sales reps need to do a lot of selling to make your product a success.
- "We really don’t have any competition for this product" — Uh, oh. Someone hasn't done any research. Everyone has competition these days and products look more alike than ever.
- "There’s huge, pent-up demand for this product" — Maybe if you are first to market with a product like Viagra, that's true. Most of the time, the world is not waiting anxiously for your new product.
- "Customers will pay a premium for this product" — Unless you have an established reputation and position as a premium brand, this is almost never true. Many products actually cost less than ever and increased competition coupled with flat demand is only pushing prices lower.
- "The sales targets are aggressive but doable" — If all of the stars and planets are in perfect alignment and you have a career year, you just might hit your target. In reality, most of you don't have a prayer of making plan.
- "The potential market for this product is in the billions" — Check that Excel formula, will you? While you're at it, stop drinking that funny Kool-Aid.
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